Sam Clovis, Donald Trump's pick to be chief scientist for the Department of Agriculture, has argued that homosexuality is a choice. His nomination has drawn criticism from Senate Democrats, who argue his lack of scientific background makes him unqualified for the USDA post overseeing science. Clovis has described climate research as "junk science", and in 2014 told Iowa Public Radio that he is skeptical about climate change.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for President Donald Trump to withdraw Clovis's nomination within the Department of Agriculture for his views on LGBT issues, and for him being "wildly unqualified." “For Donald Trump to nominate and to advocate for Senate confirmation of someone with views as backwards as Mr. Clovis’s, is not only a signal to the darkest and most evil forces in this country to carry on, but a clear as day message to the world that this administration continues to tolerate hate,” the senators said in a statement.

Here are Clovis’ views on homosexuality or LGBT behavior:

"Someone who engages in LGBT behavior -- I don't know what the science is on this, I think it's still out -- but as far as we know, LGBT behavior is a choice they make,” Clovis says in a video obtained by CNN's KFile. "So we're being asked to provide Constitutional protections for behavior, a choice in behavior as opposed to a primary characteristic."

He continued and even added that laws allowing same-sex marriage could lead to the legalization of pedophilia: “Follow the logic, if you engage in a particular behavior, what also becomes protected? If we protect LGBT behavior, what other behaviors are we going to protect? Are we going to protect pedophilia? Are we going to protect polyamorous marriage relationships? Are we going to protect people who have fetishes? What’s the logical extension of this? It can’t be that we’re going to protect LGBT and then we’ll pull up the ladder. That’s not going to happen, it defies logic. We’re not thinking the consequences of these decisions through.”

The Supreme Court legalized marriage equality in 2015. No one has legally married a child and that means pedophilia is still a crime, and it wouldn’t be changed in any circumstances. His conclusion is certainly not based on logic.

Photo Credits: Daily Beast