A gay rights group's surprising tacit endorsement of an Atlanta Republican

State Rep. Joe Wilkinson, R - Atlanta, confers with Rep. Beth Beskin, R - Atlanta, early in this year’s session. Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com

Credit: Jim Galloway

Credit: Jim Galloway

State Rep. Joe Wilkinson, R - Atlanta, confers with Rep. Beth Beskin, R - Atlanta, early in this year’s session. Bob Andres, bandres@ajc.com

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 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."