Fox News contributor compares LGBT activists to racist southern cops from the 60's

Writing for Townhall, Fox News contributor Erick Erickson compared the tactics  of gay rights activists -- which have included boycotts of anti-gay businesses and public ridicule of homophobic Christians -- to the tactics employed by Alabama police chief Theophilus "Bull" Connor who turned fire hoses on civil rights demonstrators in the early 60's.

Citing a tweet by New York Times writer Josh Barro, who wrote: "Anti-LGBT attitudes are terrible for people in all sorts of communities. They linger and oppress, and we need to stamp them out, ruthlessly," Erickson lamented that "those who believe in traditional marriage are not worthy of respect or civility."

Erickson writes, "...enormous energy is being expended by the left in America to make Christianity and Christians unacceptable," before stating, "As gay rights activists use the tactics of Bull Connor to push for what they declare civil rights, they are targeting churches, religiously affiliated groups and Christian businesses for harassment and lawsuits. "

Among the offenses Erickson found comparable to siccing police dogs on children protesting for equal rights on the streets of Birmingham, Erickson cites a teacher at a Macon  Catholic school who filed a discrimination complaint against his employer for firing him for wanting to marry his partner, and "photographers, florists and bakers compelled against their will to provide goods and services to gay marriages."

Stating that, "Several thousand-year-old pillars of society are being shoved aside in the name of tolerance," Erickson warns that "This will not end well for any of us."

Despite a recent study that concluded that children of same-sex couples fare better than children in the general population, Erickson maintains " Despite surveys designed to show the contrary, children tend to do best with mothers and fathers."

Erickson concludes, " A society that willfully undermines perpetuating itself is a society bent on suicide."