Florida Rep. Allen West has compared
being gay to liking chocolate chip ice cream.
The 50-year-old conservative
politician, who is African-American, told
the Fort Lauderdale-based Sun Sentinel that he believes
being gay is a choice.
“You cannot compare me and my race to
a behavior. Sexuality is a behavior. And so yeah, I said I can't
change my color. People can change their sexual behavior. And I've
seen people do that. I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, so I've seen a
very different perspective on human behaviors. So that's where I'm
coming from on that.”
He also said it was “unconscionable”
for gay rights groups to threaten to boycott the businesses of the
Wilton Manors Business Association for inviting him to speak to them
on Monday. The threat prompted the association to cancel the
meeting.
“Now everyone has the same basic
rights, and no one is telling people in the gay community that they
don't have the same basic rights that any American has. But when you
tell me that I cannot have a perspective on a position and you're
going to preclude, like I said a sitting United States congressman
from talking to business owners, I can see if you attack me, but why
would you say you're going to boycott and attack businesses that want
to talk to a congressman? To me that's unconscionable.”
West, who
previously warned that gay marriage will lead to the end of society,
also compared being gay to riding a scooter.
When asked, “Should gay people change
their behavior and not be gay?” West replied: “No. I like
chocolate chip ice cream and I will continue to like chocolate chip
ice cream. So there's no worry about me changing to vanilla. I like
to, you know, ride my motorcycle. What do you want me to do? You
want me to change my behavior and ride a scooter? I'm not into
that.”