Ben Carson: Gay Rights Aren't Civil Rights Because There Aren't Gay Water Fountains

CNN reports:

Ben Carson said Wednesday night that he was "irritated" by the comparison between the fight for same-sex marriage rights and the Civil Rights Movement because there's no overt segregation against gays. Speaking on Fox News' "Special Report", Carson elaborated on his remarks on CNN in March that he believes being gay is a choice because people "go into prison straight -- and when they come out, they're gay." The GOP presidential contender told host Brett Baier that he "shouldn't have allowed my emotions" into the conversation, but was reacting to CNN host Chris Cuomo's line of questioning on the issue.

"I was a little bit irritated that he was equating the whole [gay marriage] issue with the Civil Rights movement. Because, quite frankly, I didn't remember any times when there were signs up that says, you know, 'everybody else here and gay people have to drink at this fountain,'" he said. But on Wednesday night, Carson expressed satisfaction with how the controversy played out. "They saw that as the opportunity to finally knock this guy out -- and they thought that they had done it. Stick a fork in him, he's gone. They were jubilant," he said of critics. "And now they're saying, I can't believe this guy's still here, are you kidding me?

At this writing Carson is live on CNN where he is refusing to speak further on last night's comments. I'll have that video shortly. The clip below recaps the above-linked report.