Republican Running for Congress in South Florida Says People Are ‘Born Straight’

Republican running for Congress in South Florida says people are ‘born straight’

Rod Joseph, who is running in a district that includes Wilton Manors, told a newspaper that being gay is “impossible biologically.”

Florida Republican candidate claims giraffes prove everyone is 'born straight'

A Republican congressional candidate faces criticism after saying people aren't born gay, claiming same-sex attraction doesn't exist in nature

Republican candidate says lack of gay giraffes shows people choose to be gay

An aspiring politician in the United States has offered a controversial explanation for his belief that people choose to be gay or lesbian, citing what he described as a lack of same-sex relationships among giraffes. Rod Joseph, a Republican candidate in South Florida, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that he believes people make a conscious choice to be attracted to the same sex. Republican candidate Rod Joseph. “You cannot be born gay. That…

Rod Joseph's LGBTQ Remarks Spark Backlash

By: Paul Goldberg - Senior Correspondent | Florida LGBTQ Politics BROWARD COUNTY, FL — (July 8, 2026) — Republican congressional candidate Rod Joseph, who is seeking his party's nomination in Florida's 20th Congressional District, is drawing criticism after stating that people cannot be born gay and suggesting that sexual orientation is a personal preference rather [...] The post Florida GOP Candidate Says ‘You Cannot Be Born Gay,’ Sparking Back…

Republican candidate says giraffes prove “You cannot be born gay”

A Republican candidate for Congress offered up his analysis of human sexuality and gender on Tuesday, in a group interview with South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel editorial board, alongside two other Republicans running to represent House District 20 in Broward County. “You never see a giraffe, a male giraffe, that mate(s) with a giraffe,” Rod Joseph said. “Myself right now saying, ‘I am a giraffe,’ that doesn’t mean it’s true.” Related Can animals …

Broward Republican congressional candidate: ‘You cannot be born gay. That’s impossible.’

Rod Joseph says everyone is “born straight” and people become LGBTQ by choice. He is running for Congress in a Broward district that includes cities with large numbers of LGBTQ residents, including Wilton Manors.