Frederick H. Borsch, who as the Episcopal bishop of Los Angeles crusaded for an inclusive social justice agenda that empowered women, gays and lesbians, blacks and Hispanics, and poor and low-wage workers, died on April 11 at his home in Philadelphia. He was 81.

The cause was myelodysplastic syndromes, a form of blood cancer, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles said.

Between positions at Princeton and Yale, Bishop Borsch presided over the sprawling six-county Southern California diocese from 1988 to 2002, and there he elevated female and Hispanic clergy members in the church hierarchy.

Despite opposition from the world’s Anglican bishops, he championed the ordination not only of celibate gay men and lesbians but also of those in committed monogamous relationships.