Coronavirus Pandemic: Non-Queer Folks Experience What Some LGBTQ People Suffer

This short film highlights the suffering most of us are experiencing due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It is very much designed to affirm what people are feeling and to validate these feelings.

This suffering is new to many of us, but others have experienced it for many years. People who cannot easily leave their homes because of a disability have known the isolation and boredom of staying in place. In fact, some rejoice that finally churches and other public venues are more accessible to them because of Zoom.

And while things are vastly improved for LGBTQ+ people, still I know some who have not seen their children and grandchildren for years. This is not because of a pandemic; it is because of discrimination.

Young people feel trapped in homes. Their closest friends are far away on-line, and they live with difficult and unaccepting parents. As a result, up to 40% of homeless youth in the USA and Canada are LGBTQ+.

Shane, who identifies as non-binary and gender-fluid on the LGBTQIA spectrum, wearing a shirt with preferred pronouns They/Them from Gaylien Clothing

Trans women and men and gender non-binary people with great skill and training have lost jobs and remain unemployed and underemployed. And Black, Indigenous, People of Color have experienced overlapping oppressions from society and even white LGBTQ+ people. This has been a big reality for some for a long time.

For some LGBTQ+ folks travel has its own risks and challenges. If someone is unable to get a legal ID with the gender marker that represents who they are, they have boarding planes and in security checks. Some trans and non-binary people avoid large gatherings and some public spaces for fear they will be harassed or even violently attacked.

Older LGBTQ+ plus folks at times are more isolated as they age because of being estranged from family and their resistance to enter retirement communities. While there are more and more LGBTQ+ friendly communities and nursing homes, many are fairly Conservative. People have good reason to feel concerned about how staff will treat them and their bodies as they become more and more vulnerable.

This time of Covid-19 gives allies and supporters of LGBTQ+ people, and LGBTQ+ people who are doing relatively well, an opportunity to fellowship in the suffering of some LGBTQ people. There is still work to be done.

Thank you for all the work you have done to stand in solidarity with LGBTQ+ people. I urge you to continue. In your places of worship make space for LGBTQ+. Affirm their gifts, collaborate with LGBTQ+ people and welcome them not simply as guests or visitors but to be a full part of the community of the church. Give money to LGBTQ groups that are doing the work to support people in need. I am a big fan of the Trans Justice Funding Project. And as need increases, so too enlarge your hearts and empathy.

The above is just a short list of the different ways some LGBTQ+ people have been suffering. There are other ways that I have not mentioned and there are other people who similarly have been suffering. Covid-19 gives people a chance to walk in another’s shoes. What are your thoughts and feelings? Your experiences and inputs? Please feel free to comment.

I made the film for the Pride Service at McDougall United Church of Edmonton, Alberta November 22, 2020.

Photo credit: pawel szvmanski

RINGOLEVIO Movie World Premiere Review

The praying mantis, which opens and closes the film.

Even as the Coronavirus global pandemic has shut down virtually every industry, it comforts me to know films are still being released. I recently attended an on-line screening for the world premiere of RINGOLEVIO, the debut feature length film by Milwaukee-based filmmaker Kristin Peterson. (And yes, there are spoilers in the following review, but the film is an emotional exploration of relationships, not bloody Game of Thrones.)

Here is the synopsis put out by the filmmakers.

Ada (Nicole Velasco Lockard), a reserved young woman with a passion for entomology travels to rural Wisconsin with Marissa (Meredith Johnston), her free-spirited musician girlfriend. She’s finally ‘meeting the family’ – the three brothers who helped raise Marissa.Desperate to make a good impression over the course of a weekend packed with fun and frivolity, she instead struggles to find common ground. Funny, lacerating, and tender (often in the same scene), Ringolevio is a sensitive and incisive look at the games we play when trying to connect with one another.

Immediately, and then throughout the film, you will see how beautifully the film is shot, especially the closeup imagery of the insects. (No, they are not gross or icky at all, rather quite beautiful.) The scenes with human characters are energetic, both because of the exuberance from the brothers interacting with their long absent sister, Marissa, and because of the handheld camera work.

Marissa (Meredith Johnston) makes a simple request. Ozzie (Joshua Koopman) and Ada (Nicole Velasco Lockard) are frozen.

The film maintains a tension that for me as an introvert at times transforms this family drama into a horror movie. This tension Ada suffers under comes from trying to fit in, or at least attempting to understand what is happening within the family dynamics and with her girlfriend, Marissa. It is an experience all too familiar for those of us who live introverted lives. Ada expertly portrays the overreaching attempts to match the energy of the brothers, and she wonderfully displays the familiar shame and confusion that comes from yet again getting it wrong. Her gentleness and quiet ways are like a delicate sparrow catapulted off the feeder by raucous bluejays.

While the chemistry is strong between the two female leads, the emotional intimacy between Marissa and Ada continually fails as they struggle to connect and communicate. Physically they misfire too. Ada end ups causing pain when she hopes to comfort; Marissa retreats once again. Still when not overwhelmed with the alien landscape created by Marissa’s family, they display a freshness and an ease in their interactions with each other.

The entire film points to Marissa. In fact, she is the most fully drawn character. If the film were a stylized Instagram photo, Marissa would be the central figure in full-color and in sharp focus, while Ada and the brothers would be in black and white and with a blurring of their features. They frame Marissa as she wrestles with everyone including herself. Marissa is stuck in the liminal space between who she was as a child and a young adult growing up in a disastrously dysfunctional family and who she strives to be as an adult–a thoughtful artist in a stable, healthy relationship.

Marissa (Meredith Johnston) listening to the instructions for the children’s yard game “ringolevio”

Marissa’s flaws are evident–the secrecy and shame she displays over a serious injury, her erratic and strong reactions to the tensions Ada stirs up in the family, and Marissa’s tendency to retreat emotionally and physically from Ada. These flaws though do not alienate her from me as a viewer. I found myself rooting for her, feeling empathy and understanding. On the other hand, I grew tired of the brothers quickly. These man babies are trapped in childhood and childish ways. They are obnoxious lost boys who might never escape the emotional Neverland that distracts them from meaningful relationships.

Ada attempts to create spaces for bringing the others into her world, but she is too impotent next to boorish brothers and a partner who is much more complex than any of them. Unlike the ease with which Ada identifies the bugs she collects then sticks pins to affix them on her displays, she cannot pin Marissa down who squirms under Ada’s failed attempts at intimacy and understanding.

There is no guarantee Marissa and Ada’s relationship will survive the family reunion. In fact, in perhaps the deepest glimpse into Marissa’s internal life, we hear Marissa predict where her current relationship might go wrong based on a past failed relationship. Ozzie, the oldest brother, plays a song from Marissa’s upcoming album. The music is rich, thoughtful, and dreamy. Marissa explains it is about an ex-partner who just couldn’t comprehend her or her painful, complicated family background (and likely the frenzied family get-togethers.)

The brothers and Ada pretty much end up where they started at the beginning of the film. Marissa on the other hand steps more firmly into the self she wants to be. I will not be surprised if she leaves everyone else behind. Maybe like the praying mantis Ada releases at the end of the film, Marissa will find her own escape.

There are never enough movies about lesbian relationships or of bisexual women in relationships with each other, and what I like about this relationship is the universality of their struggles. They happen to be struggles two women are facing, but these struggles are familiar to most of us who have chosen to love someone who comes from a different background and upbringing.

I hope the film does well in festivals and that lots of folks get to see it. And I highly recommend it to you my dear reader. Note if you are an introvert, it will be very very scary in parts, but you will be okay.

I look forward to seeing what Kirstin Peterson does next.

Learn about the film and find out how to see it at the official RINGOLEVIO site.

All photos courtesy of the film.

What is That Feeling You Are Feeling? Coronavirus and Processing Grief

Photo by James Garman on Unsplash

Waking up in a panic.
Suddenly feeling confused and listless.
Wanting to be with people and all alone at the same time.

As the Coronavirus outbreak relentlessly spreads, and life as we know it is frozen in place, a wave of grief is crashing over so many of us. For some it is the mourning of a loved one or the grief that comes from being sick, isolated, and frightened.

It may also be what grief expert, David Kessler, calls Anticipatory Grief:

Anticipatory grief is that feeling we get about what the future holds when we’re uncertain. Usually it centers on death. We feel it when someone gets a dire diagnosis or when we have the normal thought that we’ll lose a parent someday. Anticipatory grief is also more broadly imagined futures. There is a storm coming. There’s something bad out there. With a virus, this kind of grief is so confusing for people. Our primitive mind knows something bad is happening, but you can’t see it. This breaks our sense of safety. We’re feeling that loss of safety. I don’t think we’ve collectively lost our sense of general safety like this. Individually or as smaller groups, people have felt this. But all together, this is new. We are grieving on a micro and a macro level.

Kessler sat down for an interview with the Harvard Business Review and spoke with Senior Editor Scott Berinato about the stress many of us feel today. I learned about the article on Twitter through Jacob J. Erickson.

My main research right now is on ecological grief—and so much of the literature transposes itself into the current moment very well.
“That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief” https://t.co/pOtS9aYK1Q

— Jacob J. Erickson (@jacobjerickson) March 25, 2020

In addition to helping me identify the strong, complicated feelings I have right now, Kessler gives some practical steps about how to address these feelings.

Anticipatory grief is the mind going to the future and imagining the worst. To calm yourself, you want to come into the present. This will be familiar advice to anyone who has meditated or practiced mindfulness but people are always surprised at how prosaic this can be. You can name five things in the room. There’s a computer, a chair, a picture of the dog, an old rug, and a coffee mug. It’s that simple. Breathe. Realize that in the present moment, nothing you’ve anticipated has happened. In this moment, you’re okay. You have food. You are not sick. Use your senses and think about what they feel. The desk is hard. The blanket is soft. I can feel the breath coming into my nose. This really will work to dampen some of that pain.

You can also think about how to let go of what you can’t control. What your neighbor is doing is out of your control. What is in your control is staying six feet away from them and washing your hands. Focus on that.

There is a lot of helpful information in the piece. I encourage you find quiet time to sit and slowly read That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief. For me just doing that helped reduce some of the anxiety. Naming the feelings enabled me to approach them.

(Featured Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash)

Coronavirus: Comedy, Resiliency, and a Morals Stress Test

I live dab smack in the middle of nowhere in rural Central Pennsylvania. Although we are only three hours or less from some of the greatest cities in America, the Susquehanna Valley is cut off in lots of ways. Wwe are centrally isolated.

Glen and I are watching the Coronavirus spread across the state, and as of this moment, the closes reported cases are all over two counties away, but each day it creeps closer. Like most communities in the USA, all of our non-essential business are closed. Somehow the Eagle’s Wind (yes, Wind, not Wings) doughnut shop is still open. Even if it is not an essential business, it feels like it should be.

Photo by Andrew Seaman on Unsplash

All the bars and liquor stores are closed too. I always day-dreamed about time travel, I just never imagined I’d land in rural Pennsylvania during Prohibition.

And in the midst of all of this I caught a cold. How is that even humanly possible. I have washed my hands so often I swear you can see my nerve endings. I show an overabundance of caution when out in public. I sanitize every possible surfaces I feel I can open a lab. And I have been so aggressively socially distant, I can barely catch someone’s eye let alone their cold.

Joking aside, this is a scary time for everyone. It is a time of rapid fire decisions by public officials. Globally & in each nation, with our political leaders, & fellow citizens, we are witnessing a Morals Stress Test. As a people, we must consider serious questions.

What do we value most?
Money or the health & well-being of people? How do we consider both while pursuing justice for all? How do we navigate & decide moral conundrums & wicked problems?

“Save Our Planet” painted on the side of a Berlin Wall section.

To shut down national & global economies is extraordinary. A sign of where our values may truly lie. It is potentially good news for our species, a costly one. For my new Susquehanna Life Out Loud podcast, I interviewed Dr. Natasha DeJarnett from the National Environmental Health Association. She quoted Mahatma Gandhi,

The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.

Before the outbreak of Covid-19 many people already were suffering from chronic illness, poverty, isolation, restricted mobility, healthcare woes, & fears of aggressive policing. For others these are new concerns.

Suffering demands residents & governments that multiply compassion, empathy, & justice.

Money is tight and growing tighter for many of us. Our mobility is restricted. Yet in the middle of it all, I am witnessing a loving response by members of my community who are providing food, money, and essential services to those who need it.

Like everyone else, I am trying to process these massive changes in our society while learning how to adapt to these shifts. I am also figuring out what I have to offer in this time of Coronavirus. Below is my spring 2020 newsletter with free content for everyone to enjoy and a special resource page for educators.

Oh and I have created my own Coronavirus Containment Dance playlist on Spotify. Feel free to give me suggestions of some of the tunes that get you moving. Leave them in comments below or just add directly to the playlist.

(featured Photo by Elijah O’Donnell on Unsplash)

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Audio & Video for your Confinement Entertainment

Free Film & New Podcast

As many people are spending a lot more time at home during the Coronavirus outbreak, I am sharing the rarely seen performance version of Transfigurations–Gender Outlaws in the Bible. It is only available on DVD and differs from the performance lecture you can watch on Amazon Prime. View this special theatre version FREE. Share with friends, family, and fellow Bible geeks!

If you want to watch a classic, Doin’ Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

I am producing a lot of podcasts these days including the wacky yet oddly thoughtful and tender, Bubble&Squeak Podcast. (Most recent episode is Phallic Fruit. In the next episode you will meet a new character, Sebastian, from the Corona Virus Rapid Response Team. Should I call the next episode Anal Thermometer or Circle Jerk?)

I launched a BRAND NEW podcast: Susquehanna Life Out Loud. It reveals the many wonderful features of this region of Central Pennsylvania where I live. The first episode stars my husband, Glen Retief.

You can also hear Bible Bash Podcast, which I co-host with Liam Hooper, and Citizens Climate Radio. Find all these shows wherever you get podcasts or follow the links.

Plus Special Resources for Teaching Remotely

Professors & teachers suddenly need to provide on-line instruction, so I set up a page with resources. I also offer virtual classroom visits, consultation, and customized videos:

Read about how to use video effectively on-line
Ideas for assigning podcasts to students
Virtual visits & custom content at low prices

Learn more at PetersonToscano.com

Click here for something silly and wonderful that always makes me laugh.

Enjoy Transfigurations–Gender Outlaws in the Bible on-line for FREE

In this time of social distancing, I am sharing the rarely seen performance version of Transfigurations–Gender Outlaws in the Bible. Many have seen the performance lecture version, where I explain the various stories I portray. But this is the original version, which you can only watch on the DVD. Well, until now.

My dear friend, Rev. David Weekly, told me how important this version was to him when he first saw it live over 10 years ago, so when we filmed the lecture version, I ask Sam Neff, the director, to also direct the performance version. It is an artistic rendering of the material with a narrative arch and a dramatic ending.

Please feel free to watch it, share it, enjoy it at no cost.

If you want to go deeper, you can use the free study guide or stream the lecture version on Amazon Prime or get the DVD from MeetingHouse.

If you want to show your appreciation for the film, please donate to the Trans Justice Funding Project.

Transfigurations – Gender Outlaws in the Bible from Peterson Thomas Toscano on Vimeo.

On-Line Presentations and Resources

Peterson leading a lively classroom discussion

In the new normal of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, many schools and universities have closed the traditional classroom to bring instruction on-line through remote teaching/learning. Educators and institutions are sharing resources and best practices for teaching on-line. I list some below. In addition, I am available to visit your class remotely through customized videos and live video streaming class visits to lecture and to lead class discussion.

I now offer Zoom performances

I also offer interactive, on-line workshops

Under the following list of resources, you will find information about the kind of classroom instruction and presentations I offer

Peterson’s Zoom workshops with my Global Studies Program allowed my students to explore and connect issues related to COVID-19, climate change, and the LGBTQ+ community in an innovative way. Prior to meeting my students, Peterson worked with me to customize the workshops for my juniors and seniors to build on their previous studies and experiences. His unique ability to infuse humor into serious topics and foster a sense of empathy created a powerful experience for my students in a way I wouldn’t have expected in Zoom. I can’t wait to have him return to my program for another engaging session. Ultimately, Peterson left my students were left with a sense of hope and empowerment- so needed in these times.

Jennifer O’Brien, Ph.D.

, Global Studies Program Director at Watkinson School

Inspiring and interactive, Peterson's amazing Zoom presentations always live up to my high expectations. Thank you, Peterson, for your creativity, your engaging vision, and for challenging us via your incredible array of Zoom techniques to connect people not only with one another but also with pressing climate issues needing our urgent attention and global action.

Elizabeth Kamphausen

, Zoom Audience Member

Some Resources (and feel free to share your own in the comments below)

Resources and Suggestions for Teaching Remotely from UPenn’s Center for Teaching & Learning
Keep Teaching: Resources for Teaching Remotely from Georgia State’s Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning
Amy Pistone’s Resources fo Teaching Remotely
Princeton University has a series of articles on a variety of topics including Exams, Communication, and Course Administration
Skillcrush offers 13 tips for anyone working from home. From what to wear to how to schedule your day, these tips can help you transition to working remotely.
Here are eight tips I have found help me with my own Zoom presentations.

Some of my own thoughts, suggestions, and offers

Photo by Matthew Kwong on Unsplash

For over 10 years I have been an on-line educator in multiple formates. Through short YouTube videos, blog posts, podcasts, and live webinars, I developed ways to communicate clearly and visually. While it is acceptable to record a lecture with a talking head, when we move from a live presentation to the a much smaller screen, we lose critical aspects in the communication process. It is not our job to entertain students, but we all have developed techniques in the classroom to keep students engaged and able get the most out time in the classroom. As instructors move to on-line instruction and teach remotely, new techniques need to be employed.

Here is a 15 minute Zoom presentation that uses a layering approach of different techniques–live presentation, recorded content, use a visuals, and interactive elements.

Peterson Toscano’s Presentation from The BTS Center on Vimeo.

In the fall I was invited to present a video plenary to open a climate change conference in Edinburgh. The organizers explained many of the presentations following mine would be heavy and heady. They wanted to have me provide a framework for addressing climate change. I opted to use a friendly, playful, and personal tone while addressing an incredibly serious issue. The insertion of music, graphics, sound effects, subtitles, and other titles added the elements that are lost when going from live presentation to recorded presentation. In many ways this is still a traditional presentation, but enhanced to provide more texture: Coming Out Gay and Ready to Take on Climate Change.

Video works best though as a visual medium, so in addition to the talking head approach, I use images over a recorded message to create short videos. In looking at climate fiction with writer, Clare Vaye Watkins, the visuals complement the conversation: Bubble&Squeak, A conversation with author Clare Vaye Watkins.

An activity you can have students do is to read and article, watch a film, or listen to a podcast, than create a one-minute video that captures the key points. I do this every month with my Citizens Climate Radio show. I use an excellent on-line tool called called Headliner. I upload one minute of audio then use use my own images along with images and video I pull from Headliner’s library. In this one-minute video, you learn about the groundbreaking work of two scientists at Tuskegee University I covered in a 30 minute podcast.

Photo by Wes Hicks on Unsplash

I have a large catalog of podcast episodes that cover climate change issues. I also co-host the Bible Bash Podcast with Liam Hooper. Some professors and teachers assign a podcast episode to students. Once they hear it, follow up with class discussion or an assignment.

Audio & Video

Bible Bash Podcast

Bubble&Squeak Podcast

Susquehanna Life Out Loud

Climate Stew
YouTube

Also, my film, Transfigurations—Transgressing Gender in the Bible, explores gender theory and the Bible. Parts or all of it are used in both Religion/Theology classes and Women and Gender studies.

How I can help you in your own remote teaching

Here is a sample of the sort of interactive Zoom sessions I lead. This is a video from a 30 minute break-out session with 500 participants. So many people, but we covered a lot of ground.

After visiting classrooms for the past ten years, creating content for the web, and leading webinars through Zoom, I am able to produce original videos and podcasts for your classroom instruction. I can also visit your classroom remotely and facilitate discussion with students through Zoom. I can make video and audio quickly, and can tailor them to your classroom. Like in my live classroom visits, I offer the following presentations and topics.

Gender and Women Studies
- The dangers of conversion therapy
- The performance of gender in gay male spaces
- Gender variance in the Bible
Environmental Science and Climate Change
- effectively communicating climate change: moving beyond climate impacts to communicating the impacts of climate solutions
- adaptation
- pets and climate change (an engaging interactive presentation for elementary, middle, and high school students. College students like it too.
- Pursuing our passions in a time of climate change
- System change vs. individual change, and much more)
Theater and Playwriting
- How to create, produce, and promote a one-person play
- Character development
- Merging Theatre Arts and Activism
- Radio drama
Bible and Religious Studies
- Gender non-conforming Bible characters
- Exploring a text through theatre practice and movement
- Ethics, Values, and the Role of Faith Communities in a time of Climate Change
- What does the Bible say about Climate Change?
- Quaker faith, practice, and role in society
Psychology and Social Work
- Gender, Sexuality, and the Conversion Therapy Movement
- Best practices for working with survivors of conversion therapy
Peace Studies and Activism
- Slow Dancing with the Enemy: How to Engage Your Opponent.
- Advocate, Rebel, Helper, Organizer: Exploring the Various Roles Change Makers Play
- Using Art in Activism

I am prepared to create five, ten, fifteen, and twenty minute videos that cover any of the topics above. I also can visit your virtual classroom for a live presentation including discussion time. I can off the video and live sessions at a substantially lower price than if you were to bring me to your campus to do a live presentation. If you want to use a video or podcast I already created, it is available free for you use without cost and permission. You may also use Transfigurations, which is available to stream in the US, UK, Germany, and Japan.

When I taught at the Watkinson School in Hartford, CT, I served as the Infusion Teacher for the entire Ninth Grade. My job was to work with teachers to help them infused their classrooms with the best teaching practices that fit with the subject, their teaching styles and strengths, and the needs of the students. If you would like to set up a time for a consultation about what you want to do in your classroom, the first fifteen minutes is free.

Email me at p2saki @ gmail.com

(Featured Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash)

So you want young people in your climate group?

Jonathan Lu

Recently I spoke with Jonathan Lu. He graduated from Princeton and now continues his studies in California. When he lived in New Jersey though, in his spare time from pre-med studies, he and his friends decided they wanted to research, write, and advocate for a state law that would price carbon and give the revenue back to households. They needed lots of help though, and found willing, engaged, and fast learners in a groups of 15 and 16 year olds.

I spoke with two of these high schoolers, and found myself encouraged, impressed, and educated by what they did and learned, and how they did it. As members of New Jersey Student Climate Advocates (NJSCA), they also reveal best practices for working with young people.

I share these conversations in the latest Citizens Climate Radio. In addition to sharing their discoveries about “making the sausage” of legislation, they reflect on the power of the Student Climate Strikes and why they ultimately put most of their energy instead into working on policy.

Ahan

Aurora

Shirley’s latest novel, which gets awesome reviews on Good Reads.

In the Art House I chat with my friend, Shirley McMillan, an Irish young adult fiction writer. Shirley does not hide her feelings, and is about as direct as a New York City cab driver. In 2014 when I started posting about climate change, Shirley wanted nothing to do with it; a Facebook comment made that crystal clear.

She and I chat about what was behind that reaction. It was definitely NOT denial. Her feelings likely mirror a lot of people you may know. I also check in to find out where she is now.

If you never heard my show before, fear not, we don’t ramble and waste time. I craft each show to highlight people’s stories in ways that are compelling. I accompany the conversations with a soundtrack designed to amplify the messages and feelings behind them.

If you do listen on Apple Podcasts PLEASE rate and review us. That will help a lot.

Check out the show wherever you get podcasts. Ep 45 Citizens Climate Radio.

Oh, Geez. My own Bigger Love play in Geez Magazine

In 2019 I set the goal to learn out to write and produce radio dramas. After taking an on-line course in Dublin, Ireland. As part of the class I had to write the first act of a play and create character sketches. That took a long time, maybe three months to get right, but from there the play took off.

The play is set in New York City in the year 2028. The main characters, Kyle and Joey, are a couple with a lot of tension in their relationship because of all the queer friends they took into their one bedroom apartment after yet another storm hit the city. One of them wants to do more while the other just wants to leave the city immediately. While the topic is serious, the playfulness of the couple and the sexual tension between them comes rises to the surface.

For Climate Change Theatre Action, I submitted the first act as a stand-alone play, and it was read at events in North America and Europe during the fall 2019. Then while I was activist in residence at Susquehanna University, I asked two students, Jordan Sanderson and Israel Collazo, to read the play for me to record.

That is when the fun began! I added all sorts of sound effects to create a NYC soundscape. I included it in Decembers Bubble&Squeak show. The play was also published in Geez Magazine. They included it in an excellent issue about hospitality.

You can read the play here or listen to it.

Featured Photo by Alessandro De Bellis on Unsplash

Censorship and Butt Sex

Seems butt action has popped up twice in my creative work recently. For Meetinghouse.xyz I wrote the article, Butt Demons and Climate Denial. A few days later I uploaded the latest Bubble&Squeak podcast episode, Ass Whisperer.

In the essay I reflect on the wacky things I did to de-gay myself. This included an uncomfortable exorcism designed to extract demons that may have entered my butt through sex.

Joanne believed the demons entered me directly. “You probably picked up these demons when you had sex with another man.” In other words, an STD—a sexually transmitted demon. This was in the mid-1980’s at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS Crisis when researchers and public health experts began warning the public that the virus spread through body fluids exchanged during sexual activity. As I sat on her bed in a New York high rise with the city laid out before me erect with skyscrapers, she explained the dangers of spiritual transmissions. “If you had oral sex, demons crawled down your throat. If you engaged in anal activity, well, then, that’s how they got in. They quickly take over.”

I know a thing or two about denial. I wonder about how my gay denial is similar and different to climate denial. Turns out there are all sorts of climate denial–not just the outright rejecting of climate science. I explore these.

While some people may not deny the reality of climate change, they may be in denial about how serious the crisis is and what it means for us. They assume we can all just lower our carbon footprints, recycle, and buy the right eco-products, and we will eventually tackle climate change. Though well-meaning, these actions do not recognize the severity of the problem. As my husband, Glen, likes to say, “It’s like giving an aspirin to a cancer patient.” Large problems require large solutions.

Many religious leaders are in denial about the responsibility they have in pursuing solutions. They may pop up a solar panel on the church roof and get rid of styrofoam cups for coffee time, yet they renege on their call to provide pastoral care for their congregations and community. People are frightened, angry, overwhelmed, and hopeless. Ministers have tools and training to meet these needs.

I also write about “Hope Deniers,” those people who think we have gone too far and there is no fix, so we might as well give up. Please read and share the article:

Butt Demons and Climate Denial

The only known photo of Marvin Bloom

I end the piece with an appeal for action–no not to lower your carbon footprint. I provide alternative actions that people often undervalue but actually can have great impact.

With Bubble&Squeak I put together three things that seem to have little to do with each other.

Part one: Matthew Billy from the podcast Bleeped talks about censorship. From Drag Queen Story Hour to Mapplethorpe’s nude photos to climate change, he exposes the censors.
Part two: A prank call I made in 2010. I called sex advice expert Dan Savage host of the Savage Love podcast. I actually called in character, as Marvin Bloom. Mavin asked about struggles with anal sex. Dan took the call and aired it on Ep 202 of Savage Love Podcast.
Part three: a sound slice–The Path train from NJ to NYC

You can hear Bubble&Squeak wherever you get podcasts or just follow this link.

(Featured Photo by Jean Sabeth on Unsplash)

Sexy Sex — Episode Four of Bubble and Squeak

Last month I launched a new podcast, Bubble&Squeak. (You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, PodBean, and Google Play.) The show is weird and wonderful, a delightful mix of storytelling, comedy, radio drama, and commentary.

Each episode is short, only 15 minutes, and in addition to hearing from me (as himself and playing multiple characters) I have also featured writer Elizabeth Rush and now actor Danny Glover.

The latest episode is now available. It is entitled Sexy Sex.

Part one: Havana Cuba: Two Black Americans speak about race relations in the USA and in the Americas. You will hear actor Danny Glover and folklorist Dr. James Early talk about Standing Rock, prison populations, and anti-racism. “I don’t want to be an anti-racist; I want to be a protagonist.” Dr. Jame Early
Part two: A prank call to the future in which I call a sex advice expert. (see more below)
: a Sound slice from Sunbury, PA. In my study I type up my to-do list on a Royal desktop typewriter circa 1930.

In this episode I include a short radio play, a prank call to the future. I dial into a sex advice call-in line with the dilemma, “My boyfriend and I are not having enough sex.” No this is not because of internalized homophobia, rather they are temporary residents in an emergency shelter after a storm. Dr. Judith Housemeyer is adamant about finding a solution to the problem.

You can read the script below or better yet hear it in all its glory.

A prank call to the future: Dr. Judith Housemeyer Sexy Sex in a Time of Climate Change.
by Peterson Toscano for Bubble&Squeak

Dr. Judith: This is Dr. Judith Housemeyer. Yes, caller, this is Sexy Sex in a time of climate change. What is the problem here? Don’t be shy!

Photo by Radek Pestka on Unsplash

Peterson Toscano : Yes, Dr. Judith, I’m calling because, well, my boyfriend and I are just not having enough sex.

DJ. Oooo, the problem with the butt sex. We have heard of this. What exactly is wrong with this? Is he resistant? Are you uncomfortable with it? What is this? It is very normal!

PT No, no, no we love it. We love it, It’s just that are in an emergency shelter right now because of a storm and there is no privacy

DJ: I have heard, this is becoming a growing problem, yes for everyone, for the straights, for the bis, for the pans, everyone is having this problem. Right, ok, well, have you been been able to perhaps try something, like go outside at night time.

PT Well, that’s hard because once it gets dark they lock the doors and that’s that. We can’t go in and out

DJ: Yes, I have heard this. For security reasons. I understand. What about in the toilets? They have toilets there, ya, stalls? You could do a quickie there in the stall. Its not the first time, ya?

Photo by Honey Fangs on Unsplash

PT Well, yeah, but their disgusting. Oh my gosh they are so overcrowded and overflowing and its just…

DJ Oh, it’s a whole lot of backup of waste. I understand, ya ya, no no. Are there any other places that are private there?

PT Yes, there is one other place. There is attached to this is a pet, an emergency pet shelter

DJ Oh that is good, but there must be lots of people as well there taking care of the pets

PT Actually no, they’re really low on volunteers right now; they could use some help, so it’s pretty quiet

DJ Well if you don’t mind the animals watching, which is very normal for them just don’t get them involved, this is not Berlin in the 1930s hahahaha

Photo by Justin Chrn on Unsplash

PT No of course not, we could do that oh except my boyfriend he has some pet allergies.

DJ: mmmm, this does not have to be a bad problem, this could be fun, ya, ya,you get surgical masks, you could play doctor, uh, you could get the skimask, you can play muggings, this could be fun. Have fun with it! In this time of climate change we have to become creative and adapt, adapt to it and have fun. Ok? thank you caller

This is Dr. Judith Housemeyer, with more Sexy Sex in a Time of Climate Change coming up. Call me with all your problems; I want to know I want to know.

END

(Featured Photo by Romi Yusardi on Unsplash)

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Tag: media

All photos courtesy of the film.

What do we value most? Money or the health & well-being of people? How do we consider both while pursuing justice for all? How do we navigate & decide moral conundrums & wicked problems?

The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.

Suffering demands residents & governments that multiply compassion, empathy, & justice.

Audio & Video for your Confinement Entertainment

Free Film & New Podcast

Plus Special Resources for Teaching Remotely

Please feel free to watch it, share it, enjoy it at no cost.

I now offer Zoom performances

I also offer interactive, on-line workshops

Jennifer O’Brien, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Kamphausen

Some Resources (and feel free to share your own in the comments below)

Some of my own thoughts, suggestions, and offers

How I can help you in your own remote teaching

Email me at p2saki @ gmail.com

(Featured Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash)

A prank call to the future: Dr. Judith Housemeyer Sexy Sex in a Time of Climate Change. by Peterson Toscano for Bubble&Squeak

What do we value most?
Money or the health & well-being of people? How do we consider both while pursuing justice for all? How do we navigate & decide moral conundrums & wicked problems?

A prank call to the future: Dr. Judith Housemeyer Sexy Sex in a Time of Climate Change.
by Peterson Toscano for Bubble&Squeak