BEN CARSON: First of all, they are my views, that should be mentioned there. They're not the views of the institution. You know, if someone goes back and examines what I've been talking about and writing about over the last couple of decades, it's the same things that I'm talking about now. It's just that now more people are paying attention to them. And, you know, I think, you know, in terms of what was said on Sean Hannity's show, that was taken completely out of context and completely misunderstood in terms of what I was trying to say.
You know, as a Christian, you know, I have a duty to love all people and that includes people who have other sexual orientations, and I certainly do, and never had any intention of offending anyone. What I was basically saying, and if anybody was offended, I apologize to you. But what I was basically saying is that there is no group. I wasn't equating those things, I don't think they're equal. Just, you know, if you ask me for apple and I give you an orange you would say, well that's not an orange. And then I say, that's a banana, that's not an apple either. And there's a peach, that's not an apple, either. But it doesn't mean that I'm equating the banana and the orange and the peach. And in the same way I'm not equating those things.
My point was that once we start changing the definitions, then where do we stop? You know, we can go with anything and I certainly don't have any problem with people who are gay having legal arrangements, in fact, any two adults, gay, straight, whatever. Certainly they can have legal arrangements so that they can share property and have inheritance rights and visitation rights. You know, that's a kind thing to do. They should be treated just as anyone else. But being treated just as anyone else, no one else gets to change the definitions of standard, you know, societal pillars. So why should anybody have that right?
[...]
ANDREA MITCHELL (HOST): Dr. Carson, there are faculty members at Johns Hopkins where you are a celebrated surgeon and now students who are petitioning against your comments on gay marriage. Some who do not believe you should be the commencement speaker as planned. What do you have to say to them? Are you prepared to withdraw as commencement speaker?
CARSON: Absolutely. I would say that, you know, this is their day and the last thing I would want to do is rain on their parade.
MITCHELL: So have you told the university that you will not be delivering the commencement address?
CARSON: I am waiting for appropriate channels, I don't think that, you know, television is the appropriate channel.
