Peterson Toscano (born February 17, 1965, in Stamford, Connecticut) is a playwright, actor, Bible scholar, blogger, podcaster, advocate against global warming, and gay rights activist.

Toscano spent nearly two decades undergoing ex-gay treatment and conversion therapy before accepting his sexual orientation and coming out as a gay man.

[6] In 2003, Toscano also began to share the details of his own failed ex-gay odyssey, including the two years he endured at the Love in Action residential program in Memphis, Tennessee.

[12] In response, Toscano offered the film for free on-line for a month and festival organizers arranged for a second showing in Kampala at an undisclosed location in January.

"[10] According to Teresa J Horsnby author of The Bible and American LGBT Interpretation, chapter 11 of the Oxford Handbook of the Bible in America[14] "Peterson Toscano, a gay activist who stages and perform his biblical interpretations at universities and churches around the United States, focuses on narratives in which the primary actor could be read as 'other gendered.'

Toscano also performs the narrative of an Ethiopian eunuch (Ebed Melech) who leads a "black op" unit to rescue the prophet Jeremiah from a cistern (Jer.38).

[19] With artist Joey Hartman-Dow,[20] Peterson published some of his Bible scholarship in the illustrated story, The Amazing Adventures of the Afterbirth of Jesus.

[22][23] In February 2003, Toscano premiered his one-man satire Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House[24] in Memphis, TN and from that time until he retired it in February 2008, he performed it and spoke about the potential dangers of conversion therapy at venues throughout North America, in Sweden,[25][26] Denmark, the UK, Cameroon, and South Africa.

[27] Toscano's other works include Queer 101—Now I Know My gAy,B,Cs, How the Indians Discovered Columbus, Footprints—An Inspirational Comedy, The Re-Education of George W. Bush, and Transfigurations—Transgressing Gender in the Bible.

[31] As part of the conference three former Exodus ex-gay leaders came forward to issue a public apology for their roles in promoting and providing conversion therapy.

The conference, Teràpies reparatives per l'homosexualitat—Perquè existeixen i quins perills impliquen (Gay to Straight Therapies—The reasons they exist and their potential harm) highlighted the potential dangers of conversion therapy and gave mental health professionals, scholars, clergy and concerned citizens the opportunity to hear from people directly affected by these therapies as well as experts in the field of psychology.

[34] As a grand marshal of the Mid-South Pride parade, Toscano returned to Memphis in June 2008, where he had been a resident of the Love in Action program 10 years earlier.

[35] In July 2008 Toscano presented his plays The Re-Education of George W. Bush and Transfigurations-Transgressing Gender in the Bible in Malta where he also spoke out about conversion therapy.

[37] In July 2008 he offered two talks at the Lambeth Conference in Kent where he discussed being "gay and Christian"[38] and about the dangers of conversion therapy.

In an article for the British newspaper The Times Toscano spoke of the ex-gay movement in Great Britain: "'It is a far more subtle seduction over here,' he says.

Toscano claims that therapists in Britain – who he says tried to exorcise his gay demons in Kidderminster, in the West Midlands – nearly drove him to suicide.

An active member of the Religious Society of Friends, Toscano states that his non-violent approach in his work seeks to expose injustice without attacking anti-gay activists.

He believes that gay community needs to do more to accept LGBT people of faith, and by doing so will help to lessen the popularity of conversion therapy groups.

[41] Toscano created five presentations addressing climate change: Everything Is Connected-A Collection Of Stories-Most Weird, Many True; Does This Apocalypse Make Me Look Fat?

"[55] After the election of Donald Trump, in addition to his comic performance work he began exploring Conservative responses to climate change.