Peterson Toscano's A Musing

Greg Morrisee, a cool UCC minister friend of mine near Boston e-mailed me, "The US Conference for the World Council of Churches to the 9th Assembly in Brasil wrote this letter that is absolutely incredible. Definitely worth reading and sharing. It's basically what the Christian Churches in the US are saying to the Christian Churches in the world. If only it were echoed... you know... anywhere." The vast majority of the peoples of the earth live in crushing poverty. The starvation, the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the treatable diseases that go untreated indict us, revealing the grim features of global economic injustice we have too often failed to acknowledge or confront. Our nation enjoys enormous wealth, yet we cling to our possessions rather than share. We have failed to embody the covenant of life to which our God calls us; hurricane Katrina revealed to the world those left behind in our own nation by the rupture of our social contract. As a nation we have refused to confron...

This just in from Chuck, a fellow queer Quaker who forwarded me the following article, A small group of priests in French-speaking Quebec has taken the rare step of openly criticizing the Catholic church for its opposition to same sex marriages and the ordination of active homosexuals. The 19 priests wrote a letter to Quebec's bishops complaining that the arguments used by the church "had caused confusion and disagreements" among the faithful. "Does the church necessarily have the last word on the mysteries of political, social, family and sexual life?" asked the letter, which was published in Sunday's edition of La Presse newspaper. "In these matters, the official teaching of the church has been shown to be wrong more than once." Read more at Reuters Canada

Eugene at Parodoxy reasons that even if conservative Christians followed what they say they believe about same-gender loving people, the Bible and Christ's commands to love, they fall far short of the mark and fail to show compassion. Read Eugene's Exam Time .

David Shelton just published a piece at Advocate.com in which he shares about Fred Phelps recent anti-gay ugliness while protesting "in Fort Campbell, Ky., to blame the gays for Iraq War casualties." Shelton shares "how the gay community found instant solidarity among Army wives and soldiers".

Any film focused on trangender folks will inspire controversy from all directions. Tom Murray , creator of Fish Can't Fly and Farm Familes--In Search of Gay Life in Rural America , just finished filming his latest film, Almost Myself--Stories of Gender Blending and Mending . So far he's been able to thoughtfully bring out human stories of queer folks on the farm and in the church. I can't wait to see the narratives he shares with us next. Check out the new site which includes a preview.

This weekend in St. Louis, MO Focus on the Family held their anti-gay road show Love Won Out which specifically targets parents who have or fear that have queer chilren as well as church youth workers. Colleen Keating , who atteneded a vigil outside the event, shares her thoughts . Despite what Alan Chambers said about our vigil, I thought that we succeeded in being quite positive: "Anonymous defamation from any party is offensive, but the public protest planned by the gay community is particularly disturbing," he said. "Contempt for those of us who have chosen to leave homosexuality behind is not an action consistent with the call for tolerance and diversity." What Chambers doesn't seem to understand is that none of us have "contempt" for the attendees (at least no one I spoke with). We felt badly for the young kids in the backseats of SUVs, looking down guiltily as they saw us--were their parents taking them to the event in the hopes of a "cur...

Over at myspace where I also posted my Mr. Hetero Parts One and Two , I got a visit from a very special guest, 21 year-old Jimmy Otino, the winner of the Mr. Hetero Contest. Jimmy left the following comments: First off, there is no power struggle here - There was a homosexual contest in California, so we put together a heterosexual contest! But, it was up to the media and the ignorant people of society to blow it all out of proportion and be in FEAR for themselves for being intolerated! And if you'd like the bible stories, here you are: 1corinthians 6:9-10 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. Also, read Genesis 19. - This speaks of how God destroyed the land of Sodom, for it's homosexual sinfulness. We did not tip-toe around any...

Some folks express shock that an event like Mr. Hetero can take place in liberal Massachusets. As if intolerance and religious oppression only happens in rural Southern American towns. (A common slander coming from many Northerners). Actually knuckle heads live everywhere (just as there are broad-minded thoughtful folks everywhere). I spent 17 years seeking God to change me from my same-sex attractions, to transform me into a "man of God". For 10 of those "ex-gay" years, I lived in New York City. Not Little Rock, AR, Huntsville, AL or Odessa, TX, but in big bad Sodom itself. In fact, during that time I met scores of men (and some women) in NYC who attempted to live as straight-acting former homosexuals. I lived in NYC from 1985 to 1995 where I received all sorts of reparative therapy designed straighten me out. As a born-again Christian with homosexual desires, I easily found ministers and counselors in the city who helped me pursue change. In the late 1980’s I at...

My Day at the Mr. Heterosexual Pagent Boston's Weekly Dig paper sent reporter Michael Broduer to cover the event on Saturday. He refers to me as a sneaky gay activist. Because I showed up with a pregnant straight woman???

In which Marvin wonders aloud why this year he feels drawn to the Olympics and considers if it is because he is now a Christian and a Republican. Go Team America!

Although I wrote that this event was not outwardly "mean-spirited", I believe it was downright dangerous, particularly for youth. When I was a young person struggling with same-sex attractions, I often tried to decode behavior around me. How did normal guys operate? How did they greet each other? How did they walk, laugh, dress and how could I copy them? If I were my queer youth self sitting in the Mr. Hetero audience, here are some of the messages that I would have heard. The Events The Best Use of Duct Tape Highlights: men demonstrated how they used duct tape to remove lint from their clothing, trim down unsightly body hair and clean the gunk out of their belly buttons. What I learned: Straight men value self grooming albeit in a primitive fashion. Name the Food Where blindfolded straight men identified different junk foods by tasting them. Highlight: When Jimmy identified the first item to be Lays Original Potato Chips, Pastor Tom Crouse was not going to let that past...

Yep, I travelled an hour by car with my very pregnant friend C. to the M r. Hetero Contest held in Worcester, MA. So much to report on this event, but I don't have much time right now. (I'm on chemotherapy patrol this week--damn cancer!) Really it was a fascinating time. In essence Pastor Tom Crouse created a safe space for heterosexual men to be goofy and play around with what it means to be a heterosexual man. It was like a straight drag show, where straight men let their hair down and explored their straightness and to some degree their maleness. They loosened up their straight-jackets just enough to relax and have some fun. Of course they don't need a Mr. Hetero event to do that but so often straight white men feel constrained in expressing themselves and rarely take the opportunity to look into their heterosexuality and masculinity. I spoke with Pastor Tom after the event. He asked, "Was it mean-spirited?" I responded, no, I didn't get that sense, but I ...

In which Marvin reveals the outcome of his HIV test and muses whether he should share this information with his Sunday School class.

Actually, Joe at beppepodcast includes some of Marvin's reflections that Marvin previously posted here about the podcasting experience with Joe. Have a listen . Great music by Alivia Biko on Joe's show this week. To hear the original podcast, click here . No word from Marvin about his HIV test results. He posted a rant earlier, but no results. I thought for sure he would post something by now.

Diana sent me one of her poems. Thought you would enjoy it. To Be Counted There is a right of passage. That we all share in common. Whether you are gay, Or lesbian, Or bisexual, Or transgendered. When at one time or other, You must step forward, And declare, What your inner voice tells you. To step over the line, To be counted. To stand tall.

Where Marvin feels angry about maybe being HIV+ as he awaits his results but doesn't know who to be angry with. HIV/AIDS--a curse from God or a blessing in disguise???

Where Marvin begins to lose it as he waits for his HIV test results.

Recently on an Ex-Ex-gay Yahoo listserve group, I received a series of e-mails denouncing and trying to get their minds around a a Spanking for Jesus ministry (okay that is a gross generalization of the discussion). I cannot help but think how this relates to "ex-gay" ministries. If we consider Joe Kort 's words in the film Fish Can't Fly , that "ex-gay" therapy is a form of implicit sexual abuse, I see some similarities. Kort suggests that with "ex-gay" therapies someone in a position of authority (church or "ex-gay" leader) imposes his/her sexuality or concept of sexuality (heterosexual/"ex-gay") on someone who looks up to them for guidance and protection. Kort concludes that this is a form of sexual abuse, not explicit where people are physically molested, but implicit where someone uses their position to force a sexual belief onto another. When questioned, most "ex-gay" workers say they do what they do out of thei...

Tina shared with me a link to "a podcast about America’s obsession with race, with a specific emphasis on mixed race identity and interracial relationships." Haven't had a chance to listen to the epidsodes I've downloaded yet, but Tina recommends it, and she is so cool.

Tina and Joslyn's two fabulous sons serenade and dance and just look precious for the camera (and us for their 2nd Annual Valentine's Greeting .