An appearance on ABC’s The View has landed FOX News commentator and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in some hot water. On a recent stop at the women focused talk show to promote his new book, Huckabee rained praise down on the country for electing Barack Obama as the first African American President in history.

But asked by co-host Joy Behar if he shared his effusive praise of the 60s civil rights movement with the on-going equal rights movement for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, he said no.

His reason?

BEHAR: Do you feel that way about gay rights, too?

HUCKABEE: It’s a different set of rights. People who are homosexuals should have every right in terms of their civil rights, to be employed, to do anything they want. But that’s not really the issue. I know you talked about it and I think you got into it a little bit early on. But when we’re talking about a redefinition of an institution, that’s different than individual civil rights. We’re never going to convince each other.

BEHAR: Well, segregation was an institution, too, in a way. it was right there on the books.

HUCKABEE: But here is the difference. Bull Connor was hosing people down in the streets of Alabama. John Lewis got his skull cracked on the Selma bridge.

Challenged on that presumption of a lack of violence against the LGBT community, which the FBI reports is increasing, instead of acknowledging the violence, Huck pivots to the poor Christians defense, arguing that Christians are assaulted too.

What Huck doesn’t tell The View audience, and is unlikely to admit publicly, is religion is a protected class in both hate crimes and civil rights protection, while sexual orientation and gender identity and expression are not widely protected.

Melissa Pope, director of victim services for Detroit’s Triangle Foundation– an organization which monitors hate crimes against the LGBT community in Michigan — was appalled by the FOX News commentator’s comments, and had this to say about them in an email to Michigan Messenger:

To begin, no person should have to be violently abused as a prerequisite for basic human rights. I would hope that Americans do not look back on the violence of the Civil Rights Movement as a necessity but, rather, a tragedy that should never have happened. That being said, Huckabee is sadly mistaken about the current quality of life for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people living in the United States. In addition to the increasing number of hate crimes being committed against LGBT individuals, LGBTs have also suffered at the hands of law enforcement. In June of this year, Duanna Johnson, a transgender woman, was beaten by a police officer while held in custody. On November 19, 2008, the U.S. Attorney General charged criminally charged one of the officers who beat Ms. Johnson. This case mirrors similar cases during the Civil Rights Movement when the federal government had to prosecute state, city and county law enforcement officers for violating the civil rights of people of color and their allies. Tragically, Ms. Johnson was shot to death on November 8, 2008. Her murder currently remains unsolved. Violence against LGBT people will continue until they are truly equal members of American society. I hope that it does not take more deaths, more beatings and more tragedies to accomplish what should already be the case.

Earlier this year Triangle Foundation announced that hate crimes perpetrated against the LGBT community in Michigan had increased 133 percent.