Celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Laverne Cox have brought a lot of visibility to transgendered folks in the last few years. But a film about non-binary gender in the Bible, which screens in Hanover this month, shows that trans and other non-conventional expressions of masculine and feminine gender are nothing new.

The film, "Transfigurations," features performances and lectures by Peterson Toscano that highlight characters in the Bible that don’t quite fit into the classic binary of male and female identities. Toscano takes up the role of both scholar and actor as he reenacts stories, including Deborah from the book of judges and the story of Joseph, the son of Jacob in Genesis, as he highlights what he says are gender variations in the Bible.

Toscano, who is a Quaker and formerly an Evangelical Christian, says that people shouldn’t need the Bible to be considerate and kind to one another, but added that highlighting a multitude of genders in the book can help.

"Some people get distracted by what they think is in the Bible and they don’t know how to react, other than negatively, to somebody who is different from them particularly around gender," he says. "To see it in the Bible, I think that helps some people who are stuck when they see it in their own families, in their own church, in their own lives and in the world today."

Part of the idea behind the 2017 film is to come up with a positive theology around LGBTQ identities, which traditionally haven’t been welcomed in Christianity. The actor and self-described folk Bible scholar himself endured almost 20 years of conversion therapy to "desperately" stop being gay.

"I think that the most important thing for people to know is that I’m in no way trying to make fun of or make light of the Bible," says Toscano, who notes that his performance is grounded in Biblical stories. "I take it really seriously and I’m not taking liberties."

The film is screening at the Grace United Church in Hanover, where Adam Olivero, the chair of the church’s Affirming Committee, hopes to signal that all who want a faith component in their lives are welcome.

"I think (having this film) is just a different way of expanding people’s minds to look at these stories in a different light," Olivero says. "And having those discussions about people who shouldn’t have been shunned out of the faith over the years."

The screening coincides with several other Pride events in the Grey-Bruce region this month, including a parade in Owen Sound that was on June 10.

In the lead up to the June 24 screening, Grace United has also been hosting a study group every Sunday on "Transfigurations."

For those who might be untrusting of "Transfigurations," Toscano says that his performance and scholarship is sincere and the film is not a comedic take on the Bible.

"If you want to see some stories you know well in a fresh new light, this is the show to come to," he says. "And you don’t have to walk away accepting any of it. It’s about just trying something on for a moment."

The screening of "Transfigurations" at Grace United starts at 2 p.m., will include discussion of the film and is open to the public.