Walker: ‘I don’t know’ if being gay is a choice

Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) said on Sunday he is not sure if homosexuality is a choice.

{mosads}The 2016 GOP presidential candidate refused comment on the issue during an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“I don’t know the answer to that question,” Walker said when asked if being gay is a choice.

“That’s not even an issue for me to be involved in,” he said. “I don’t have an opinion on every single issue out there.”

“I am going to spend my time focusing on the issues I do know and can work on,” he added.

Walker also said his White House run is focused on representing all Americans, even ones who do not support his beliefs.

“I’m going to fight for people regardless of whether they vote for me or not,” he said.

“That’s not even an issue for me to be involved in,” Walker added.

Walker also expanded upon his comments that the Boy Scouts should keep its ban on gay leadership.

He added that debate over the issue is not representative of what the organization works toward.

“For me, the reason why I didn’t have a problem with it is I just think it pulls scouting into a whole larger political and cultural debate as opposed to just saying scouting is about camping and citizenship and merit badges and service awards instead of pulling all these other issues out there,” said Walker, who is an Eagle Scout, of the ban.

“And I was just hoping that they could stay focused on that, that’s all,” he added.

Walker’s remarks follow his formal campaign launch last week.

He officially entered the hunt for the GOP’s presidential nomination on July 13 in Waukesha, Wis.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) sharply criticized Walker’s comments on choice in sexual orientation in a statement released later that afternoon.

“It’s appalling that a candidate for president in the year 2015 could botch such a fundamental question,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC’s senior vice president of policy and political affairs.

“Of course it isn’t a choice,” she added. “If it was, Scott Walker would be able to tell us when he chose to be straight.”

–This report was updated at 1:05 p.m.