by Randy Duckworth

Created on: January 29, 2010

When one ponders the question of who should be counted among the most important men in gay history, Gene Robinson's name must undoubtedly be one of the first to leap to mind. For many in the gay community, Robinson has provided a tiny glimmer of hope that one day, even though that time may still be far off, gay people of all faiths will finally be able to live openly, and still be accepted and welcomed into the churches of this nation. His consecration as the first openly gay, non-celibate bishop in the Episcopal church was seen by many as the first small step toward victory in that long and arduous journey.

Gene Robinson endured a very difficult birth on May 29, 1947, in Lexington, Kentucky. Due to his rough entry into the world, no one believed that he would survive. The doctor in attendance was so sure of this, in fact, that he asked Robinson's parents, Charles and Imogene, for a name to list on the birth and death certificates. The couple had believed that they were going to have a girl, and they reasoned that since the baby wasn't going to survive anyway, the gender of the name would not matter. So the name that came to be listed on his birth certificate was Vicki Imogene Robinson. Even after it became apparent that he would survive, the name was never corrected.

Right from the start, Robinson was faced with huge obstacles to overcome. He spent the first month of his life in the hospital; then, when his parents were finally able to take him home, they were told that he would never walk, talk, or do anything else as a normal child would. Fortunately, that proved to be false; the paralysis caused by the strenuous labor eventually went away, and although it took him a bit longer than most children to develop his speech, he did talk as well.

Gene began his involvement with the church at a very young age. As a child, he a attended Disciples Of Christ church, whose rural congregation was extremely conservative. He was very active member of the church, learning Bible verses in Sunday school, and participating in many of its activities. As he grew older, he began to seriously question much of their fundamentalist doctrine, but never received what he felt was an honest answer from anyone. Any time he asked any question concerning doctrine, the only response he got was: "There are certain questions you shouldn't ask."

Throughout his high school years, Gene grew increasing disillusioned with the faith of his childhood, but it wasn't until he began attending college

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