Doin' Time in Hartford
How rare that I am resting in my own bed after a matinee performance as I prepare for tonight's show. So nice to show my friends and the members of my community what I do as I present my ex-gay comedy in the city where I live.In my play I compare coming out to Lazarus' resurrection then the act of his friends unwrapping him from out of his grave clothes.
I moved to Hartford in 2001 knowing only some family here and in a short time I have found community. After living in darkness for nearly 2 decades, I sensed I had to be wide open about myself including my sexuality. Telling my story to fellow faculty at Watkinson School proved to be healing. They then cheered me on as I worked on and then began performing my play.
So healing to find community, but it takes work and persistence. It takes time and it takes giving at least as much of what I hope to get back.
For me it included attending Quaker meeting, staying after to chat and get to know people. It took volunteering to help out with work days and with the teens. It took getting involved as a volunteer with non-profits like True Colors, Stonewall Speakers, Connectikids and the CT Forum. It took walking around the neighborhood, being the first to say hi deciding I am no longer going to live as a victim of my society and my times.
Today I will see over 200 people at my shows, people with whom I worship and with whom I share meals or rides or speaker panels or simply the same time and space as we go about our work and our Work.
I have found deep healing in building community. After years in a dark, cold, cramped closet, it feels good to be out and about and connected.
The greatest obsticles are almost always internal.
posted by Peterson Toscano @ 5:10 PM
1 Comments:
Hey, there's no place like home.
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