Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice akin to drinking alcohol or swearing, potential Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee told CNN on Sunday.
Speaking on State of the Union, Huckabee told host Dana Bash that he is able to have gay friends despite not agreeing with "the lifestyle."
"People can be my friends who have lifestyles that are not necessarily my lifestyle. I don't shut people out of my circle or out of my life because they have a different point of view," he said.
"I don't drink alcohol, but gosh a lot of my friends, maybe most of them, do. You know, I don't use profanity, but believe me, I've got a lot of friends who do. Some people really like classical music and ballet and opera — it's not my cup of tea," the ordained Baptist minister said.
Huckabee said he will never change his opposition to same-sex marriage, contrasting himself to President Obama's self-described "evolution" on the issue.
"This is not just a political issue. It is a biblical issue. And as a biblical issue — unless I get a new version of the scriptures, it's really not my place to say, OK, I'm just going to evolve," Huckabee said.
"It's like asking someone who's Jewish to start serving bacon-wrapped shrimp in their deli. We don't want to do that -- I mean, we're not going to do that. Or like asking a Muslim to serve up something that is offensive to him, or to have dogs in his backyard," he said. "We're so sensitive to make sure we don't offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can't have the convictions that they've had for 2,000 years."