Peterson Toscano's A Musing

Doin´ Time in Barcelona

I arrived safe and sound in Barcelona and will be part of a press conference today about our upcoming conference:

Teràpies reparatives per l’homosexualitat Perquè existeixen i quins perills representen or in English Gay to Straight Therapies--The reasons they exist and their potential harm.

Already I met three ex-gay survivors in Catonia who have shared their stories with me. One has agreed to come forward at the press conference and at Friday´s conference to talk about his experiences of 10 years of reparative therapy.

We met for dinner last night, and I experienced a certain kinship with these other ex-gay survivors both because of the similar route we had taken and some similar negative consequences we now deal with including physical problems like back pain, skin conditions, etc. We can´t say for certain that there exists a direct correlation between our physical ailments and our ex-gay experiences, but many startd up when we began to pursue ex-gay treatment. For me my lower back problems abated once I accepted myself and worked through some of the ex-gay trauma.

No time to write more at present, but I have been working on a poem that I know some of you will like. More than one person has encouraged me to do more poetry, and I have found it a relaxing escape while on the road.

Tonight I will meet with a group of gay Christians who meet weekly in Barcelona. Then I am off to Madrid tomorrow for a few days before I return to Barcelona for the conference on Friday.

Labels: ex-gay, ex-gay survivor conference

posted by Peterson Toscano @ 8:20 AM