Retired brain surgeon Dr. Ben Carson, 63, made headlines recently for two reasons. First, he made his bid for GOP presidential candidacy official. Second, he made a controversial comment on homosexuality.
In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo on "New Day," which aired on March 4, Wednesday, Carson said being gay is "absolutely" a choice as proven by prisons.
"A lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight, and when they come out, they're gay," Carson explained. "So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question."
Moreover, Carson explained why restricting or allowing same-sex marriage should be decided not by federal courts but on the state level.
For the famed neurosurgeon, there is a possibility to grant legal rights to married same-sex couples or to any two people who are in a relationship and not necessarily married.
"Why do gay people want to get married? Why do they say they want to get married?" Carson asked. "(This is) because they want to have various rights, (such as) property rights (and) visitation rights."
According to Carson, regardless of sexual orientation, any two human beings can have the said legal rights without having to change the definition of marriage.
Meanwhile, Carson made officially announced that he has formed CarsonAmerica Exploratory Committee, a presidential committee to help him decide on his 2016 GOP presidential nomination on March 3, Tuesday, Sun Sentinel reported.
However, the candid conservative from West Palm Beach has never held elective office and is not famous outside Republican activists' circles so he is not seen by Republican strategists as a likely nominee.