Openly gay American Bishop Gene Robinson will address a packed lecture theatre at Kent University this evening.

The Bishop of New Hampshire is banned from the main sessions of the three-week Lambeth Conference being held in Canterbury, but intends to take part in as many fringe sessions as possible, until the conference closes on August 3.

A number of protestors are anticipated to be outside the Kent Business School Lecture Theatre before and after Bishop Robinson’s address at 5pm.

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Bishop Robinson has lived openly with another man for the last 20 years. Last month, the pair formalised their partnership with a civil ceremony and service of thanksgiving.

His talk is expected to explore the intersections and connections between race, gender, sexuality and other oppressions.

Added to that, he is expected to reflect on the contemporary relationship between Church and state, and the challenge of fighting inequality within faith communities.

The talk, The Lambeth Conference: A View From the Fringe, is organised by the Arts & Humanities Research Council’s Centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality as part of their religion, secularism and sexuality series.

Seats for the talk are expected to be sold out but more information is available at www.kent.ac.uk/clgs

Seat reservations can be made by emailing the department at centre-lgs@kent.ac.uk