Carson, a Hope of Conservatives, Declines Speech After Furor

Jonathan Ernst/Reuters Dr. Benjamin Carson at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland last month.

Dr. Benjamin Carson, a Johns Hopkins University neurosurgeon who has emerged as a rising star in conservative political circles, has canceled plans to appear as the graduation speaker at the university's medical school after a furor over his provocative remarks about same-sex marriage.

Dr. Carson drew a rebuke from the medical school's dean, Paul B. Rothman, after the doctor appeared on Fox News's “The Sean Hannity Show” and likened homosexuals to members of the North American Man/Boy Love Association, or Nambla, a group that advocates for pedophiles.

“Marriage is between a man and a woman,” Dr. Carson said on the program. “No group, be they gays, be they Nambla, be they people who believe in bestiality, it doesn't matter what they are - they don't get to change the definition.”

In an e-mail Wednesday to the medical school's dean, Dr. Carson said he did not want his presence to detract from the graduation.

“Given all the national media surrounding my statements as to my belief in traditional marriage, I believe it would be in the best interests of the students for me to voluntarily withdraw as your commencement speaker this year,” Dr. Carson said in his e-mail. “My presence is likely to distract from the true celebratory nature of the day. Commencement is about the students and their successes, and it is not about me.”

In the e-mail, Dr. Carson took a not-so-subtle potshot at his critics.

“Someday in the future, it is my hope and prayer that the emphasis on political correctness will decrease and we will start emphasizing rational discussion of differences so we can actually resolve problems and chart a course that is inclusive of everyone,” he wrote.

After his controversial remarks on Fox News, Dr. Carson apologized, but students at the medical school still petitioned for his removal as speaker.

Dr. Carson became something of a darling among many conservatives after a February speech in which he assailed President Obama's health care overhaul and higher taxes on the wealthy, warning that “the P.C. police are out in force at all times.” His address, and the reception accorded it, stirred speculation that Dr. Carson, who is black, could be a palatable alternative for conservatives in the 2016 presidential election.