CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Before Rev. V. Gene Robinson was making national headlines as the Episcopal Church’s first elected gay bishop, he helped Ryan Bolin deal with being young, Christian and gay.

“I had a real hard time reconciling being gay and being Christian at the time,” said Bolin, who now lives in Minneapolis and met Robinson at Concord Outright in 1995. Robinson was working as assistant to the current Bishop Douglas Theuner when he helped launch Concord Outright.

Bolin, 17 at the time, said Robinson was very caring and respectful.

“He helped me out with the bigger picture. He made me feel very welcome and very safe,” he said.

Bolin said it’s fantastic that Robinson was confirmed bishop of the New Hampshire diocese.

“He’s one of the most unassuming, quiet, nice people. To think that this kind of person would create such an international raucous is mind-blowing,” he said.

Concord Outright was started in 1995 and provides a meeting space for gay teens and their friends to meet and talk with two to three adult counselors about topics like homophobic peers, drugs, relationships and families.

The group got negative publicity when Robinson’s confirmation was delayed, partly because of an allegation that their website was indirectly linked to pornography.

Martha Yager, co-chair of the group’s board of directors, said the website had links to resources for people interested in issues surrounding homosexuality, but not porn. She said one of those links led to a bisexual page, which in turn linked to a porn site.

Yager said Robinson hasn’t been involved with the group since 1998 and had no role in developing its webpage.

Knox Turner, one of Outright’s founders, said Robinson got involved because he saw the need to give teenagers a safe space to talk and ask questions.

“This is an extraordinary man. He was so concerned about the kids. He understood the problems they were facing,” he said.

Turner and Robinson were both counselors from 1995 to 1998, when Robinson left because of his hectic schedule. Turner stayed on to work as the program’s administrator until 2000.

“(Robinson) was a great listener. The best facilitators are those people who listen really well .... Gene was excellent at this. You know a person’s a good listener by virtue of the questions they ask,” he said.

Turner said Outright continues to help teens who are not receiving support either at home or school.

“We don’t have an agenda. We don’t try to change people’s minds. It’s so they can see there are well adjusted gay adults who are there to listen,” Turner said.

There are now nine loosely affiliated Outright organizations located in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.