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V. Gene Robinson to Speak at Affirmation Conference in Washington DC By David Melson, 2007 Affirmation Conference Committee Chairman April 2007 V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, will be the keynote speaker for the 2007 Affirmation Conference being held in Washington, D.C., on October 5, 6, and 7. Bishop Robinson is the most prominent LGBT religious leader of our time. Bruce Steel, former editor of The Advocate news magazine, said that, “As the renewed debate over equal marriage rights has shown, at the root of all opposition to gay and lesbian rights lies religious conviction. One gay man has stood resolutely at the center of the contentious battle to shift religion away from hatred and exclusion and toward love and equality. V. Gene Robinson … has handled the resulting anger from conservative Christians with poise and eloquence.” Although at the center of controversy throughout the Anglican world, Bishop Robinson is a man with an impressive resume as a peacemaker, a healer, a leader, and an example for others. He has been a leader in AIDS work in the United States and in Africa, and a strong advocate for anti-racism. Much of his ministry has focused on helping congregations and clergy, especially in times of conflict, utilizing his skills in congregational dynamics, conflict resolution and mediation. As a schoolboy in Kentucky, the son of sharecroppers, Gene began to realize that he might be different — in a BBC interview he spoke of how he reacted differently to Playboy magazine than his friends — but in the South in the 1950's and 1960's, he knew that this was not something to be open about with others. Raised in the Disciples of Christ church, he converted while in college in Tennessee to the Episcopal Church. While on an internship at the University of Vermont, he met Isabella Martin. He explained to her his concerns about his sexuality and that he felt that therapy to try to change himself had failed. They married and had two daughters. In 1985, the couple made the decision to divorce, released each other from their wedding vows, asked each other's forgiveness, and committed themselves to the future of their children. Eighteen months later, after Isabelle had remarried, he met and began to date Mark Andrew; they have been together ever since. Bishop Robinson's extended family remains close; at the wedding of his eldest daughter, his partner, Mark, walked Gene's ex-wife down the aisle. Gene and Mark enjoy spending quiet nights at home in a small New Hampshire town, cooking, gardening, or watching television. They are loved by their neighbors and by the members of their diocese, who have stood by Bishop Robinson throughout the storm that has been stirred up in the Anglican Church as a result of his election as Bishop. In November, 2003, Gene concluded his first sermon as Bishop with one of his favorite anecdotes, which was later included in the Advocate article naming him the magazine's 2003 Man of the Year. Four American soldiers become best friends in the trenches of France during World War I. When one of them is killed, the others vow to give him a proper burial. But when they ask a priest to allow them to bury their comrade in the parish cemetery, the priest denies their request because the men can't guarantee that their dead friend was baptized. Instead, the men bury the soldier just outside the graveyard. After the war, when they return to visit the grave, they can't find it. When they ask the priest what happened, he explains, “I felt bad about my decision. Why should this man not deserve the same status before God as all these others who have gone before him? Who am I to judge him? So I moved the fence.” “Moving the fence” to encompass more people from the margins has always been a central theme of Bishop Robinson's ministry. V. Gene Robinson is a perfect example of the 2007 Affirmation Conference theme, “A More Perfect Union.” The 2007 Affirmation Conference will be held on October 5, 6, and 7, in Washington, D.C., at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. Information on other speakers, hotel reservations, and conference registration is available on the Conference Pages of www.affirmation.org. For more information or questions, contact Conference Chairman David Melson at Dave  AffirmationDC.org.
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www.affirmation.org