Bishop Gene Robinson has said that
knowing someone gay changes negative stereotypes about the LGBT
community.
Robinson, who serves as bishop of the
diocese of New Hampshire, faced controversy nearly a decade ago when
he became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. The
65-year-old Robinson announced last November that he will step down
from his post sometime this year.
In an appearance on CNN to pitch his
new book God Believes in Love: Straight Talk About Gay Marriage,
Robinson, who four years ago married his partner of 25 years, Mark
Andrew, was asked how he overcame anti-gay sentiment to become
bishop.
“I got elected the same way that
attitudes about gay and lesbian people are changing in this country,”
Robinson said. “Which is that people get to know us. And I had
worked in my diocese for 27 years before I was elected bishop –
they knew me.”
“When people get to know us, we're
not so scary,” he said.
Love Free or Die, a documentary
on the life of Robinson, opened at the Sundance Film Festival in
January. (A trailer for the film is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)