Lively Lectures and Workshops
by Peterson Toscano
Homo No Mo?!? Orientation, Gender and the Ex-Gay Movement
A Lively Lecture with Performance
Some groups teach that LGBT people need to go through change therapy. Ex-Gay programs dot the US with the deceptive promise that Change is Possible. Having spent 17 years and over $30,000 on three different continents attempting to change and suppress his gay orientation, Peterson Toscano presents a lively lecture about the ex-gay movement and the often-tragic outcomes of pursuing such a change.
Interjecting scenes from his one-person comedy Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House—How I Survived the Ex-Gay Movement, along with video clips, personal narrative, and the most current information about the ex-gay movement, Peterson's interactive presentation leaves his audience informed and better equipped to address false claims of the Ex-Gay Movement. As the co-founder of www.beyondexgay.com, Peterson also reveals the damage that can come to people who pursue to change their orientation and the creative ways ex-gay survivors have reclaimed their lives.
(120 minutes which includes time for discussion and Q&A)
Slow Dancing with the Enemy—Effective Strategies for Engaging Your Opponent
In this interactive workshop, Peterson Toscano blends storytelling, small and large group activities, and hands-on instruction designed to explore effective strategies for engaging one's perceived or actual opponent. Some questions that will be answered include: How do I have discourse with an anti-gay Conservative? How can we discover unspoken needs and shared values? How can opponents become allies?
This workshop has proved engaging and essential for anyone who desires to get past dead end debates into useful dialog and deeper understanding.
(120 minutes which includes time for discussion and Q&A)
Waking Up From a Biblically Induced Coma
Drawing on his long personal conflict between his Christian faith and his gay orientation, Peterson Toscano offers this talk about faith issues, orientation and the healthy integration of the self.
Peterson's journey out of the closet had been long and complicated. As a Conservative Evangelical Christian, He felt he had no other choice than to rid himself of his same-sex attractions. Eventually he came to a place where he understood the nature of his struggle more keenly and discovered how to be authentic as a Christian, as a gay man, as an artist, as himself. Performing excerpts from his original one-person comedies, he shares both his journey and the key steps needed to emerge as an integrated as a person.
(75 minutes which includes time for discussion and Q&A)
Identity, Bullying, & Building a Better School
A Dynamic Presentation for Middle School Students
That's so gay! echoes down the hallways of schools throughout the US and the UK. We seek to create a safe space for all students, but sometimes it seems the most we can do is correct students when they say or do something homophobic. Peterson Toscano has created an energetic, positive and effective talk for Middle School students that not only addresses name-calling but moves into actual problem solving and community building. Using performance, storytelling, interactive activities, and comedy in small and large group activies, Peterson facilitates a discussion about homophobia and the impact it has on all students—lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning AND straight! Using positive protocols for problem solving and self-reflection, Peterson has helped move students beyond mere tolerance to a deeper understanding and willingness to create and maintain a healthy, safe environment for all students.
(45 or 90 minutes)