Mario Cantone talks about ex-gay therapy on The View

Sadly, I didn't hear that Mario Cantone was scheduled to be a guest host on The View yesterday, until I missed my chance to catch it. But thanks to ABC's website, I was able to check out how Mario performed.

First off, were we the only ones who didn't realize that Cantone has been in a relationship for 16 years? Apparently not, because Elisabeth looked like he'd just said "no cookie" when he pulled out that fun fact, leading Joy to give her a "Where the hell have you been"-flavored "Uh-huh!" Mario and the ladies then got back on the topic of how much he hates kids, joking:

I'd be like Joan Crawford if I had a kid. I would never physically abuse, but I think I'd verbally abuse. I would. I'd be like "What are you, stupid? Don't do that!" Because I got that -- which is why I do this.

Well, you can't say the guy's not honest. I have to admit, I certainly missed Rosie when the discussion in the "Hot Topics" segment turned to gay conversion therapy:

Barbara Walters: The American Psychological Association -- it's a six member task force -- you know that psychologists have what's called "Conversion Therapy" where your come and try to tell you -- make you be straight, help you be straight. Well, this is saying that these psychologists should not do that, that its harmful.

Mario Cantone: Finally. Finally.

Barbara: Well. That's what they're investigating.

Elisabeth Hasselbeck: They have been for a while, saying you cannot treat it as a mental disorder or a mental disease. So they've said that for a long time since like '97.

Mario: I'm not mental, swear to God!

Joy Behar: Wait a second, the American Psychiatric Association does not say that anymore. They say it's not a mental disorder.

Elisabeth: That's what I'm saying.

Mario: Now. They're saying that now. That's what they're saying.

Barbara: This is different, they're not saying this is a mental illness, they're saying psychologists should not try to convert you to be straight.

Joy: The evangelists don't agree with that.

Elisabeth: They shouldn't leave out a faith-based religion or group that may be -- there are people who would want to, based on their faith...

Joy: They may want to but they ain't going to do it.

Mario: It never works. It's not a choice, it's -- as far as I'm concerned I was born with it. I knew when I was 2. And then there are people -- who's that preacher, that Hagler guy, buying a hooker and doing meth and then preaching against it? It didn't work for him.

Mario held his ground. Still, I kept thinking that Rosie would have been better informed on the topic and better at addressing the medical issues with gay-conversion therapy (issues that are causing the APA to debate the topic.)

Then again, perhaps time has made me remember O'Donnell as a better speaker on LGBT issues than she really was? What do you think, how did Mario perform?

Regardless, it's looking less likely that he'll be a permanent addition to the show. Cantone told Extra yesterday that he doesn't think a man will get getting Rosie's View seat, saying that "It's a woman's show." And no matter how many times Perez refers to himself as a "lady" with the gals, today's show suggested that it'll be a cold day in Southern California before he gets the seat.