Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson refused to discuss gay rights during a recent appearance on CNN.

After a previous appearance on CNN's New Day, where he claimed that being gay is a choice because prison can make a person gay, Carson vowed to no longer discuss gay rights.

On Wednesday, Carson returned to the program and host Chris Cuomo asked him to weigh in on remarks made by at least two conservatives equating the Confederate flag with the rainbow flag.

(Related: Bryan Fischer says rainbow flag represents “gay reich”; Demands its removal.)

“Many people are equating what the Confederate flag stands for with the Gay Pride flag, and saying, ‘Hey, that flag should be taken down, too, because all it stands for is hatred toward Christians and people who don't favor gay rights.' Do you see an equation between those two symbols?” Cuomo asked.

“I decided that I really wanted to talk about the Confederate flag during this time,” Carson said after a pause.

“But you just said, doctor, that you cannot avoid these difficult situations because that's how they fester. You must deal with what is difficult to deal with. That's part of leadership,” Cuomo responded.

Carson refused, saying he would rather discuss the issue during a separate segment.