Doctor Withdraws as Hopkins Commencement Speaker After Comments Against Gay Marriage

A Baltimore pediatric neurosurgeon who made derogatory comments about gay marriage has withdrawn as commencement speaker at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Ben Carson said in a letter to the medical school dean that he didn't want to be a distraction at the diploma ceremony.

Carson, who has recently made headlines for commentary on social and political issues, said in a Fox News appearance that marriage was between a man and a woman.

He said the definition could not be changed by members of the gay community or by "people who believe in bestiality."

Carson later apologized for his language and said there were better ways he could have made his point.

Some students complained, and the comments also were condemned by the medical school dean.