Ben Carson says prison proves being gay is a choice.

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http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/04/politics/ben-carson-prisons-gay-choice/index.html

Asked whether being gay is a choice, Carson responded: "Absolutely."

"Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight -- and when they come out, they're gay. So, did something happen while they were in there? Ask yourself that question," Carson said.

That argument, Carson said, "thwarts" the notion that homosexuality isn't a choice.
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This is why religion is detrimental to society. If you go read his wiki, you realize this dude is smart as fuck. Hes a medical genius. Yet, because of his belief in religion, his brain disengages when faced with questions that would throw a wrench into his faith. Its like a switch was flipped and all of his intelligence just took a back seat.
 
I would love for Ben to present this hypothesis at the American Society for Neurochemistry meeting...and be torn apart by everyone in the audience.
 
I always think it's such a weird question. How would anyone know, even gay people? I know there's a more acceptable answer but really even if you're gay its hard to believe you would know why, and on top of that, why would the answer be binary like that? Not everyone is the same some people may have made the choice too
 
Being gay is a choice in the same way that going to prison is a choice.

Some crusty old white dude or
black lady
decides what's up and you've got to get on with it.
 
i'm not familiar with this whole "go to prison straight, come out gay" phenomenon. where are they getting this from?
 
People do a lot of things in prison they otherwise wouldn't do. Its called survival.

For some guys being another man's fleshlight is how they survived.
 
Some people choose to have sex with the opposite gender, I can buy that; if you're in prison or stuck on an island with Idris Elba. But the majority of people are either born straight or gay.

People do a lot of stuff in prison they wouldn't noemally do...
 
I bet gays are choosing to be homosexual because being despised by huge numbers of people must be pleasant.

Remember what I said about faith.
 
well ...

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If there is any truth to the statistic - and I'm highly sceptical about that, but let's take it as-is for now - then it's quite simple: Yes, they made a choice while they were in there. They chose to not hide it any more.
 
I have never heard of someone being "converted to gayness" by the experience of having gay sex in prison. Maybe it would be informative to do some research on homosexual sexual dynamics in a prison setting.

Would be nice if arguments put forth by political candidates were at a higher standard than what you'd hear at your local bar.
 
Being a scientist doesn't suddenly mean you're a well rounded and intelligent person. Sure you have a lot of knowledge on a particular area, but it doesn't mean you can't be a dumb ass. His religion has nothing to do with his intelligence, he really is just that stupid. If you don't know what I mean then you can just look at James Watson.
 
Most males in prison don't consider themselves gay, even if they performed numerous homosexual acts. Prison subculture is very dissimilar to the outside world.
 
Who gives a shit? Whether or not homosexuality is a choice is irrelevant. Respect people's personal lives if they are not harming anyone. Especially if they don't even affect your life in even the slightest way. The only times I see this being brought up is when homosexual people have to be excused for being gay, which is pretty insulting. The "born this way" then comes off as an apology for something that doesn't need one. I don't blame gay people for doing it, when society applies pressure to do it, but I don't think we should be dignifying this angle as much as we do.
 
I don't think sexuality is as rigid and binary as some people would like to think it is.

And situational homosexual behaviour is a noted phenomenon. It occurs amongst humans and animals alike (I think it's the predominant type of observed homosexual behaviour amongst animals, as it's non-gender exclusive). I do have to preface the following with saying that I am aware that this is a potentially offensive analogy, but I think it's somewhat like saying that a person who is stranded and consumes a dead fellow human is a 'cannibal'; you could only really call that person a cannibal if they continued to eat humans when not in that situation.

Finally, I think the homosexuality being a choice or not argument is a giant misnomer. It doesn't matter, and it puts the ball in the court of the idiots. The reason why homosexuality is fine is, simply, that it doesn't harm anyone (expect perhaps egotistical religious types).
 
mclem said:
Yes, they made a choice while they were in there. They chose to not hide it any more.
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It's ridiculous that some people think sexual preference is some sort of checkbox and you either born gay or straight.

Honestly these views are way more offensive and far-fetched than people who think being gay is a choice.
 
If sexuality truly is fluid, we should really look into a pledge or signing day.. Life is already so complex.. Let's move towards simplification
 
King Tubby said:
I have never heard of someone being "converted to gayness" by the experience of having gay sex in prison. Maybe it would be informative to do some research on homosexual sexual dynamics in a prison setting.

Would be nice if arguments put forth by political candidates were at a higher standard than what you'd hear at your local bar.
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From what I understand, homosexual sex, either rape or consensual, isn't NEARLY as prevalent in prison as Hollywood would love for us to believe. I don't doubt that they happen, but I swear I saw some report that said it was far below the what most people in the public believed. I'm on my phone now but I'll see if I can find the study later.

Still, his "hypothesis" is beyond ridiculous.

Edit: and of course this is only counting reported incidents. It's amazing how people want to label former prisoners though. Like my buddy had to spend a month or so in jail after a few bad choices. As soon as he got out a ton of people were like "I bet you dropped the soap HURRRRR" and other stupid remarks. Like, come on people. Just dumb.
 
mclem said:
If there is any truth to the statistic - and I'm highly sceptical about that, but let's take it as-is for now - then it's quite simple: Yes, they made a choice while they were in there. They chose to not hide it any more.
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That's not it. It's just that homosexual behavior is common in homosocial environments.

And it's beyond gross to use prison as your example when a great deal of the homosexual behavior that takes place isn't consensual, and rape victims are identified as homosexual. The Atlantic had an excellent piece on the problem of prison rape recently that touched on this:

John later said that he was never asked to give a detailed statement about what he had endured. When later asked if he felt as though the staff cared about his situation, he waffled. “Somewhat,” he said, “and then again no.” The final PREA standards, which took effect in August 20th, 2012, demanded that allegations of rape “must be investigated properly, thoroughly, and objectively.” John told the authorities about the assaults in late July, roughly three weeks before the standards took effect, so nobody was failing to abide by PREA when they did not investigate John’s allegations.

Instead, they moved John across the street to Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility, which has a large “protective custody” unit. The transfer paperwork refers to John as a “homosexual who is being pressed by other inmates,” though he never declared himself to be gay.
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Worse is when a prisoner is said to be homosexual as an explanation for why the sex was consensual, as if gay men cannot be raped.

Forerunner said:
Most males in prison don't consider themselves gay, even if they performed numerous homosexual acts. Prison subculture is very dissimilar to the outside world.
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Prison subculture resembles a sort of nightmare vision of 1900 - 1930s New York, in that the roles of top and bottom are associated with masculinity and normalcy on the one hand and effeminacy and a broader inversion of gender on the other hand.
 
Is he saying prison rape = homosexuality is a choice? He can't be that dense about sexuality can he? People really need to stop being so rigid about sex and sexuality and understand that sexuality is not binary (ie your either gay or straight).
 
Earthpainting said:
Who gives a shit? Whether or not homosexuality is a choice is irrelevant. Respect people's personal lives if they are not harming anyone. Especially if they don't even affect your life in even the slightest way. The only times I see this being brought up is when homosexual people have to be excused for being gay, which is pretty insulting. The "born this way" then comes off as an apology for something that doesn't need one. I don't blame gay people for doing it, when society applies pressure to do it, but I don't think we should be dignifying this angle as much as we do.
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Because it's not irrelevant. The idea that homosexuality can be chosen opens a loophole for the anti-gay crowd, who can always fire back, "Well, just don't be gay. Problem solved!"

I mean, it's also incredibly insulting (see: Rick Perry's comparison of homosexuality to alcoholism) and completely unscientific, but it's also an off-ramp for people opposed to gay rights to rationalize their opposition.
 
Mumei said:
That's not it. It's just that homosexual behavior is common in homosocial environments.
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Yes, you're absolutely right, of course; my point was more that even if we take his statement absolutely at face value, there's still another potential explanation for the phenomenon that holds up that differs from the conclusion he draws.

Scientific conclusions need to be very aware of alternative explanations for the experimental results.
 
Is this guy running? I need me some tears of confused GOP asking why black people arent voting for their own like their tribal impulses surely led them to vote for B-Rock.
 
Earthpainting said:
Who gives a shit? Whether or not homosexuality is a choice is irrelevant. Respect people's personal lives if they are not harming anyone. Especially if they don't even affect your life in even the slightest way. The only times I see this being brought up is when homosexual people have to be excused for being gay, which is pretty insulting. The "born this way" then comes off as an apology for something that doesn't need one. I don't blame gay people for doing it, when society applies pressure to do it, but I don't think we should be dignifying this angle as much as we do.
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Telling me that my sexuality is a choice, or even insinuating that it is is not respecting my "private life".
 
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