Fri, May 30 2008
Media Contact
Keisha Bush, Publications Manager, 212.620.7310 X227, kbush@gaycenter.org
Cathy Renna, Renna Communications, 917.757.6123, cathy@rennacommunications.com
First Openly Gay Elected Bishop RT. Reverend V. Gene Robinson At The Center
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 30, 2008
NEW YORK, NY – The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center’s Out & Faithful program is honored to present Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson at the Center Tuesday, June 17, 2008 at 7pm.
The Center is hosting events throughout 2008 in celebration of its 25th Anniversary and is pleased to welcome V. Gene Robinson to host a discussion and signing of his new and controversial book In the Eye of the Storm. One of the Center’s many diverse and innovative programs, Out & Faithful brings together people of all faiths - as well as those with no traditional faith - to discuss and explore spiritual and religious issues within a modern and congenial environment where all are welcomed and affirmed.
In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God, gives readers a first-hand look at the tremendous amount of adversity Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson has faced since being consecrated as the Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. While taking an honest look at sexuality in scripture, church tradition, and contemporary culture and Bishop Robinson calls on all Christians to embrace gay and lesbian people as children of God and exhorts members of the gay and lesbian community to claim their faith.
“Gay and lesbian people need to reconnect their sexuality to their spirituality,” he writes, “and it takes the help of a religious community to do that. The good news is that this is what God wants too. All of us—gay and straight, black and white, male and female—all of us are the Church, and we have claimed our place inside.”
Robinson concludes his book expressing both deep concern and hope for the future of the Anglican Communion, even though the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, has excluded him from the July 2008 Lambeth. “We need the archbishop to demand,” Robinson insists, “that we are all at the table and stay at the table, for our own good and the good of the Church. If we cannot read scripture and share the holy bread and wine with one another, the Communion is already lost.”
What: Out & Faithful presents Rt. Reverend V. Gene Robinson
When: Tuesday, June 17, 2008, 7PM
Where: 208 W. 13th Street (B/W 7th & 8th Avenues)
Cost: $15
Limited Seating: Reservations and information at www.gaycenter.org
About the Author
Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003; since his election he has appeared on the Today Show, NPR’s Fresh Air, Larry King, and the BBC, among many others. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1974, and served as parish priest and retreat center director, and as youth ministries coordinator in New England. Robinson has done AIDS work in the United States and Africa, advocated for debt relief for the world's most impoverished nations, and lobbied for socially responsible investment within and beyond the Church. He is the father of two grown daughters and the grandfather of two. He and his partner, Mark Andrew, live in rural New Hampshire.
About The Center
"The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center provides a home for the birth, nurture and celebration of our organizations, institutions and culture; cares for our individuals and groups in need; educates the public and our community; and empowers our individuals and groups to achieve their fullest potential."
Established in 1983, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center has grown to become the largest LGBT multi-service organization on the East Coast and second largest LGBT community center in the world.
Every week, 6,000 people visit the Center, and more than 300 groups meet here. In addition, our myriad meeting rooms are booked months in advance, indicating the community is as hungry as ever for a place to call its own.
For a full schedule of programs and events, visit us online at www.gaycenter.org, in person at 208 W. 13th Street in Manhattan, or call our information and referral desk at (212) 620-7310.
About the Center
A beacon of hope for 29 years, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs.The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org
