By MEGHAN DE ST. AUBIN
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – When Robert (Bob) W. Gibeling Jr. was young he struggled with reconciling his faith and his sexual orientation. He says when he overcame that struggle and came to realize that God “wanted him to be gay,” he decided to live life as an example to others. One way Gibeling has chosen to lead by example has been by him becoming an alternate delegate for the state of Georgia.
“It really has been a remarkable journey especially considering that exactly 40 years ago I was a member of a youth group that attended the Republican National Convention in Miami Beach,” says Gibeling, a native of Atlanta. Richard M. Nixon was the Republican nominee in 1972 at the convention Gibeling attended.
As a very active member in the Lutheran church, Gibeling worked to help change the policies of the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States so that it came to accept same sex relationships.
Gibeling’s journey began about two and a half years ago when his good friend Sally Rosser, Vice Chair at the Democratic Party of Georgia, invited him at church to be a part of a newly forming caucus of the Democratic Party of Georgia. While Gibeling moved through an incredibly fast track, he became an alternate delegate.
For more, link to http://www.kennesawcommunication.com/2012/09/04/faith-strengthens-delegates-fight-for-civil-rights/
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