--- title: Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying Prison Makes People Gay description: But in a recent statement, Carson says his comment "does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues." canonical: https://time.com/3733184/ben-carson-gay-prison/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-05T13:53:14.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:43:30.845Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying Prison Makes People Gay og:description: But in a recent statement, Carson says his comment "does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues." og:url: https://time.com/3733184/ben-carson-gay-prison/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7b40606ed91a23d9/6987823c35ba6f59aec07679/464494604.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4896 og:image:height: 2754 og:image:alt: Conservatives Gather For Annual CPAC Convention og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying Prison Makes People Gay twitter:description: But in a recent statement, Carson says his comment "does not reflect fully my heart on gay issues." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7b40606ed91a23d9/6987823c35ba6f59aec07679/464494604.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ben Carson Apologizes For Saying Prison Makes People Gay > Sponsored content. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Mar 5, 2015 1:53 PM UTC  Ben Carson addresses the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference on February 26, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland. Ben Carson addresses the 42nd annual Conservative Political Action Conference on February 26, 2015 in National Harbor, Maryland.Alex Wong—Getty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Mar 5, 2015 1:53 PM UTC Likely Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has apologized for saying that going to prison can make you gay. On Wednesday morning, Carson was asked on CNN whether homosexuality is a choice. “Absolutely,” he replied. “Because a lot of people who go into prison go into prison straight — and when they come out, they’re gay.” Later that day, Carson backed away from his comments in a statement emailed to reporters. “I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation,” he said. “I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive. For that I apologize unreservedly to all that were offended.” He then cited his scientific training as informing his views of homosexuality. “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,” he said. “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.” Carson said he supports “rights and Constitutional protections for gay people,” including civil marriage and the rights of states to sanction gay marriage. Carson has said in the past that he personally opposes same-sex marriage. “Religious Marriage is an oath before God and congregation,” he said in the statement. “Religious marriage must only be governed by the church. Judges and government must not be allowed to restrict religious belief.” Carson has recently made several staff hires for his prospective campaign and is expected to announce his candidacy for president in May. ### Silent No More: Early Days in the Fight for Gay Rights  Caption from LIFE In commemoration of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, militants this year designated the last week in June as Gay Liberation Week and celebrated with a candlelight parade. The parade involved 300 male and female homosexuals, who marched without incident two miles from Gay Activists headquarters to a park near City Hall. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE When a bill guaranteeing equal job opportunities for homosexuals stalled in New York City Council last spring, militants demonstrated at City Hall. With fists raised, they shout a football style "Gay Power" cheer at police blocking the building. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE A homosexual activist steps between a pair of police horses to be interviewed during a New York demonstration. Militants often charge police brutality and welcome arrest for the sake of publicity. They also encourage press coverage of their protest actions. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, California, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE Collared by a patrolman after he deliberately crossed police barricades at New York's City Hall, Gay Activists Alliance President Jim Owles submits to arrest. Members of his organization were protesting City Council reluctance to debate a fair employment bill for homosexuals. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights protest, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay Pride, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay Activists Alliance, New York, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights rally, 1971. Grey Villet—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Gay rights event, 1971. 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