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A gay rights group’s surprising tacit endorsement of an Atlanta Republican
Against most other candidates, Bob Gibeling would seem to be a shoo-in for the endorsement of gay rights advocacy Georgia Equality. He’s one of two openly gay men running for a state legislative seat, and a victory in the Buckhead-centered district would make history. No openly gay male has ever been elected to the Georgia Legislature.
But Georgia Equality issued a surprising non-endorsement in the race between Gibeling and Republican state Rep. Beth Beskin, who has had a somewhat tumultuous relationship with the gay community.
The GA Voice explains why:
Beskin riled LGBT activists last March during a House subcommittee hearing when she failed to support amendments to SB 129, state Sen. Josh McKoon’s (R-Columbus) “religious freedom” bill, that would have added protections for the LGBT community.
The move even led Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham to tell the Georgia Voice after the hearing, “I applaud the efforts of Mary Margaret Oliver and Stacey Evans to try and ensure that the bill would not be used to discriminate, and I’m incredibly disappointed in Rep. Beth Beskin, who time and time again voted to support discrimination against the LGBT community.”
However, in a hearing before the full House Judiciary Committee the following day, Beskin was one of two Republicans who joined seven Democrats in passing an amendment that added anti-discrimination language into SB 129, leading the bill to be tabled and eventually failing to pass.
The move even led Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff Graham to tell the Georgia Voice after the hearing, “I applaud the efforts of Mary Margaret Oliver and Stacey Evans to try and ensure that the bill would not be used to discriminate, and I’m incredibly disappointed in Rep. Beth Beskin, who time and time again voted to support discrimination against the LGBT community.”
However, in a hearing before the full House Judiciary Committee the following day, Beskin was one of two Republicans who joined seven Democrats in passing an amendment that added anti-discrimination language into SB 129, leading the bill to be tabled and eventually failing to pass.
Read more: http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2016/09/26/a-gay-rights-groups-surprising-non-endorsement-of-atlanta-republican/