Florida Republican House Candidate Under Fire for Saying It Is ‘Impossible’ for People To Be Born Gay

A Republican candidate for the U.S. House in Florida, Rod Joseph, is facing criticism after saying people cannot be born gay — and citing giraffes as an example. During an interview with the Sun Sentinel, Mr. Joseph said that everyone is “born straight.”“You cannot be born gay. That’s impossible biologically,” he said as he insisted that “most” members of the LGBTQ community are “the victims of sexual abuse.”Mr. Joseph also suggested that same-sex attraction is a “preference,” and that “sexual preference” did not exist before the Roman Empire. To support the claim that humans cannot be born gay, he pointed to wildlife, saying, “You never see a lion that mate[s] with a male lion for life. You never see a giraffe, a male giraffe, that mate[s] with a giraffe.”Mr. Joseph is one of four Republicans vying for their party’s nomination in Florida’s 20th congressional district. The deep blue district had been represented by Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who resigned in April amid an ethics investigation. A House panel found her guilty of stealing millions in federal relief funds. Ms. Cherfilus-McCormick is hoping to return to Congress and is contending for the Democratic nomination in the district. The 20th district includes Broward County, which has a sizeable population of LGBTQ residents.Mr. Joseph’s comments were made while the Sun Sentinel’s editorial board was interviewing three of the four Republicans contending for their party’s nomination. The two other Republicans in attendance, Brent Andersen and Lateresa Jones, criticized Mr. Joseph’s comments.Ms. Jones said, “I am black, American-born and raised in this country, and I do find that I can’t make a statement like that because I don’t know how God made people.”“I pray that we become a nation where we embrace people for who God created them to be and who they are,” she said. A Democrat running in the district, Elijah Manley, who is openly gay, called Mr. Joseph’s comments “unfounded and baseless.”“I think his response is incredibly ignorant. You’re born the way you are,” he said. “Using science to push a bigoted, transphobic, homophobic agenda is shameful.”One user on X wrote, “How shamefully [expletive] stupid.”An organization focused on keeping religion out of politics, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, wrote on X, “LGBTQ conservatives should pay attention. The movement they support is increasingly denying their identity and questioning their place in society. You don’t have to wait to be pushed out. Vote for people who respect your right to exist and pursue happiness.”A liberal podcast host, Hemant Mehta, wrote on X, “An evangelical Republican is running for Congress to represent one of South Florida’s biggest LGBTQ communities.He decided his best bet was claiming nobody is born gay and that it’s a result of abuse. Bold strategy.”Several commentators pointed to a 2025 documentary, “Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story,” and a 2024 documentary, “Queer Planet,” in which documentarians say they recorded incidents of animals engaging in same-sex behavior. While Mr. Joseph said that he believes everyone is born straight, he told the Sun Sentinel that people “can be homosexual in their own bed, but I don’t want my kids to be indoctrinated.”Mr. Joseph’s campaign did not respond to The New York Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

Florida Republican House Candidate Under Fire for Saying It Is ‘Impossible’ for People To Be Born Gay

Florida Republican House Candidate Under Fire for Saying It Is ‘Impossible’ for People To Be Born Gay

More from the New York Sun

More on What the Press Won’t Tell You — and That’s the Strong Trumpian Economy

‘Serious Mistakes’ on Communist China Are Laid to Harvard

Vetting the Pied-à-Terre Tax

Trump Gambles — and Comes Up Snake Eyes — on a Powerful Prosecutorial Appointment in Nevada

Swedish Politician Wears Star of David During Debate To Highlight Antisemitism

Boxing Champion Vows To Honor Hayden Panettiere’s Legacy for Their Daughter After Tragic Death

Air Strike on a Syrian Airbase, Widely Attributed to Israel, Raises Mideast Tensions

Minnesota Files Lawsuit To Force Texas To Extradite Ice Agent

More from the New York Sun

More on What the Press Won’t Tell You — and That’s the Strong Trumpian Economy

‘Serious Mistakes’ on Communist China Are Laid to Harvard

Vetting the Pied-à-Terre Tax

Trump Gambles — and Comes Up Snake Eyes — on a Powerful Prosecutorial Appointment in Nevada

Swedish Politician Wears Star of David During Debate To Highlight Antisemitism

Boxing Champion Vows To Honor Hayden Panettiere’s Legacy for Their Daughter After Tragic Death

Air Strike on a Syrian Airbase, Widely Attributed to Israel, Raises Mideast Tensions

Minnesota Files Lawsuit To Force Texas To Extradite Ice Agent