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|lnin’Iime in Benningtnn

BY JUDY MURPHY

eterson To-
P scano began

life as a bom-
again Christian and
later spent 17 years in
the ex-gay movement
before fully accepting
himself as a gay man
in 1999. He is now a
Quaker Christian and
has turned his incred-
ible journey into the-
atrlcal performances
that use storytelling
and humor to both en-

Audiences in the

United States, Canada,
England and Africa have
been regaled by his perfor-
mances of “Doin’ Time in
the Homo N0 M0 Halfway
House; How I Survived the
Ex-Gay Movement, " which
is Toscano’s humorous ren-
dition of a 12-step Christian
program that attempts to
change men’s sexual orienta-
tion. Peterson spent _
years in reparative therapy
through counseling, ex-gay
support groups, an ex-gay ~

three exorcisms. In “Doin’
Time...” he plays five charac-
ters in a unique performance
that critics have compared to
those of Lily Tomlin and Whoo-
pi Goldberg.

“Queer 101” follows the charac-
ter Chad after his graduation from
the Homo N 0 Mo Halfway House
and he has to cover a Queer 101
class. He introduces the class to
individualswho shaped queer his-
tory and his own.

“It is incredibly important that
I be funny,” he said in a recent
telephone interview. “It isn’t suc-
cessful unless -they laugh their
asses off."

“I never attack,” Toscano
said. “I use comedy as a tool,
not a weapon. Even in my ex-
pose’ of the ex-gay movement
I do not attack its leaders,” he
said. In fact, he often meets with
conservative Christian leaders
for coffee, lunch or a chat, and
recently spent three hours with
a representative from Focus on
the Family.

“It is important to continue
the dialogue, to disperse as-
sumptions and de-escalate
violence," he says. “As a Quaker

written mg Perfomed by .-
Peterson Toscafl°

(nu

max of Doin’ Tiine in the H°'”°"

omo H0l)‘v*'“-V "W53

  
  
  

On Friday, April 7th, at 7 pm Toscano will perform "Queer 101" for
high school and college students in Bennington. The event is free for
students with ID.

On Saturday, April 8, Toscano will perform "Doin’ Time in the
Homo No Mo Halfway House” at 8 pm. Tickets may be purchased for
$8 in advance from the Bennington Bookshop, the Hawkins House
and South Street Cafe in Bennington, or $10 at the door, and $5 for

students with student ID. Both performances will be at the Unitarian
Universalist Meetinghouse in Bennington.

The performances are sponsored by Bennington Pride Coali-
tion and made possible by a grant from the Vermont Unity Proj-
ect. For more information, check the web at www.petersontosca-
no.com and www.homonomo.com. Contact the Bennington Pride
Coalition at Bennpride@grnail.com or www.benningtonprideorg.

Christian I don’t see anyone as
my enemy. They may be an op-
ponent on a specific issue, but
there is much more to them and
me than that one issue."

In addition to perfomring and
writing, Toscano also speaks
before college audiences. When
interviewed, he was packing to
attend a conference on 
tics in Washington, D.C. and
was excited about perfomring

 

“Queer 101" at McGill University
in Montreal.
Toscano lives in Hartford,
Connecticut.V

.u.~n,~. .

Judy Murphy-is secretary of
the VT Freedom to Marry
Task Force and state coordi-
nator of the Vermont Chapter
of the National Organization
for Women. Canadian born,
she now lives in the U.S.

 

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