John Kasich: Gay People Are "Probably" Born That Way
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich decided that gay people are "probably" born that way, after being pressed by a man at a conference in California on Friday.
In what eventually turned into a slightly heated, 7-minute debate, 62-year-old Kelly Bryan questioned the Ohio governor during a Commonwealth Club of California event as to whether or not he believes people are born gay.
"Gay people are human beings and not a lifestyle choice," said Bryan. "Please respond without prayer being an answer."
"In terms of me, I don't believe in discrimination. I think there is a balance, however, between discrimination and people's religious liberties," Kasich eventually said, after first stating "we'd all be better off in this country if we prayed more."
"But I think we should just try to, like, take a chill pill, relax and try to get along with one another a little bit better instead of trying to write some law to solve a problem that doesn't frankly exist in big enough numbers to justify more lawmaking," he added.
When Bryan pointed out that Republicans don't believe in marriage equality and that it's the governor's platform, Kasich responded by saying, "The Republican Party is my vehicle and not my master, okay? I have a right to define the Republican Party, too, okay?"
Bryan again challenged the presidential hopeful on if people are born gay, and Kasich again tried to dodge the answer.
"I'm not gonna get into all the analysis of this or that, I'm not gonna do that," he said.
But when the moderator tried to move on to the next question, Kasich insisted she let him continue while he tried to come up with an answer.
"You know, sir, probably," he responded. "I mean, I don't, I don't know how it all works, okay? I mean, look. Are they? You know, probability they are. Okay?"
He later doubled down on his answer, saying, "Do I think that people are, are, you know, born gay? Probably. I've never studied the issue. But I don't see any reason to hurt you or to discriminate you or make you feel bad or make you feel like a second class citizen."
You can watch a clip from part of the exchange below.
