Doin' Time in Rochester, NY
Phew, so nice to blog about everyday things and not one of those L O N G and serious blog entries. I arrived in Rochester, NY yesterday and tonight did a talk, Homo No Mo? A Provocative Evening with Peterson Toscano. I did excerpts from Homo No Mo and Queer 101, (the scene with Chad & Federico Garcia Lorca) and then a little bit from Transfigurations.The amazing thing about the presentation is that it was only confirmed late yesterday afternoon, and through the wonder of social networking via Facebook, loads of people got invited and a good number turned out. Alex at Pride Network and Nils of the Eco House (who I know from New England Quakers) organized the event. So yes, Facebook is awesome.
I stayed in Eco House, a cooperative living arrangement where they do loads of things to live in such a way to decrease their environmental footprint. They hang their clothes to dry (dryers use tons of energy), they buy local produce, maintain a vegetarian household (then went vegan while I was here--thanks!), they share one car among seven people, they each have bikes including a house bike (yes, I rode a bike around town), and they don't flush the toilet when one only pees (which I also practice at home--if it's yellow, let it mellow. if it's brown, flush it down. But at home it is easier when it is only my urine in the bowl).
Tonight Nils and Gena and I biked down to to Equal Grounds, a queer run cafe/bookstore/gourmet chololate shop below where Alex and Eric live, both from the Pride Network. We all talked about so many things. This is what I love about what I do. It is like being in an advance, independent study graduate course. Eric, from Portland, told me he is studying something like Eco Psychology (I know he called it something different). We talked about E.O. Wilson, the TED talks, the pros and cons of having an LGBT Resource Center with paid staff, the phenomenon of cross-dressing straight frat boys, the demographics of MySpace and Facebook users, Ferdinand the Bull (read by Nils--see the 1938 Disney cartoon here) and the coolness of Portland, OR.
Okay in other news some glad some very sad...
- Barack Obama got caught up in the ex-gay debate.
- Dumbledore is gay (and I have my suspicions about Professor Mcgonagall)
- The US House of Representatives have postponed their vote of the Equal Non-Discrimination Act.
- USA Today featured the story of transgender Methodist Pastor Drew Phoenix.
- Doris Lessing FINALLY wins the Nobel Prize for Literature and talks about the state of feminism.
- Blogger Disputed Mutability is with child and still maintains life as a blogger (kinda, and she has loads of material to share, and I will get to hang out with her soon).
- Steve Schalchlin muses about the science behind Musical Healing, (not to be confused with sexual healing).
- Alex Resare has a new blog address.
- Bruce Garrett is trapped in his new car and refuses to get out.
- And here is the sad one, blogger Darian Aaron, shares the shocking story of his friend, fellow-writer Ramone Johnson, who became the target of a homophobic physical assault in NYC. Ramone writes about his experience here.
As I write this I don't know what hurts worse: My stomach or my eye or the fact that a gay bar kicked me out and refused to help me. I've spent the past five years trying to empower gay men, hoping with all my heart that we can one day roam the streets without being afraid, and here I sit at my computer, hurting physically and psychologically. If we can't protect ourselves who will?Perhaps we need some legal protection. President Bush? You out there? No need to veto all the good laws.
Tomorrow I fly off to Columbus, OH where I will see my buddy, Bobby Painter, in the lead role of Joseph spinning around in his Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat (aka Princess Dress!)
Labels: blogging, Environment, ex-gay, tour
posted by Peterson Toscano @ 12:57 AM
8 Comments:
Hey, Rochester, NY is my hometown. Glad you had fun there. I assumed it rained and/or was cloudy the entire time you were there, right?
You do realise that you have forever ruined the story of Joseph for me!
Auntie Doris x
Joe, yes and/or yes.
auntie, ruined? You meant to say improved.
Of course improved... in a slightly warped way. My imagination is way to vivid when I read stories and I tend to picture them in my head. What you have helped me do is reshape the whole picture!
Auntie Doris, are you saying that I subverted your traditional way of looking at the Holy Scriptures for the rest of your life? Aw, that is the nicest thing anyone has said to me all month!
Peterson my love that is exactly what I am saying. Well done for interpreting my random musings into something more concise... if you could do that for me every day when I blog something then people might understand me better!!!!
I wish I had known you were going to be here in Rochester. I would've made a point of trying to meet you.
Yes...some of my friends here are starting to worry about me (grin). I expect the breathless enthusiasm will fade after a bit. But this was a longtime dream come true and I'm still a bit high over it.
Yes, I realize it's not healthy to get too wrapped up in material things. But some material objects we bring into our lives because they speak to our aspirations and values, give them form. It might be a car, it might be a place in the woods that needs a little of your own TLC.
The finer things in life aren't necessarily rare or expensive or exclusive things, but those things that are done thoughtfully and made with care, and that we offer to each other from the best within us. It wasn't a Hummer after all.
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