Dan Savage challenges Ben Carson: 'Suck my d*ck' and see if that makes you gay

Gay rights activist Dan Savage called Ben Carson out in his syndicated column this week, challenging the prospective GOP presidential candidate to put his money where his mouth was -- so to speak -- regarding his views on homosexuality.

"If being gay is a choice, prove it," Savage wrote. "Choose it. Choose to be gay yourself. Show America how that's done, Ben, show us how a man can choose to be gay. Suck my dick. Name the time and the place and I'll bring my dick and a camera crew and you can suck me off and win the argument."

Carson has been heavily criticized since telling CNN on Wednesday that homosexuality is a choice because "a lot of people who go into prison, go into prison straight, and when they come out they're gay."

After initially trying to blame CNN for the remark and vowing not to discuss marriage equality anymore, Carson apologized in a statement.

"I do not pretend to know how every individual came to their sexual orientation," he said. "I regret that my words to express that concept were hurtful and divisive."

Savage slammed Carson and other religious conservatives for not only insisting that homosexuality is a choice, but pushing others to choose to convert to their beliefs. He also noted that a person's chosen religion, as well as their choice of marital status or military service, is protected under the law.

"No one has to serve in the military and no one has to get married -- people have control over whether they marry or enlist, right?" he argued. "And yet, like religious belief, both are covered by civil rights statutes and people like Ben Carson don't object. The only time you hear that a trait has to be immutable in order to qualify for civil rights protections is when they talk about the gay."