Gay bishop plans civil union with partner of 18 yearsPOSTED: 8:05 p.m. EDT, May 10, 2007
Story Highlights• Gene Robinson's ordination by Episcopal church triggered global controversy
• He lives in New Hampshire, which is about to legalize civil unions
• Bishop, partner plan separate religious ceremony
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MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) -- The openly gay Episcopal bishop at the center of the Anglican Church's global battle over homosexuality said Thursday he hopes to enter into a civil union with his partner next year.
But New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson added that he wants to hold separate religious and legal ceremonies to set a precedent for how marriages and civil unions are performed in the United States.
Next week, New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch is expected to sign a bill that allows civil unions for same-sex couples, making his state the fourth in the nation to do so. The law would go into effect on January 1.
"We need to separate the civil rights from the religious rites," said Robinson, whose ordination in 2003 enraged conservative Anglicans and threatened to break up the church.
He and his partner of more than 18 years, Mark Andrews, aim to hold two ceremonies around the middle of next year: A non-religious one where they become legal partners followed by a church service to give blessings to God for their relationship.
"Religious people and religious organizations who are not yet ready to offer the church's or the synagogue's blessings on such unions might be supportive of full civil rights for this country's gay and lesbian citizens," he told Reuters in an interview.
Robinson is perhaps New Hampshire's most well-known gay citizen. He was the first openly gay man to be ordained as a bishop in the U.S. Episcopal church, sparking deepening divisions among the world's 77 million Anglicans.
The 59-year-old divorced father of two praised New Hampshire for allowing same-sex civil unions but suggested states should go further and follow Massachusetts, the only U.S. state where gay marriage is legal.
"It won't be full equality until it is equal," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/10/gay.bishop.reut/index.html
