Gay Bishop Tells Crowd To 'Toughen Up'

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The first openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church on Tuesday compared the struggle of gays and lesbians to the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The Rev. Gene Robinson is in Sacramento this week to hold church services.

Robinson spoke to a large crowd at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral on Tuesday morning.

"Most of what I've learned about our movement I've learned from the American civil rights movement in this country. And those people went out and paid their dues for civil rights, knowing they're going to be shot, and fire hoses and tear gas and maybe death," Robinson said.

He urged parishioners from the gay and lesbian community to "toughen up."

"And so you and I, especially if you are in the LGBT community, you and I need to toughen up. And we need to expect suffering," Robinson said.  Of Gay Bishop Tells Crowd To 'Toughen Up'
KQCA, My58.com, CA