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HUD Nominee Ben Carson: Gay People Shouldn't Get "Extra Rights"

"Extra rights means you get to redefine everything for everybody else.”

During Thursday's confirmation hearings, Ben Carson, Donald Trump's cabinet pick for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said he opposed LGBT Americans receiving "extra rights."

Leigh Vogel/WireImage

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development-designate Ben Carson speak prior to Carson's confirmation hearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on January 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Leigh Vogel/WireImage)

During the hearing, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) asked Carson if he felt HUD had a duty to promote equal access to housing opportunities for LGBT people.

"Of course I would enforce all the laws of the land, and I believe that all Americans, regardless of any of the things you mentioned, should be protected by the law," replied Carson. "What I have mentioned in the past is that no one gets extra rights. Extra rights means you get to redefine everything for everybody else.”

Alex Wong/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 12: Secretary of Housing and Urban Development-designate Ben Carson testifies during his confirmation hearing before Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee January 12, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Carson is expected to face questions about whether he is experienced enough to run the federal agency. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The former presidential candidate made a similar statement in 2014 during his CPAC speech, telling the crowd, “Of course gay people should have the same rights as everyone else, but they don’t get extra rights. They don’t get to redefine marriage.”

There is currently no federal law banning LGBT discrimination in housing but, in 2012, HUD "published regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status in HUD programs."

Hear Caron's full remarks in the video below.

h/t: The Hill

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