Health Promo 03 (Getty) | Advocate.com
||  News  ||
 
June 10, 2008

Robinson Joins With Partner in Civil Union in New Hampshire

Robinson Joins With Partner in Civil Union in New Hampshire

The first openly gay Episcopal bishop and his partner of 20 years have been united in a private civil union.

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson was legally joined to Mark Andrew, his partner of 20 years, in a civil ceremony Saturday, the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire announced.

Civil unions became legal in New Hampshire this year.

The union was performed five years to the day after New Hampshire Episcopalians elected him as their bishop.

The civil and a following religious service of thanksgiving were both held at St. Paul's Church in Concord.

Robinson had made public his intention to join his partner, but had kept the date secret out of concern about security. Spokesman Mike Barwell said the ceremony was intentionally private.

''Initially, the idea was to have it in a public building to make clear it was a public civil ceremony and a private thanksgiving ceremony,'' Barwell said Sunday.

The plan changed out of respect for next month's worldwide Anglican church conference in England, called the Lambeth Conference, and out of concern for the couple's security.

Robinson had announced in March that he would have no official role in that conference, saying restrictions that organizers wanted to place on his involvement had caused him ''considerable pain.''

Robinson was told last year that he could not fully participate in the once-a-decade gathering in England as the world Anglican Communion has been on the brink of schism over his 2003 election.

The civil union was performed by Ronna Wise, a longtime friend and justice of the peace.

About 120 family and close friends attended.

Robinson and Andrew decided to enter the union before Robinson's trip to ensure they have the legal protections New Hampshire's civil union law gives gay couples. The law bestows all the state-level rights and responsibilities of marriage, which includes inheritance and other rights enjoyed by married couples.

The U.S. Episcopal Church is part of the 77 million–member Anglican Communion, a global fellowship of churches that trace their roots to the Church of England. But the U.S. denomination -- with more than 2 million members -- has faced increasing scrutiny for its liberal-leaning stance. Most Anglicans are traditionalists who believe Scripture bans gay relationships.

Since Robinson's 2003 election, some conservative congregations have sought to break away from the Episcopal Church and realign under Anglican bishops from Africa and South America who share their theological orthodoxy. (AP)

Keywords:  Gene Robinson 
Related stories from Advocate.com
© 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

  • Name: AngryMichigander2008
    Date posted: 2008-06-09 7:54 PM
    Hometown: Orange, TX

    Comment:

    I applaud Gene and Mark on this bold move. The only thing that is sad or reprehensible in this union is that the two could not be married in a full Episcopal marriage ceremony celebrated in the cathedral which holds the seat of the diocese over which Gene resides. That's the tragedy. Bishop Robinson was called to ministry a number of years ago and desires to continue to serve the Lord and the church he loves. The tragedy lies in the fact that God has blessed this union but the Church cannot see fit to do the same. The Jesus I have known and worshiped all my life taught unconditional love. I don't know where all the millions of Christians are that were taught that same thing. Who a person chooses as a life partner should be a total non-issue in the 21st century. Sadly there are those bigots like Arkiebubba who would try to block a life-long loving relationship. Arkiebubba should be as lucky as Gene and Mark.


  • Name: Dean
    Date posted: 2008-06-09 6:53 PM
    Hometown: Palm Springs, CA

    Comment:

    If the Episcopal Church in America is so weak that it can be destroyed by the simple act of Gene Robinson joining with his partner of 20 years in a civil union, then the church deserves to be destroyed.


  • Name: Richard W. Fitch
    Date posted: 2008-06-09 6:52 PM
    Hometown: Indianapolis IN

    Comment:

    The Right Reverend Vickie Imogene Robinson, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire, has along with his partner of 20 years affirmed the NT exhoration that there is neither freeman nor slave, male nor female, ..etc... By having the courage to pursue the rights and responsibilities of civil union and spiritual commitment without yielding to the divisive forces of "chrisitian" hypocrisy, they demonstrate the the integrity of those who willing serve to further the cause of human rights for all. They refuse to be slaves to a biblically ignorant majority and refuse to be molded by stereotypes which restrict who one may choose as a life partner.


  • Name: Arkiebubba
    Date posted: 2008-06-09 6:29 PM
    Hometown: Little Rock

    Comment:

    Gene Robinson continues his resolute quest to destroy the Episcopal Church in America. It would help if he would just sit down and shut up.


Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • Letter From the Editor
    We’d like to unveil a big change: after nearly four decades as a biweekly magazine, we’re going monthly.
  • Parental Control
    San Francisco State researcher Caitlin Ryan explains the importance behind a study linking suicide and drug use among gay children to parental rejection.
  • Austerity Chic
    How novelist and performance artist Mike Albo gets by in lean times.
  • Hoping to "Wu" Michelle
    Dressing Michelle Obama in November was a game changer for designer Jason Wu. Now he has his sights set on the future first lady’s most high-profile event: Inauguration Day.
  • Boi From Troy Signs Off
    After five years of raising eyebrows on the Web, Boi From Troy blogger -- and gay Republican -- Scott Schmidt is signing off.
  • A Desert Journey
    The Mii Amo spa in Sedona, Ariz., is famous for packages designed to lead people through a spiritual as well as physical transformation. One writer relinquishes herself to the journey and recounts her days in one of the world's most beautiful destination resorts.
  • A List: Chris Evans
    Chris Evans is a serious actor but that doesn’t mean he wants you to stop objectifying him.
  • Great American Couple
    In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, Hollywood Bohemians: Transgressive Sexuality and the Selling of the Movieland Dream, Brett L. Abrams explores the relationship between Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, who led homosexual lives right under everyone's nose.
  • Mormons Gone Wild
    After one man undresses missionaries for his calendar, LDS Church–owned Brigham Young University strips him of his degree.
  • Constructive Impatience
    Stung by the Warren decision, GLAAD's former executive director Joan Garry offers the Obama transition team some sage advice.
  • Boxer Goes Trans for Eli Stone
    Often perceived as male by confused casting agents, boxer-body builder turned actor Dallas Malloy felt a deep connection to the trans minister she plays on Eli Stone.
  • Mamma Mia! Rises Again
    Meryl Streep and company managed to top Harry Potter and Titanic at the U.K. box office, and now Mamma Mia! is poised to break similar records on DVD. Director Phyllida Lloyd talked to Advocate.com about bringing one of the biggest musicals of all time to the big screen.
  • The Other White Meat
    As one of the subjects of the documentary about the drag pageant circuit, Pageant, opening in select theaters, and one of the contestants on RuPaul's Drag Race, premiering next month on Logo, Victoria "Porkchop" Parker may not look or act like your typical female impersonator, but make no mistake, she is one of the best.
  • The Religious Defense
    In an excerpt from her new book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, author Candace Chellew-Hodge incorporates the wisdom of Xena: Warrior Princess to illustrate her theories as to how gay and lesbian people of faith can protect themselves from those who attack their views.
  • Photo Finish
    Did Prop. 8 backlash cause art censorship -- or its reversal -- at Brigham Young University? Could be, as BYU photography student J. Michael Wiltbank found when his contribution to a two-week-long art exhibition -- eight pairs of benign portraits, each depicting an LGBT-identified BYU student alongside a supportive friend -- had been removed.
  • The Divine Miss M.
    Since the death of performer Wayland Flowers in 1988, his over-the-top puppet creation Madame has been seen only sporadically. But with the launch of her new casino tour, Madame is back.
  • Whither NLGJA?
    The leading professional organization for LGBT journalists is facing a crisis that threatens its very survival. In a changing media landscape and a tough economy, how does a small nonprofit live up to its mission and retain members?
  • The Road to Equality
    Barbara Boxer, the U.S. senator from California, understands why her gay constituents are furious over Rick Warren's role in the inauguration -- it feels like Proposition 8 redux.