Gene Robinson on the N.H. Race

[xchrom]

http://www.advocate.com/Politics/Election/Gene_Robinson_on_the_NH_Race/




CONCORD, N.H. — The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who nearly a decade ago became the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church and will retire his vestments in less than a year, lives far enough away in the New Hampshire countryside from the presidential primary campaign scrum in Manchester as to render it on another planet.

Perched on the edge of state forest land, the home he shares with his husband, Mark Andrew, is filled with momentos of public and private life: photos of their two granddaughters, beaming shots of the bishop with Sir Ian McKellen and Desmond Tutu, and a framed letter from President Barack Obama, the then-presidential candidate congratulating the couple on their 2008 civil union in New Hampshire. It’s similar to a recent White House note to a newlywed gay couple in Brooklyn, N.Y. that caused a fresh, if brief, round of speculation last month regarding Obama’s position on gay marriage and whether his evolution nears an affirmative answer.

Seeing the GOP campaign careen through the state, Bishop Robinson has taken a pragmatist’s approach to the man for whom he provided a pastoral counterbalance to Pastor Rick Warren at the 2009 inauguration: He believes it may not be helpful for Obama to endorse marriage equality prior to November, and while he wishes the president would have gone further and faster on the issue, Robinson says his current trajectory is the correct one.

“I have to say I’m sympathetic to the notion that for him to openly support marriage equality before the election would complicate an already difficult task,” he says. Were he asked to advise the president on the issue, “I would say to him that we can’t underestimate how important this is to us — this is the systemic change that we need, want, and deserve. And I would push him hard to go all the way to marriage equality in his second administration.”



*** i love gene robinson - i'm episcopalian and very proud of his time as bishop.
but i'll disagree with comments re: obama and marriage equality.

[William769]

1. I love Gene Robinson also.

But I agree with you about his comments "obama and marriage equality".

[MarkCharles]

2. I agree with William. There's a lot of bigots out there who would vote against Obama just

because of this issue.

Obama should make it national policy Jan 20 2013 that all people can marry one consenting adult, whoever in whatever way they choose, and that statutory and customary rights and privileges of any married couple will be universal throughout the USA. End of issue.

If Obama acted before the election, I'm sure many GLBT -friendly folks just wouldn't bother to show up for his reelection.

[joeybee12]

3. I disagree with him also...

Coming out in favor would help Obama...it would fire up people who are currently yawning at him getting another 4 years.

[xchrom]

4. +1

[mitchtv]

5. Playing possum by the Dems

helped no one in Calif or Maine in the repeal elections.

[MarkCharles]

6. Dems didn't "play possum" in California. They were

out there against Prop H8!

This only proves that even in a state as liberal as California, there are more homophobic persons and religious nuts than there are LGBT folks.

[mitchtv]

7. there were to be sure rare exceptions

However few if any D politicians campaigned(Congrats to Dianne). The Party did nothing, abstained on mailers, etc. in general, they were MIA