‘Love Free or Die’ to be aired in Houlton

“Love Free or Die” is about a man whose two defining passions are in direct conflict: his love for God and for his partner Mark. Gene Robinson is the first openly gay person to become a bishop in the historic traditions of Christendom. His consecration in 2003, to which he wore a bulletproof vest, caused an international stir, and he has lived with death threats every day since.
    The film follows Robinson’s personal story as American churches debate whether or not lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of God while our nation debates whether LGBT people are equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of the law.
In “Love Free or Die,” Bishop Gene steps onto the world stage as he travels from small-town churches to Washington’s Lincoln Memorial to London’s Lambeth Palace calling for all to stand for equality – inspiring bishops, priests and ordinary folk to come out from the shadows and change history.
Gene Robinson was elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire on June 7, 2003, and was invested as the Ninth Bishop of New Hampshire on March 7, 2004. In 1973, he completed the M.Div. degree at the General Theological Seminary in New York. He holds two honorary doctorates and has received numerous awards from national civil rights organizations. 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 next book, “God Believes in Love: Straight Talk about Gay Marriage,” will be published by Alfred Knopf later this fall.
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 and Human Services.
The film, which is free and open to the public, will be shown on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m. at the Houlton Unitarian Church, 61 Military Street, downstairs in the Cup Café. Refreshments will be available for purchase and donations will be accepted. The film is co-sponsored by First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, and the Houlton Unitarian Society. All are welcome.