WASHINGTON - The Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil rights organization, issued a statement today on the insensitive remarks made by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee while appearing this morning on ABC's The View. In a discussion on marriage equality, the governor implied the rights of LGBT people are not civil rights because the LGBT community has not had violence inflicted upon it.

"Unlike Governor Huckabee, we know that hate crimes tear into the fabric of our society and fragment communities because they target a group and not just the individual victim. The purpose of our government, first and foremost, is to protect all of our citizens - whether they are black, Christian, gay or transgender," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "From advocating that people with HIV/AIDS should be locked up to comparing gay sex to bestiality, Huckabee is merely a mouthpiece for homophobia."

As a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat in 1992, Huckabee answered questions submitted to him by The Associated Press. The then-Senate candidate wrote: "It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."

The Associated Press later reported, "When Huckabee wrote his answers in 1992, it was common knowledge that AIDS could not be spread by casual contact." In December of 2007, when pressed by FOX News in his presidential campaign, Huckabee stood by his remarks.

In January of 2008, while running for the Republican presidential nomination, it was widely reported by mainstream media that Huckabee linked gay sex to bestiality and abortion to slavery in an interview explaining why, if elected, he would try to amend the constitution.

The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.