WASHINGTON - Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, reacted to Mike Huckabee after Huckabee said today that President Obama was “more interested in appeasing gays,” in nominating Eric Fanning to lead the Army.

The Washington Post noted yesterday that Fanning has more than two decades of national security experience, including oversight of some of the Pentagon’s largest ship building and fighter systems.

“Mike Huckabee is so blinded by his own bigotry that he would oppose someone with two decades of national security experience just because of his sexual orientation,” said JoDee Winterhof, HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs. “Mike Huckabee’s naked prejudice and willingness to smear an experienced public servant shows he is unfit to be commander in chief. Other candidates should make immediately clear they won’t tolerate Huckabee’s bigotry and that they will make these decisions based on Eric Fanning’s experience and on the merits.”

Fanning, who is openly gay, is currently serving as Acting Under Secretary of the Army.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. HRC envisions a world where LGBT people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

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