Dr. Ben Carson first made a name for himself by being the first surgeon to successfully separate twins conjoined at the head, but the position he’s rumored to be pursuing next would eclipse even that notable accomplishment: President of the United States.

With that in mind, Ben’s public appearances on pundit shows are about to be much more closely scrutinized. Carson, already a recurring figure on such programs, is known for his unwavering defenses of conservative social values. On Wednesday morning, Ben continued in this same vein when he appeared on Chris Cuomo’s New Day on CNN.

During the show, Carson became caught up in an argument about same sex marriage when the host made a comparison to slavery and other civil rights struggles. Ben argued that the two were incomparable because of his belief that sexuality is not biologically inherent, but a choice. Caron’s defense centered around the culture of otherwise straight men engaging in sex with each other in prison.

“Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that.”

Cuomo countered Ben’s argument by noting that men who have sex with other men in prison often do so because a struggle for domination. Carson, however, was undeterred. Ben then argued that gay people do not need marriage in order to have equal rights.

“Why do gay people want to get married? Why do they say they want to get married? Because they want to have various rights — property rights, visitation rights. Why can’t any two human beings, I don’t care what their sexual orientation is, why can’t they have the legal right to do those things? That does not require changing the definition of marriage.”

These statements shouldn’t be surprising to those who are familiar with Carson. Ben’s position on gay marriage and homosexuality in general has stayed relatively solid since he first came into the public eye. While appearing on Sean Hannity’s show in 2012, Carson compared gay people to those who engage in bestiality and pedophilia.

“No group — be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality. They don’t get to change the definition. It’s not something against gays, it’s against anybody who want to come along and change the fundamental pillars of society.”

Although the number of Americans opposed to gay marriage has fallen considerably, there are still hoards of voters whose views coincide with Ben’s. That could help Carson out come election time, who said a few months ago on The Hugh Hewitt Show that he was likely to announce his candidacy in May.

Do you think Ben Carson’s argument against gay marriage is valid?

[Image via Richard Ellis/Getty Images]