Homosexuality is part of a lifestyle like drinking or swearing, according to Mike Huckabee.
The Republican former governor of Arkansas, a 2008 presidential hopeful and possible 2016 contender, made the comments Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” while defending a part of his new book in which he says he has gay friends and associates.
“People can be my friends who have lifestyles that are not necessarily my lifestyle. I don’t shut people out of my circle or out of my life because they have a different point of view,” Huckabee said when asked whether he believes being gay is a choice.
He went on to describe how he doesn’t drink alcohol, but his friends do, and that he doesn’t use profanity, but his friends do, when discussing how he views homosexuality as a lifestyle.
Huckabee also criticized those who say Christians need to accept same-sex marriage.
“It’s like asking someone who’s Jewish to start serving bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli. We don’t want to do that — I mean, we’re not going to do that. Or like asking a Muslim to serve up something that is offensive to him, or to have dogs in his backyard,” he said. “We’re so sensitive to make sure we don’t offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can’t have the convictions that they’ve had for 2,000 years.”
Huckabee also called same-sex marriage a “biblical issue,” not just a political one: “Unless I get a new version of the scriptures, it’s really not my place to say, ‘OK, I’m just going to evolve,’ ” he added.
Huckabee also expressed concern over businesses and discrimination claims when it comes to homosexuality.
“I’d like to think that there’s room in America for people who have different points of view without screaming and shouting and wanting to shut their businesses down,” he said. “What worries me in this new environment we’re in, it’s not just that someone might disagree, they don’t want to argue with me, even take a different point of view. They want to close someone’s business down.”
