Prepare to see the Bible in a queer light. For more than 10 years, American Peterson Toscano, 51, has travelled Europe and North America presenting "performance lectures" with a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) slant. His new show, Taking Matters into Our Own Hands - LGBTQ-friendly Bible Stories , will be opening at the Central Methodist Church in Cape Town on Tuesday.Toscano is well versed in Bible lore: "I grew up in New York at a time when it was dangerous to be gay, so at age 17 I opted to pursue a straight life. With the aid of Christian ex-gay ministries and conversion therapy, I attempted to de-gay myself."I spent 17 years and over $30000 on three continents in hopes of finding a cure for homosexuality."story_article_left1In 1998 he finally accepted that he was gay, and in 2003 he premiered his first play."It was at that time that I began to look more closely at the Bible, a text used to beat the snot out of LGBTQ people."Through the years I have shared with audiences a variety of Bible stories with a queer lens. This has been well received by both believers and atheists," he said.In his latest show, he focuses on characters in the Bible, particularly those who do not conform to gender stereotypes, and weaves in his own experiences as a gay man.Toscano, who is married to South African writer Glen Retief, said the performance was as much about gender - how you look, such as an effeminate man, for example - as it was about sexuality - who you are attracted to."We're often bullied because of how we look, the way we walk and talk rather than who we love," he said. "I focus a lot on bodies. It's about who is transgressing and transcending gender in the Bible."Even for gay and lesbian people, so often we're bullied for how we look. There's a lot of gender policing."Toscano, who plays the characters he interprets during the show, said there were a variety of gender variants and gender nonconformist attitudes in the Bible. But these were not prominent.For example, about 20 eunuchs are mentioned in the Bible.story_article_right2"In the Christian tradition, the first baptism was of a black African ... eunuch."And Toscano is "careful not to make things up. I'm not pushing religion, just showing what is in the text", pointing out contradictions by people who use the Bible to discriminate."So often conservatives do what they do because of how they read the Bible."Then I point to them and say: 'Is it really that clear? Don't just look at gay and trans people, and don't use the Bible to bully people.'"The Rev Thami Mvambo, the general secretary of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa, said the performance sounded unusual."This is very unconventional. I've never heard of this and people will have differing views on it. There was recently a debate on gays and lesbians and the Bible, and if they should be allowed to get married."We leave matters of this nature to our affiliates. I understand that human beings are unique to themselves," he said...