GENE ROBINSON was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated from the University of the South with a B.A. in American studies and history. He completed the MDiv degree in 1973 at the General Theological Seminary in New York, and was ordained deacon and then priest, serving as curate at Christ Church, Ridgewood, NJ. Robinson is a Senior Fellow at American Progress. He was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, having served as Canon to the Ordinary (assistant to the bishop) for nearly eighteen years.