Ben Carson Steps Down as Graduation Speaker

[tapirmusic]

Famed Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has withdrawn as this year's graduation speaker for the university, giving in to student demands after controversial remarks he made about gay marriage last month.

"Given all the national media surrounding my statements as to my belief in traditional marriage, I believe it would be in the best interests of the students for me to voluntarily withdraw as your commencement speaker this year," Carson said in an email to Hopkins medical school dean Paul Rothman, according to the Washington Post. "My presence is likely to distract from the true celebratory nature of the day. Commencement is about the students and their successes, and it is not about me."

He originally said:

"Marriage is between a man and a woman," Carson said on Fox News' "Hannity." "It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality -- it doesn't matter what they are, they don't get to change the definition."

Now.... Since when is traditional marriage controversial?

[Ashotep]

I don't think traditional marriage is controversial. I don't think the fact some would like to marry the same sex is either. I think people should have the right to marry the same sex if they want but people also have the right not to like it or agree with it.

[Kowalski]

Famed Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has withdrawn as this year's graduation speaker for the university, giving in to student demands after controversial remarks he made about gay marriage last month.

"Given all the national media surrounding my statements as to my belief in traditional marriage, I believe it would be in the best interests of the students for me to voluntarily withdraw as your commencement speaker this year," Carson said in an email to Hopkins medical school dean Paul Rothman, according to the Washington Post. "My presence is likely to distract from the true celebratory nature of the day. Commencement is about the students and their successes, and it is not about me."

He originally said:

"Marriage is between a man and a woman," Carson said on Fox News' "Hannity." "It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality -- it doesn't matter what they are, they don't get to change the definition."

Now.... Since when is traditional marriage controversial?

Honestly, I don't AGREE with the gay lifestyle, but that's their choice and it's their life. If they want to get married to another gay person, that's fine too. It's their life. The government needs to stay out of EVERYONE'S lives, and that includes gays....

[Bama13]

Honestly, I don't AGREE with the gay lifestyle, but that's their choice and it's their life. If they want to get married to another gay person, that's fine too. It's their life. The government needs to stay out of EVERYONE'S lives, and that includes gays....

Question is: does government (or society) have a right to define "marriage"? I think they do, but it is a very limited right. I think marriage should be restricted to the same species. Other than that I think pretty much anything goes. But then I haven't really put a lot of thought into it.

[Kowalski]

Question is: does government (or society) have a right to define "marriage"? I think they do, but it is a very limited right. I think marriage should be restricted to the same species. Other than that I think pretty much anything goes. But then I haven't really put a lot of thought into it.

Are you saying people shouldn't be allowed to marry cows or horses or goats!! I'm shocked!

[Guest]

Honestly, I don't AGREE with the gay lifestyle, but that's their choice and it's their life. If they want to get married to another gay person, that's fine too. It's their life. The government needs to stay out of EVERYONE'S lives, and that includes gays....

This is a fundamental mistake - Gay people do not have a choice of their lifestyle - they are born Gay. Biologically they are predisposed to seek partnership with a member of the same sex, and marriage is a formal way of society recognising that biological need.

Br Cornelius

[Bama13]

This is a fundamental mistake - Gay people do not have a choice of their lifestyle - they are born Gay. Biologically they are predisposed to seek partnership with a member of the same sex, and marriage is a formal way of society recognising that biological need.

Br Cornelius

Start of sillyness.

Can people be born biologically predisposed to seek partnership with dogs or horses? If so, should that be acceptable and recognised by society also? I don't have a problem with gay marriage, but I would have a problem with animal/human marriage. Not sure why, but it just doesn't seem right. I guess I could never be sure the animal consented of their own free will.

Sillyness over.

[Guest]

Start of sillyness.

Can people be born biologically predisposed to seek partnership with dogs or horses? If so, should that be acceptable and recognised by society also? I don't have a problem with gay marriage, but I would have a problem with animal/human marriage. Not sure why, but it just doesn't seem right. I guess I could never be sure the animal consented of their own free will.

Sillyness over.

Its a simple biological fact that people are born homosexual. There is no real disputing this outside of right wing ideology.

Br Cornelius

[+OverSword]

Honestly, I don't AGREE with the gay lifestyle, but that's their choice and it's their life. If they want to get married to another gay person, that's fine too. It's their life. The government needs to stay out of EVERYONE'S lives, and that includes gays....

That's just the point about marriage. Marriage is an institution overseen and regulated by the government and the courts. You go to the government to get a marriage license, you go to the courts to get a divorce, you file jointly as a married couple with the IRS. It is against the law for the government to discriminate. That should be the only argument necessary to justify same sex marriage between consenting adults. If you want to change that then it needs to be taken out of the hands of the government and turned over to religious organizations but since they have no legal power over you it would be a mess.

[Sweetpumper]

So, I guess it's okay for the students to be intolerant of his beliefs?

[Professor Buzzkill]

Its a simple biological fact that people are born homosexual. There is no real disputing this outside of right wing ideology.

Br Cornelius

I don't doubt that people are born gay (my sister included) but i seriously doubt there is a biological element to it. A genetic disposition that prevents the carrier from passing on genes (i.e hetrosexual acts) will die off naturally, hence gay people would not exist. Very much the same as a genetic disorder that makes your head explode, not good for making sure your genes survive.

[supervike]

Famed Johns Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson has withdrawn as this year's graduation speaker for the university, giving in to student demands after controversial remarks he made about gay marriage last month.

"Given all the national media surrounding my statements as to my belief in traditional marriage, I believe it would be in the best interests of the students for me to voluntarily withdraw as your commencement speaker this year," Carson said in an email to Hopkins medical school dean Paul Rothman, according to the Washington Post. "My presence is likely to distract from the true celebratory nature of the day. Commencement is about the students and their successes, and it is not about me."

He originally said:

"Marriage is between a man and a woman," Carson said on Fox News' "Hannity." "It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality -- it doesn't matter what they are, they don't get to change the definition."

Now.... Since when is traditional marriage controversial?

No one said 'traditional marriage' is controversial, but comparing gay marriage to people who have sex with animals and pedophiles seems a bit so.

[acidhead]

The easiest solution for the gay marriage debate would be for the GOV, as long as it's imposing its force on individuals, to terminate the word marriage and replace the term with something else that includes everybody. If some would like to call their contract: marriage. then so be it... the same goes for individuals who choose to call their contract something else. At the end of the day marriage is a contract between two individuals or sometimes more. As long as the individuals consent to the contract the only role of the GOV is to provide a court of law to enforce the contract.

Edited April 12, 2013 by acidhead

[Guest]

I don't doubt that people are born gay (my sister included) but i seriously doubt there is a biological element to it. A genetic disposition that prevents the carrier from passing on genes (i.e hetrosexual acts) will die off naturally, hence gay people would not exist. Very much the same as a genetic disorder that makes your head explode, not good for making sure your genes survive.

Genetic traits which lower your chance of survival and passing on your genes can exist in the population for thousands of years. The situation is made even more complex because up until recently - most homosexuals were married in heterosexual relationships and sired many children.

Br Cornelius

[green_dude777]

If people in this country didn't redefine marriage roughly 60 years ago, there wouldn't be interracial marriages in many states. Maybe Ben Carson agrees with the idea of only marrying in your race.

http://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+protests+against+interracial+marriage&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=_m9oUd-YMLGz4APN4oHIDw&sqi=2&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1680&bih=886#imgrc=_

You're going to look like fools to the future generations.