( CNN ) There seems to be an ever-growing list of people , places and things that will turn you gay . Maybe we should think of these as the brigade of evil , homosexual nouns . There were the Teletubbies and SpongeBob SquarePants a decade ago . Now , as these views thankfully get more fringe , the theories are becoming increasingly bizarre and awesome . Among the homo nouns , there 's the Common Core , according to a Florida lawmaker ( education policy is super gay , obviously ) ; Taylor Swift , who an op-ed writer for The Christian Post , Larry Tomczak , claims is being used by Ellen DeGeneres to `` attract young girls '' to her show ( uh-huh ) ; the Disney princess movie `` Frozen , '' according to radio hosts in Colorado ( that dress ! ) ; and now , according to a potential 2016 Republican presidential contender , Ben Carson , there 's prison . Yep , prison . Stay away from crime , kids . Turns ya gay . Carson , who , let me reiterate , is a potential presidential candidate from a major American party , and a neurosurgeon to boot , told CNN 's Chris Cuomo in an interview that aired Wednesday that `` a lot of people ... go into prison straight -- and when they come out , they 're gay . '' Asked if being gay was a choice , Carson replied in a word : `` Absolutely . '' This level of ignorance is so last century , so near-irrelevant , that I 'm hesitant even to respond . But no one who holds these beliefs belongs in a race for the 2016 White House . Ordinarily , I 'm the kind of gay person who likes to give people room to evolve . I know not everyone `` gets it '' automatically . That 's OK , as long as you are n't hateful about it , are willing to listen and do n't try to restrict the rights of lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender people . I 'm from Oklahoma , a deeply conservative state , and I 've seen friends , family and co-workers evolve . People who thought being gay was a sin -- or that it was a choice , or fixable -- now support same-sex marriage . People change . But presidential candidates do n't get that leeway . Carson should know better . ( In fact , he later apologized , regretting his words but saying the science on the issue of sexual orientation is n't clear . ) These views belong in another decade , not modern America . This apparently still needs to be said : Being gay is not a choice . Do n't believe me ? Well , ask a gay person . As I mentioned , I 'm one of those ( despite never having seen `` Frozen '' in its entirety ) , and I can tell you that , for me , it was n't a choice . It 's not something I would want to undo , but it also is n't like I woke up one day and was like , huh , you know what would really mix it up this winter ? Dating dudes instead of ladies . Science backs me on this . I 'm not going to roll through all the details , but Mark Joseph Stern from Slate sums it up pretty well : `` In study after study , biologists have found that homosexuality , at least in men , is clearly , undoubtedly , inarguably an inborn trait . '' And even if it were a choice , who cares ? A person 's religion is a choice . Yet the United States offers certain protections based on religion . People still deserve rights . Carson , meanwhile , opposes same-sex marriage . That 's a stance that , again , thankfully , is getting exceedingly rare in national politics . It 's also an issue that , along with transgender rights and employment discrimination against LGBT people , should be a focal point in the 2016 campaign cycle . I hope that America is evolved enough not to elect a candidate who opposes LGBT rights . I do think we live in that country these days . It 's a country that mostly laughs at someone saying prison would `` turn '' someone gay . But the point remains that saying so both belittles a serious issue of violence -- that of men raping other men in prison , which has nothing to do with turning anyone gay and everything to do with criminal activity . And it 's a serious lapse in logic . Being around a bunch of dudes -- or ladies -- in prison does n't change a person 's innate sexual attractions . It 's so obvious I should n't have to say it . And the American people damn sure should n't have to listen to it . Especially coming from a 2016 presidential contender , it 's almost laughably irrelevant . Almost .
Possible another decade GOP candidate Ben Carson stirs controversy with comments on gays , prison . Carson 's views belong in 2016 , not modern America , John D. Sutter says .