UPDATE:
THE 5 PM EVENT ON JUNE 23 IS FULL
AN ADDITIONAL SCREENING HAS BEEN ADDED AT 8 PM – SEATS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
Bishop Gene Robinson who’s featured in the film LOVE FREE OR DIE will be our special guest at the ITVS Community Cinema presentation of the film Sunday, June 23 at 5 PM at Busboys and Poets (2021 14th Street, NW). Retired from the Diocese of New Hampshire in January this year, Bishop Robinson is currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Directed by Macky Alston, LOVE FREE OR DIE follows Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be elected bishop in the high church traditions of Christianity. His 2003 elevation, in the Episcopal diocese of New Hampshire, ignited a worldwide firestorm in the Anglican Communion that has threatened schism. Even as he has pushed for greater inclusion within his own church, Bishop Robinson has become a standard bearer in the fight over the rights of LGBT people to receive full acceptance in church and state.
The ITVS Community Cinema [DC] event with Gene Robinson is free and open to the public. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED. Reserve on Eventbrite, or call 202-939-0794.
Community partners: WHUT, Busboys and Poets, Washington DC Jewish Community Center, Center for Social Media, Institute for Policy Studies, Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, Reel Affirmations, Washington National Cathedral, SMYAL
Bishop Gene Robinson. Credit: Gillian Laub
V. Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003, having served as Canon to the Ordinary (Assistant to the Bishop) for nearly 18 years. He was consecrated a Bishop on All Saints Sunday, November 2, 2003, and was invested as the Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire on March 7, 2004.
He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations. His story is featured in the 2007 feature-length documentary, “For the Bible Tells Me So” and his book In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God (Seabury Books, New York) was published in 2008.
Bishop Robinson has been particularly active in the area of full civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. Working at the state, national and international levels, he has spoken and lobbied for equal protection under the law and full civil marriage rights. He has been honored by many LGBT organizations for this work, including the Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, GLAD, NH Civil Liberties Union, GLAAD, and the Equality Forum.
Bishop Robinson was invited by Barack Obama to give the invocation at the opening inaugural ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009. The Bishop’s recent book, God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage, was published by Alfred Knopf in September 2012.
He is the father of two grown daughters and the proud grandfather of two granddaughters. He lives with his husband, Mark Andrew, who is employed by the State of New Hampshire’s Department of Health & Human Services.
ADDITIONAL ITVS COMMUNITY CINEMA [DC] “LOVE FREE OR DIE” screenings
Sunday, June 9 at 3 PM – Washington DC Jewish Community Center
Thursday, June 13 at 7 PM – Hill Center at the Old Naval Hosptial
Nicole Newnham is a documentary filmmaker and writer based in Oakland, California. She recently co-produced and directed the critically-acclaimed, Emmy-nominated documentary, The Rape of Europa, about the fate of Europe’s cultural treasures during the Third Reich and Second World War. Nicole also co-produced and directed Sentenced Home, an Emmy-nominated documentary that follows three Cambodian refugees in Seattle who are deported back to Cambodia after 9/11. She field-produced Skin, a special for PBS and National Geographic about the science and culture of human skin, and co-produced They Drew Fire, a widely-acclaimed special for PBS about the combat artists of World War II, and authored the companion book distributed by Harper Collins. Her independent work has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sundance Documentary Fund, and the Independent Television Service, among others. She has also worked producing short films, segments, and advertisements for a wide range of broadcast, corporate, and non profit clients, including Martha Stewart, Kohls, Virgin America, Country Music Television, Teachscape, and Catholic Charities. Nicole earned a Master’s degree in Documentary Film from Stanford University in 1994.
