Appearing on Larry King Now,
surgeon-author Dr. Ben Carson said that he believes in the
Libertarian philosophy of live and let live and supporters of
marriage equality do not.
Host Larry King asked Carson, a
pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins University and a conservative
celebrity often mentioned as a possible GOP presidential candidate,
“why isn't same-sex marriage a civil rights issue?”
“For me, it's not a big issue,”
Carson answered.
“You know, I think any people can do
anything they wanna do. It's just that they don't get to redefine
everything for anybody else.”
“So, I'm very much Libertarian in the
sense of believing live and let live. But that goes in both
directions and some people don't recognize that,” he added. (The
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Last year, Carson stepped down as
commencement speaker at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and
apologized for comments related to marriage equality he made during
an appearance on Fox News' Hannity.
“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,” Carson said,
referring to the North American Man Boy/Love Association, a group
which is thought to no longer exist.
Elsewhere on Larry King Now,
Carson said that he is considering a presidential run.
Being president “was not on my bucket
list as something as something that I really wanted to do, no.
However, sometimes we're thrust into situations that are not of our
choosing and we have to recognize that maybe there is a
responsibility that has been handed to you by your fellow citizens.”