Bishop Gene Robinson says in a new
interview that he's gay all the time and it affects how he relates to
the world.
Robinson, the first openly gay bishop
of the Episcopal Church, retired from his post on January 5. He now
works on issues of faith and gay rights at the Center for American
Progress, a progressive think tank in Washington D.C.
During an appearance on NPR's Fresh Air
to pitch his new book God Believes In Love: Straight Talk About
Gay Marriage, Robinson discussed his thoughts on Pastor Louie
Giglio's withdrawal from President Barack Obama's second
inauguration.
Giglio, of the Georgia-based Passion
City Church, had been selected to deliver the inaugural benediction
but withdrew after reports surfaced that in the mid-1990s he
advocated for therapies which claim to “cure” gay people's sexual
orientation and called on Christians to prevent the “homosexual
lifestyle” from becoming accepted in society.
“I don't know if the reverend has
changed his mind but the words that you describe from his sermon are
alarming and I don't believe are mainstream words,” Robinson
told Terry Gross. “You know, this country has moved greatly on
the issue of the acceptance of gay and lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people and it's moving more every day. And I don't
believe that most Americans would say that it is an aggressive agenda
to want equal protection under the law of the constitution.”
On the recent move by the Church of
England to allow celibate gay bishops, Robinson said: “Gay is not
something we do. It's something we are. I'm not just gay when I'm
making love to my husband. I'm gay all the time. I'm gay right this
minute talking to you, and it … affects how I relate to the world,
how I relate to people.”