Peterson Toscano's Open Salon Blog

Queer and Queerer Ep. 17 – The Summer Destruction of Marriage Tour

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:07:20 -0400

Peterson and Zack are back together in the Sunbury studio! After some reflections on their conference experiences, they delve into the antics of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and their “Summer Marriage Tour.” How do we respond to their self-victimizing tactics and what is the future of the marriage equality movement? Petersonalso shares his experience confronting a bride-to-be and her maid of honor that chose a gay club for their bachelorette outing. Join them as they rip apart the very fabric of traditional marriage.

The Queer and Queerer Podcast!

Listen to this week’s episode:

// click here to listen!

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Here’s some more information about what we talked about this week:

» Freedom To Marry

» NOM’s Self-victimizing fake news story.

» “The Solution to Gay Marriage” as seen in Indianpolis.

» Join Equality Pennsylvania and the LGBT Community Center for the Harrisburg response to NOM.

» Town Danceboutique in Washington, DC

Tagged: activism, gay, Homosexual, lesbian, marriage, podcast, Queer and Queerer, Zack Ford

Would God Allow Me to get a Sex Change?

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:07:50 -0400

After watching my YouTube video Transgender Rights? A Christian Speaks Out, a viewer sent me the following message.

hi my name is craig, im a male that feels traped in the wrong body,i watched your video and was comforted and inspired, i just wanted to know having the feelings that i do, would god allow me to get a sex chage? would he still love me? is it wrong?

also once you recieve this and i get your answer i would love for you to help me choose my new name.

also are eunuchs in the bible really transgendered people?

I felt honored to receive this message (I change the name above) but also uncertain of how to answer or if I could answer. I do come from a religious background and I realize that “craig” is looking for understanding of transgender issues from a religious perspective. I know that when I struggled with being gay, it was within a religious context, and I needed help from people who could communicate within that context at least initially. It was important for me to understand God’s will for my life in order to move ahead. Ultimately I found my answers within–that still small voice–but at the time so many voices vied for my attention.

Here’s my response:

HI there. Thanks for writing. I am glad you found my video helpful. It sounds like you have many important questions. I am not transgender myself, but I will answer you as best as I can. A wonderful resource for you may be the Trans-Ponder podcast. It’s done by two women who transitioned from male. They speak about the transition process. They also interviewed me about my work with gender-variant Bible characters.

In regards to God, we need to remember that according to scripture, humans look on the outside, but God looks on the heart. We are told in Paul’s writings that in Christ there is neither male nor female. Not that our gender doesn’t matter, but God sees our spirits. God sees beyond what others see. God sees us people not fixed genders. I have met MANY people who might agree that their insides didn’t match their outsides. There are all types of males and females and some people who are a little of both or something altogether different. As believers we understand that God desires truth from within to without. There is no reason why God would not want you to be authentic in regards to who you are and your gender. God will not have trouble with if this is someone’s sense of self. Others might, but they are not God. My personal belief is that we can have faith that God trusts us to make these important decisions about ourselves.

It will be important that you continue to spend time thinking about this, getting more information, and perhaps even seeing a trained professional about this topic to answer your questions. It will most likely help for you to connect with transgender people too if you haven’t already. You sound like you have a leading to seek out more information about sex reassignment surgery. But even without surgery, you know who you are on the inside, and you can begin to affirm that for yourself. For some surgery is a necessary step, but not for all.

The eunuchs who appear in the Bible did not have the word “transgender” to apply to themselves. Many were forced to be eunuchs against their will. Some chose to be eunuch. In some cultures they were respected as eunuchs while in others they were not. We do not know much about how they came to be eunuch, but the important lesson is that they became a different sex physically than they were at birth. They became sexual minorities in a very visible way within their cultures. In some places they were considered a “third sex.” God did not simply tolerate people being different, but in the Bible stories with eunuchs, God literally reached out to them and in some cases desperately needed them in order to do the work that needed to be done. The eunuchs in the Bible provide a wonderful example of someone who is surgically altered and gender-different yet smack in the palm of God’s loving hand and purposes. For those of us who are people of faith, this can give us guidance and great comfort.

In regards to your name, that is a great honor to ask me for help, and I would love to hear about the process as you begin to consider new names. It is a very spiritual process for some with many examples in the Bible of people who changed their names to recognize a life change. I have faith that you will find the right name–or it will find you–as you go along in the process.

Many blessings to you!
Peterson

What about you? What would you add? What would you say? What could I have said differently? I realize that not everyone who reads this blog is a person of faith, so maybe all the “God language” is a turn-off or not your style. I can forward your remarks to “craig” for you or provide a link to your comments here.

Now I am off to TransForm New Hampshire, an event in Concord, NH that seeks to unite the LGB with the T and help non-transgender people better understand transgender issues.

Tagged: Christian, podcast, Trans-Ponder, Transform New Hampshire, transgender

TransForm New Hampshire July 23-25 Endorsed by Bishop Gene Robinson

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:07:47 -0400

I’m thrilled to be attending and presenting at TransForm New Hampshire next week. I will lead a few workshops as well as perform my piece Transfigurations–Transgressing Gender in the Bible, a play about transgender and gender non-conforming Bible characters. I was thrilled to hear that Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop from New Hampshire, has been encouraging people to attend. Hopefully he will come too. Although we have mutual friends, and we both attended the Lambeth Conference in 2008, I have yet to meet him. Even so, I affectionately call him “The Gay Gene.”

PRESS RELEASE

TransForm New Hampshire http://transform.transmentors.org/nh/
July 23-25, 2010
Concord, NH

STATEMENT FROM BISHOP GENE ROBINSON

Equal rights for Transgender People is the next front in the equal-rights-for-all effort. But more of our citizens need to understand the experiences, challenges and needs of their trans neighbors. This conference is an extraordinary opportunity to hear national leaders as well as local activists, speaking to the experience and needs of our trans citizens. Even gay and lesbian people are often uneducated and unfamiliar with the complexities of our trans brothers and sisters who have been so supportive of our efforts for full equality. Run, don’t walk, to sign up for this great conference!

Bishop Gene Robinson
Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Tagged: Episcopal, gay, Gene Robinson, New Hampshire, transgender

Queer and Queerer Ep. 15 – Hottest Queer Destination? Fort Worth, Hell, or Other _____?

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:07:25 -0400

Zack and Peterson come to you with travel advice! First up: An in-depth analysis of the reactions from church groups to pro-LGBT policies in Ft. Worth, TX. Where are they coming from and how should we feel about their complaints? Then, it’s the listeners’ turn to chime in! See where Queer and Queerer listeners think are the best places to be gay, lesbian, trans, and/or queer. As episode 15 rolls on past, we still leave you with the lingering question of who is queer and who is queerer?

The Queer and Queerer Podcast!

Listen to this week’s episode HERE

// Here’s some more information about what we talked about this week:

Quotes from the Facebook friends about best LGBTQ places to live and visit:

Michael Trey says:

As a previous lesbian and a current trans man, I have really only lived one place – Tampa Bay – I have survived as both! I haven’t traveled since transition except to Disney for a weekend and as a trans man it was the most comfortable experience I have ever had in regard to bathrooms. Sounds weird but being around so many other cultures, confident in my own identity for once – I realized that the US is much more concerned with bathrooms and who uses them, than the rest of the world!

Sarah says:

I guess for me it has more to do with the sense of community and less with queer-kindness of a place. Ability to walk down the street holding another woman’s hand without turning heads means less if I don’t feel like I can authentically connect … See Morewith the community. I certainly want both, but for “best” places to live, it has to be the place where I can be real without hesitation and be deeply known.

» Coverage related to Ft. Worth LGBT policies:

» News report from last night’s Town Council meeting.

» Minutes and video from last night’s meeting. (Comments start at1:55:30)

» TransForm New Hampshire

» Netroots Nation

Tagged: Christian, Fort Worth, gay, Homosexual, lesbian, podcast, Queer and Queerer, transgender, Zack Ford

Coming Soon: I Can See Sarah Palin from my Window

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:07:58 -0400

Christine Bakke just designed this poster for my new play I Can See Sarah Palin from my Window! Lessons Before the Second Coming. Click on the poster for a larger image. Premiere : September 18, 2010

Tagged: performances, sarah palin