Appearing Thursday on CNN's New Day,
Christian celebrity and possible 2016 presidential candidate Ben
Carson suggested that the media was biased against Christians.
During an appearance last month, Carson
was asked if being gay was a choice.
“Absolutely,” Carson answered.
“Because a lot of people go into prison straight and when they come
out they're gay.”
(Related: Ben
Carson opposed to marriage equality because some inmates turn gay in
prison.)
He later apologized for the remark and
vowed to stop talking about gay rights, angering social conservatives
in the process.
“You say you don't want to talk about
gay issues anymore, that the liberal media brings it up only when
you're getting momentum, which I think is unfair in the situation
[of] the interview we did. But that's a very important issue to the
development of the American culture. You couldn't duck it as
president, could you?” host Chris Cuomo asked.
Carson answered that he did not find
the topic “interesting.”
“I think it's a personal issue. And
we ought to leave it as a personal issue. I respect the LGT
community. I respect the traditional marriage community. I think
that's enough to be said about it,” Carson
said.
Cuomo pressed ahead, saying that
so-called religious freedom bills were a response to court decisions
striking down state bans on gay marriage.
“You know what I would like to see?”
Carson rhetorically asked. “I would like to see as much emphasis
on the rights of Christians … as there is to some of the other
groups. … I would like to see a much greater conversation about
Christians and their rights. Why are we not talking about that?”
“We are right now. The LGBT
community gets far less legal protection under the Constitution, as
you know ...”
“No. Not as I know,” Carson
interrupted.
“How do you not know that?” Cuomo
asked.
Carson went on to suggest CNN run an
hour-long program with Christian leaders and “some other groups”
to “talk about it,” rather than “just make statements.”