The LGBT movement wants everyone to be tolerant of them, but they refuse to be tolerant of opposing views. Ben Carson appeared at the National Action Network and addressed Al Sharpton’s racist group and the LGBT community.
His message to the largely black crowd was the one he often delivers: self-reliance and independence with a mix of social conservatism. “I don’t hate gay people; I just happen to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman,” told the audience to some applause. The audience also welcomed his insistence that “there is nothing that even slightly compares to slavery” in American history, though few, if any, went along as Carson pivoted to defending his previous statements that the Affordable Care Act is the worst thing “since slavery” with the emphasis on the word “since.”
Those past comments loom large in the media landscape as Carson prepares for the likely White House bid. In the interview with BuzzFeed News, Carson — who is soft-spoken and formal (his adviser requested his interviewer remove his hat before speaking) — delivered a more tempered tone on LGBT issues.
Should transgender people be legally protected from discrimination? “I think federal law should protect all American citizens from discrimination,” he replied.
How would Carson react if one of his sons were gay? “I would still love him, just like I love all gay people,” he said. Would attend his wedding, though, should he choose to marry another man? He was less sure (“I don’t know”). But, Carson had a question in response — is there a place for same-sex marriage opponents?
“What I would ask — I think, maybe BuzzFeed can get an answer to this question: What position can a person who believes in traditional marriage, between one man and one woman, have, who has absolutely no animosity or opposition to gay people – what position can they take that would be satisfactory to the gay community?” he asked. “Because if they can give me an answer to that, I’m quite willing to seriously consider it. But so far I haven’t been able to find anybody who can give me an answer — it’s sort of like, ‘Nope! It has to be my way or the highway.’”
“So, hopefully there’s a level of tolerance in that community where they can actually come up with an answer,” he continued.
Read more: BuzzFeed
