Did anyone catch Ben Carson say that being gay is a choice?

I SO agree that we have more pressing issues!  Which is why I don't understand why politicians and judges in Alabama are more concerned with stopping same-sex marriage than with improving their schools, for example. 

I don't agree with anything Ben Carson said.

Did democrats withhold their votes from Obama in 2008 when he said marriage was between a man and a woman and he didn't believe in gay marriage?

I don't see why anyone is surprised about this. The man has a great life story, and maybe he's a wonderful person (I understand he IS a wonderful surgeon), but ever since he appeared on the national scene, he's been espousing these extreme right-wing, hardcore Christian fundamentalist views.

There's nothing out of character going on here. He isn't pandering. This is the real Dr. Ben Carson.

No but there is a theory that one of the reasons Kerry lost the Presidential election was because of what Gavin Newsom did in San Francisco.

As mayor he had the city clerk issue marriage licenses to same sex couples.

At the time folks in both parties weren't ready for this to happened and felt that if a Democrat was President same sex marriages would spread. Democrats stayed home and Republicans came out to vote.

Yes I know Kerry had problems with what he did or didn't do in Vietnam but a lot folks just didn't want to see same sex marriages either and Bush wasn't popular as President.

At the time I was pissed at Newsom and felt he should have waited until after the election. Now I'm glad he didn't.

I am right there with you...

And I just read that he has now come out with an apology. 

So, using his logic that some people "choose" to be gay after being in prison (with the implication because they had gay sex), can we assume that he didn't "choose" to be straight until after the first time he got lucky with a girl? SMH

If he truly wants to settle the issue, he will volunteer to serve the appropriate time in prison deemed to turn one gay.

If he comes out gay, I will entertain his hypothesis.

For those who are interested here is his statement of apology:

"In a recent interview on CNN, I realized that my choice of language does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues.

I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation. I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended.

I'm a doctor trained in multiple fields of medicine, who was blessed to work at perhaps the finest institution of medical knowledge in the world. Some of our brightest minds have looked at this debate, and up until this point there have been no definitive studies that people are born into a specific sexuality. We do know, however, that we are always born male and female. And I know that we are all made in God's image, which means we are all deserving of respect and dignity.

I support human rights and Constitutional protections for gay people, and I have done so for many years. I support civil unions for gay couples, and I have done so for many years. I support the right of individual states to sanction gay marriage, and I support the right of individual states to deny gay marriage in their respective jurisdictions.

I also think that marriage is a religious institution. Religious marriage is an oath before God and congregation. Religious marriage must only be governed by the church. Judges and government must not be allowed to restrict religious beliefs.

I am not a politician and I answered a question without really thinking about it thoroughly. No excuses. I deeply regret my statement and I promise you, on this journey, I may err again, but unlike politicians when I make an error I will take full responsibility and never hide or parse words. As a human being my obligation is to learn from my mistakes and to treat all people with respect and dignity."

Not calling you out specifically, but this is a sentiment I see a lot on here. Why would you not vote for a man over an opinion/statement about an issue that isn't likely to be anything he deals with from the Oval Office anyhow?

When I look for a president, I measure his strategy and plan to address things that he will be asked to make direct decisions on for our country: foreign affairs, military moves, immigration, economic strength in terms of budgets and taxes. Social issues, in reality, are left to states to determine and the courts to be the arbitrator of what is Constititutional. A candidate's opinion on gay marriage, abortion, civil rights, which religion he follows, ... these make up his personality but not his executive leadership potential.

Now, having said all that, I've never intended to vote for Ben Carson because I don't think he has the experience to survive in Washington yet, and he needs to take a few other leadership steps in a political arena before he has the chops for the highest office in the land. In my opinion, this country has already tried that experiment where we put a man with little executive experience in that seat, and I didn't like the outcome.

Dr Carson needs to know that my religion and many others are okay with gay MARRIAGE.  Christianity doesn't own marriage alone by any means.  Drives me nuts.  And no, we are not always born male or female. 

I'm not liberal, but if you truly believe people choose to be gay and that evolution is just "a bunch of propaganda," I don't really trust you around nuclear weapons.

ETA- Link to evolution thing

Carson on theory of evolution

To many gay rights aren't a social issue, they are a civil rights issue. 

Isn't this exactly what we're talking about? Personal freedoms.

I'm not a democrat (independent here), but I didn't vote for Obama either. In fact the last election I voted 3rd party.