Dr. Ben Carson has some strong words for opponents of Indiana’s anti-gay “religious freedom” law.
Just weeks after promising to never discuss LGBT issues again, Ben Carson today gave an exclusive interview to the virulently anti-gay far right website Breitbart.com. The 63-year old Tea Party Republican shared his thoughts on Indiana’s anti-gay “religious freedom” law.
“It is absolutely vital that we do all we can to allow Americans to practice their religious ways,” Carson told Breitbart, “while simultaneously ensuring that no one’s beliefs infringe upon those of others.”
The Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act allows anyone to discriminate against anyone else, merely by citing what they claim to be their sincerely held religious beliefs. Opponents of the law believe the LGBT community is the prime target of the law, which was signed last week by Gov. Mike Pence.
WATCH: Top Indiana GOP Lawmakers Throw Gov. Mike Pence Under The Bus
Pence has a disastrous record with the LGBT community. As a Republican Congressman he voted for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, voted against repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” voted against ENDA, and voted against the federal hate crimes bill.
Carson, while not specifically mentioning LGBT people, “notes that individuals committing horrific acts of intolerance are persecuting people across the world because of religion,” Breitbart reports.
“As Americans, we have an obligation to denounce these acts of persecution. For when we stand up to such intolerance, we are defending the root of our freedom, both at home and abroad,†he said.Â
We should also serve as champions of freedom of religion throughout the world,†Carson tells Breitbart News.
Bloomberg Politics adds that the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act “was signed into law last week by Indiana Governor Mike Pence, who may also join the Republican presidential field.”
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Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC License