Carson Said That Same-Sex Couples Shouldn’t Ask For Cakes From Anti-Equality Bakers Because They Might Poison The Cake. The Hill reported: “Carson also criticized political correctness as he answered a question about gay marriage — and followed up by flaunting decorum with the type of comment that endears him with the base but could hurt his cross-party appeal. ‘What I have a problem with is when people try to force people to act against their beliefs because they say 'they're discriminating against me.' So they can go right down the street and buy a cake, but no, let's bring a suit against this person because I want them to make my cake even though they don't believe in it. Which is really not all that smart because they might put poison in that cake,’ he said to chuckles from some of his staff and dead silence from the journalists in the room.” [The Hill, 1/24/2015 ]

Carson Said It Was “Absolutely Vital” That Americans Support Mike Pence’s Right To Discriminate RFRA Law. According to Breitbart, “Speaking about the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act—which has drawn fire from the left—Carson said the First Amendment is one of the basic pillars and a founding principle of the nation. ‘It is absolutely vital that we do all we can to allow Americans to practice their religious ways, while simultaneously ensuring that no one’s beliefs infringe upon those of others. We should also serve as champions of freedom of religion throughout the world,’ Carson tells Breitbart News. He notes that individuals committing horrific acts of intolerance are persecuting people across the world because of religion. ‘As Americans, we have an obligation to denounce these acts of persecution. For when we stand up to such intolerance, we are defending the root of our freedom, both at home and abroad,’ he said.” [Breitbart News, 3/30/2015 ]

Carson Said He Would Like To See “As Much Emphasis On The Rights Of Christians…As There Is To Some Of The Other Groups.” According to CNN, “While he called for LGBT rights to remain a private issue, Carson called for a ‘much greater conversation about Christians and their rights.’…. Religious discrimination, like discrimination on the basis of race or gender, is protected under the Constitution. Sexual orientation is not protected under the Constitution and LGBT groups are pushing for anti-discrimination laws tailored to protect members of that community. Carson would not say whether he thinks religious groups or LGBT individuals received more protections under the law. ‘I would like to see as much emphasis on the rights of Christians and people who are members of the faith community as there is to some of the other groups,’ he said. ‘The important thing is for us as a nation to recognize that all citizens of the United Sates are protected by our constitution. We need to stop deciding that one group versus another group is the flavor of the day and we need to do things that provide for justice and liberty for everybody.’” [CNN, New Day, 4/9/2015; VIDEO]



Carson Said Civil Rights And LGBT Rights Were Different Because LGBT People Didn’t Have To Use Separate Drinking Fountains. “I was a little bit irritated that he was equating the whole [homosexuality] issue with the Civil Rights movement, because, quite frankly, I didn't remember any times when there were signs up that says, you know, 'everybody else here and gay people have to drink at this fountain,'” Carson said in an interview on Fox News. [Fox News, Special Report with Bret Baier, 6/10/2015; VIDEO]

Carson Refused To Say Whether LGBT Americans Faced Discrimination, Saying “Everybody Probably Has Somebody Who Discriminates Against Them” And Asking To Talk About “Something More Important.” In an interview on CNN, Carson responded to the question of whether LGBT Americans are discriminated against by saying“‘I made my opinion quite clear on this issue. I think the Constitution protects every single American. Everybody has equal rights, not extra rights.’ KEILAR: ‘I’m asking you then if you think gay Americans are protected from being discriminated against and do they face discrimination? Do you think they do?’ CARSON: ‘Everybody should be protected against discrimination. Can we move on to something more important?’ KEILAR: ‘No, you haven’t answered my question. You haven’t answered, are gay Americans discriminated against? It’s a very simple question. I’m asking to you clarify your remarks.’ CARSON: ‘I just said everybody needs to be protected from discrimination. Everybody probably has somebody who discriminates against them because there are people with small minds who think that way.’” [CNN, 6/11/2015; VIDEO]

Carson Confidante Said Carson Said that Obergefell Ruling “Is The Law Of The Land And That’s What He Respects.” According to Talking Points Memo, “A well-known confidante of Dr. Ben Carson said Tuesday that questions about the candidate's views on a Kentucky clerk's refusal to grant marriage licenses to gay couples are just ‘trying to create something that's new.’ ‘Dr. Carson has said since the Supreme Court ruling that it is the law of land and that's what he respects,’ a highly agitated Armstrong Williams told TPM in a phone interview.” [Talking Points Memo, 9/1/2015]



Carson Signed National Organization’s Marriage Pledge. According to NOM, Carson was one of 4 candidates to sign their marriage pledge. NOM says “These are the candidates you can count on to support a constitutional amendment protecting marriage; work to overturn the illegitimate Obergefell ruling imposing gay 'marriage' on the nation; prevent the push of this illegitimate ruling throughout government including the public schools; work for the passage of the First Amendment Defense Act; and direct the Department of Justice to investigate attempts to harass marriage supporters.” [National Organization For Marriage, Marriage Pledge, Accessed 9/9/2015]

Significant Findings on Dangerous “Conversion Therapy” Said “prison” proves that being LGBT is a choice, rhetoric similar to that used by conversion therapy advocates, but opposed by most in the medical community

Carson Said Prison Proves That Being LGBT Is “Absolutely” A Choice. In an interview with CNN’s New Day: “Asked whether being gay is a choice, Carson responded: ‘Absolutely.’ ‘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 question,’ Carson said. That argument, Carson said, ‘thwarts’ the notion that homosexuality isn't a choice, which is at odds with the majority of the medical community, including the American Psychological Association, who says ‘most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.’” [CNN, 3/4/2015 ; VIDEO]

Carson Walked Back CNN Statement, Saying There Were No Definitive Studies Showing People Are Born Into A Specific Sexuality, But “We Are Always Born Male And Female” And Deserving Of Respect. In a Facebook post, Carson responded to the controversy caused by his comments on CNN by saying, “In a recent interview on CNN, I realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues. I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended. I'm a doctor trained in multiple fields of medicine, who was blessed to work at perhaps the finest institution of medical knowledge in the world. Some of our brightest minds have looked at this debate, and up until this point there have been no definitive studies that people are born into a specific sexuality. We do know, however, that we are always born male and female. And I know that we are all made in God's image, which means we are all deserving of respect and dignity.” [Facebook, Dr. Ben Carson, 3/4/2015 ]

Carson Said He Regretted ‘Prison Comments’ And That He Does Not “Pretend To Know How Every Individual Came To Their Sexual Orientation” But There Is “No Definitive Study” That People Are Born Into Sexual Orientation. Newsmax reported after the backlash to Carson’s prison comments, “Hours later, Carson issued a formal apology in which he stated that he ‘realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues,’ reported Bloomberg News. ‘I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended,’ Carson's statement read. Still, Carson said that the jury is still out on the question of how a person's sexual orientation is determined. ‘Some of our brightest minds have looked at this debate, and up until this point there have been no definitive studies that people are born into a specific sexuality,’ the statement he provided to CNN read.” [Newsmax, 3/5/2015]

Carson Said LGBT Rights Was “A Personal Issue” And Said Conversion Therapy “Should Be Left To Therapists And To Individuals. I Don’t Think It’s Anybody Else’s Business.” “The neurosurgeon insisted Thursday on CNN's ‘New Day’ that the topic [of LGBT rights] is ‘a personal issue’ that should be left to private forums -- not discussed in a public forum like the media. ‘It seems to be a topic -- a person's sexual orientation -- that is of fair amount of concern to you. I don't find it to be anywhere near as interesting,’ Carson said Thursday. ‘I think it's a personal issue and we ought to leave it as a personal issue.’ ‘Leave...the personal issues to the personal people,’ Carson added. Carson also refused to share his views in the widely discredited practice of gay conversion therapy, which is intended to make gay people feel heterosexual. The White House officially announced Wednesday it supports banning the practice. ‘That kind of thing should be left to therapists and to individuals. I don't think it's anybody else's business,’ Carson said.” [CNN, New Day, 4/9/2015; VIDEO]

Carson Refused To Say Whether LGBT Americans Faced Discrimination, Saying “Everybody Probably Has Somebody Who Discriminates Against Them” And Asking To Talk About “Something More Important.” In an interview on CNN, Carson responded to the question of whether LGBT Americans are discriminated against by saying“‘I made my opinion quite clear on this issue. I think the Constitution protects every single American. Everybody has equal rights, not extra rights.’ KEILAR: ‘I’m asking you then if you think gay Americans are protected from being discriminated against and do they face discrimination? Do you think they do?’ CARSON: ‘Everybody should be protected against discrimination. Can we move on to something more important?’ KEILAR: ‘No, you haven’t answered my question. You haven’t answered, are gay Americans discriminated against? It’s a very simple question. I’m asking to you clarify your remarks.’ CARSON: ‘I just said everybody needs to be protected from discrimination. Everybody probably has somebody who discriminates against them because there are people with small minds who think that way.’” [CNN, 6/11/2015; VIDEO]

Significant Findings on Rhetoric and Intolerance Compared same-sex marriage to bestiality and NAMBLA Suggested “political correctness” was turning America into Nazi Germany Said supporters of marriage equality were intolerant; denied that his views made him a homophobe Suggested that federal same-sex marriage would lead to “open season” on Christians

Carson Compared Same-Sex Marriage To Bestiality And NAMBLA . During an interview with Sean Hannity, Carson said, “Well, my thoughts are that marriage is between a man and a woman. It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality, it doesn't matter what they are, they don't get to change the definition. So it's not something that's against gays. It's against anybody who wants to come along and change the fundamental definitions of pillars of society. It has significant ramifications.” [Fox Nation, 4/1/2013 , VIDEO]

Carson Withdrew As Commencement Speaker At John Hopkins University After Controversy Over His Comments Comparing Same-Sex Marriage And Bestiality. According to the Washington Post: Dr. Ben Carson announced Wednesday that he is withdrawing as graduation speaker at Johns Hopkins University, ceding to demands from students concerned about his controversial recent comments about gay marriage. ‘Given all the national media surrounding my statements as to my belief in traditional marriage, I believe it would be in the best interests of the students for me to voluntarily withdraw as your commencement speaker this year,’ Carson said in an e-mail to the dean of the Johns Hopkins medical school, Paul Rothman. ‘My presence is likely to distract from the true celebratory nature of the day. Commencement is about the students and their successes, and it is not about me.’ Carson in a TV interview two weeks ago mentioned bestiality and pedophilia while arguing against gay marriage.” [Washington Post, 4/10/2013 ]

Carson Said He Wasn’t Comparing Same-Sex Marriage To Bestiality, Just Like An Apple Is Not An Orange, But That “Once We Start Changing The Definitions, Then Where Do We Stop?” According to New York Magazine, in an interview with Andrea Mitchell, Carson said, “But what I was basically saying is that there is no group. I wasn't equating those things, I don't think they're equal. Just, you know, if you ask me for apple and I give you an orange you would say, well that's not an orange. And then I say, that's a banana, that's not an apple either. And there's a peach, that's not an apple, either. But it doesn't mean that I'm equating the banana and the orange and the peach. And in the same way I'm not equating those things. My point was that once we start changing the definitions, then where do we stop?” [New York Magazine, 3/29/2013 ; VIDEO]

Carson Apologized For Comparison And He Was Not Comparing LGBT People With Child Predators Or Practitioners Of Bestiality. According to CNN: “Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who rose to GOP fame in recent months, apologized Friday for appearing to equate homosexuality with the criminal acts of pedophilia and bestiality. ‘I love gay people. I love straight people. So this was really, I think, on my behalf, somewhat insensitive and I certainly apologize if I offended anyone, because I was not in any way comparing gays with people who engage in bestiality or sexual child abuse,’ Carson said on CNN's ‘The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.’” [CNN, Situation Room, 3/29/2013 ; VIDEO]

Carson Said “That Point [Of Bestiality Comment] Was If You Change The Definition For One Group, You’ll Have To Change It For The Next Group And The Next Group.” According to the New York Times, Carson said, “‘When I mention bestiality or pedophilia in the same sentence with homosexuality, people say ‘Carson says they’re the same.’ Of course they’re not the same,’ he said. ‘That point was if you change the definition of marriage for one group, you’ll have to change it for the next group and the next group.’” [New York Times, 12/22/2014 ]

Carson: We Are “Very Much Like Nazi Germany…You Had A Government Using Its Tools To Intimidate The Population. We Now Live In A Society Where People Are Afraid To Say What They Actually Believe.” According to the Washington Times: “In a recent public event in New York, Dr. Carson spoke of living ‘in a Gestapo age,’ Mediaite reported. Following, Fox News contributor Mallory Factor asked him to explain. And his response, as quoted on Mediaite: ‘I mean, [we are] very much like Nazi Germany. And I know you’re not supposed to say ‘Nazi Germany,’ but I don’t care about political correctness. You know, you had a government using its tools to intimidate the population. We now live in a society where people are afraid to say what they actually believe.’” [Washington Times, 3/12/14 ]

Carson: “Most People In Germany Didn’t Agree With What Hitler Was Doing…Exactly The Same Thing Can Happen In This Country If We Are Not Willing To Stand Up For What We Believe In.” According to the Washington Post: “Does he worry that perhaps comparing Obama supporters to Nazi sympathizers may sound like something a bully might do? ‘You can’t dance around it,’ he says. ‘If people look at what I said and were not political about it, they’d have to agree. Most people in Germany didn’t agree with what Hitler was doing. . . . Exactly the same thing can happen in this country if we are not willing to stand up for what we believe in.’” [Washington Post, 8/28/14 ]

Carson Said He Would Not Be “Intimidated” By Those Calling Him A Homophobe Just Because He Believes In The Strength Of “Traditional Marriage.” Dr. Carson told the Weekly Standard: “And if you believe that life begins at conception and that that is a wonderful progression from that fertilized egg to a human being who is active and interactive in only nine months time, then you’re anti-woman. And if you believe in traditional families and the strength of traditional marriage then you have to be a homophobe. And of course none of those things are true by any stretch of the imagination, but by stoking those fires, you shut people up and they’re afraid to say what they believe because they don’t want to be labeled with those labels. It’s intimidation, that’s all it is, intimidation. I’ve just decided that I’m not going to be intimidated, and of course they don’t like that very much. And they’ve tried to intimidate me into silence but it’s just not going to work, because the more they do it, the more vocal I’m going to be.” [Weekly Standard, 5/15/2014 ]

Carson Said That Demanding Marriage Equality “Is Total Intolerance. It Needs To Be Called Out For What It Is.” In an interview with Charisma News, Carson said, “People have to stand up to them. They are being totally intolerant. I asked a prominent member of the gay community what other position could a person take other than fully agreeing to gay marriage that would be acceptable to them. He thought about it for a while and he said that there is no other position; it's my way or the highway. That is total intolerance. It needs to be called out for what it is. You can do anything you want, but nobody gets to completely change things for everybody else.” [Charisma News, 6/19/2014 ]

Carson Said Supporting Same-Sex Marriage Is Like Calling People Who Think Two Plus Two Equals Four, Not Five, “Mathophobes,” And “People Have To Stand Up To Them. They Are Being Totally Intolerant.” According to The Blaze: “Carson compared calls for an amended definition of marriage to a hypothetical scenario in which a ‘new set of mathematicians … come along and say that two plus two is five.’ Instead of accepting that the answer is four, the people in his analogy begin labeling everyone who disagrees with their new conclusion — that the answer to the equation is actually five — as ‘mathophobes’ or ‘mathists.’ ‘Basically, that’s what happened in our society. People have to stand up to them,’ Carson said. ‘They are being totally intolerant.’” [The Blaze, 6/20/2014 ]

Carson Said Of Those Demanding Marriage Equality: “That Sounds A Little Like Intolerance To Me. It Sounds Like My Way Or The Highway.” In an interview with Newsmax, Carson said, “I asked a prominent individual in the gay community ‘well, what position could a person take who believes in traditional marriage that would be satisfactory to you?’ And after thinking about it for a while, he said, ‘There is no other position. You have to embrace gay marriage. That’s the only position that’s acceptable to us.’ That sounds a little like intolerance to me. It sounds like my way or the highway. I think even though gays suffered a lot of discrimination in the past, and I denounce that in the book. I don’t think that’s the right way to treat anybody, but that doesn’t mean that you get to change everything for everybody else.” [Newsmax TV, Midpoint, 6/23/2014 ]

Carson Agreed With Radio Host That Legalized Same-Sex Marriage Would Make It ‘Open Season’ On Christians, Said “Values And Principles Cannot Be Drummed Out Of Us.” According to Talking Points Memo, in an interview with Steve Deace: “Later on in the interview, Carson agreed with Deace that ongoing spread of legalized gay marriage would make it ‘open season on Christians.’ ‘Values and principles cannot be drummed out of us,’ Carson said. ‘They’re going to try, and the only way we maintain a country with values and principles is we have to be brave enough to stand up for what we believe.’” [Talking Points Memo, 1/21/2015 ; AUDIO]

Carson Said We Should Stop Listening To “P.C. Police Who Say Every Lifestyle Is Exactly Of The Same Value.” According to the Huffington Post, asked about single parents, “GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson, calling for a focus on families with ‘traditional, intact values,’ said Wednesday that not ‘every lifestyle is exactly of the same value,’ and attacked what he called the ‘p.c. police.’ ‘We have got to stop paying attention to the 'p.c. police,' who say every lifestyle is exactly of the same value,’ Carson said in an radio interview with Sirius XM. ‘No, it’s not of the same value. It is very clear that intact, traditional families with traditional, intact values do much better in terms of raising children. So let’s stop pretending that everything is of equal value.’” [Huffington Post, 10/7/2015; AUDIO]

Significant Findings on LGBT Adoption Would not support LGBT couples adopting, saying he wanted to know first how it impacted their sexuality Lamented what the growing acceptance of nontraditional families and said that they were “tearing down those things that have worked so well for the millennium”

Carson Said We Should Stop Listening To “P.C. Police Who Say Every Lifestyle Is Exactly Of The Same Value.” According to the Huffington Post, asked about single parents, “GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson, calling for a focus on families with ‘traditional, intact values,’ said Wednesday that not ‘every lifestyle is exactly of the same value,’ and attacked what he called the ‘p.c. police.’ ‘We have got to stop paying attention to the 'p.c. police,' who say every lifestyle is exactly of the same value,’ Carson said in an radio interview with Sirius XM. ‘No, it’s not of the same value. It is very clear that intact, traditional families with traditional, intact values do much better in terms of raising children. So let’s stop pretending that everything is of equal value.’” [Huffington Post, 10/7/2015; AUDIO]

Carson Said That When It Came To LGBT Adoptions, He’d “Have To Give More Thought To” The Subject. During an interview on CNN’s the Situation Room, when asked if LGBT couples should be allowed to adopt, Carson said, “Well, you know, that's something I'd have to give more thought to. I think it really kind of depends on what the statistics show. If the statistics show that children raised in that kind of a household have no disadvantage whatsoever, have no greater or lesser propensity in terms of their sexuality, then it will very hard to argue against it. If it shows something different, then I think we have to take a serious look at it.” [CNN, 3/29/2013; VIDEO]

Carson Said That When It Came To LGBT Adoptions, We Have To Wait For Time To Go By And “Look At The Evidence.” During an interview on CNN’s the Situation Room, when told the American Academy of Pediatrics reported children were better off in LGBT households than on the street or a “some home,” Carson replied, “Well, I mean, that seems like common sense. Of course you don't want them out on the street or in a place where they're not loved. And, you know, I have several patients who come from homes with two mothers or two fathers who seem to be very loving individuals. But as I've said, the proof will be in the pudding. What we really have to do is wait until, you know, substantial amount of time has gone by. We look at evidence. We make decisions based on evidence, not on ideology.” [CNN, 3/29/2013; VIDEO]

Carson Said, “What Alternative Families have Done Wrong Is Tear Down Those Things That Have Worked So Well For The Millennium…Children Need Two Parents….And Nurturing.” According to the Washington Times: “Dr. Carson, 57, said he worried that the traditional values of faith, family and civic duty have atrophied in the face of society’s anything-goes attitude. ‘We as a nation have to understand that tolerance and acceptance works in all directions,’ Dr. Carson said of the growing acceptance of gay marriage and nontraditional families. ‘It’s not just one way. … It includes traditional things. … What alternative families have done wrong is tear down those things that have worked so well for the millennium. … Children need two parents … and nurturing.’” [Washington Times, 2/1/2009 ]