I am going to say something that I know will not be popular:
While I support the idea behind of Pagan Coming Out Day, I do not support the many examples of self-righteous prose I read around it. Do not brag to me about coming out in public as a Pagan person if you cannot loose your job or your children or face real harm or harassment as a result. Do not brag so to me if you are a Professional Pagan as this only leads to more PR for you. Do not presume to tell your brothers and sisters that they are "not good Pagans" when they quietly do hard work for good causes by being "Stealth Pagans". (1) Their effectiveness will be harmed if their practice became an issue. They choose to put the work, first, and for that I honor them.
Mature beings understand that not everyone is, can be or should be out of the Pagan Closet. Please respect the fact that Stealth Pagans have very good reasons for their choice.
To those who can celebrate in public with great pride and joy, I hope you can do so with dignity and grace. Make us proud.
As for me, I am blessed to live in the U.S. in a Western state, where, for the most part, I am safe being Pagan. My family know, as do close friends, as do some of my colleagues. Yet I am not out in all ways or in all places nor can I be. When I do choose to come out of the closet with someone I've come to trust it has a larger and more positive impact because that colleague knows me as an honorable person, first, and a Pagan woman, second. This is how we change hearts and minds; not by waging arguments or shouting but through communion and connection.
Go well, stay well,
Sia
Links:
Earthwise Ethics
There is a nicely balanced piece on this over at the Wild Hunt site. Enjoy.
Endnotes:
(1) For some, who merely want play the rebel card, you bore me to tears but go ahead.
Art: Goddess Poster - You can buy this poster at the Suppressed History website
While I support the idea behind of Pagan Coming Out Day, I do not support the many examples of self-righteous prose I read around it. Do not brag to me about coming out in public as a Pagan person if you cannot loose your job or your children or face real harm or harassment as a result. Do not brag so to me if you are a Professional Pagan as this only leads to more PR for you. Do not presume to tell your brothers and sisters that they are "not good Pagans" when they quietly do hard work for good causes by being "Stealth Pagans". (1) Their effectiveness will be harmed if their practice became an issue. They choose to put the work, first, and for that I honor them.
Mature beings understand that not everyone is, can be or should be out of the Pagan Closet. Please respect the fact that Stealth Pagans have very good reasons for their choice.
To those who can celebrate in public with great pride and joy, I hope you can do so with dignity and grace. Make us proud.
As for me, I am blessed to live in the U.S. in a Western state, where, for the most part, I am safe being Pagan. My family know, as do close friends, as do some of my colleagues. Yet I am not out in all ways or in all places nor can I be. When I do choose to come out of the closet with someone I've come to trust it has a larger and more positive impact because that colleague knows me as an honorable person, first, and a Pagan woman, second. This is how we change hearts and minds; not by waging arguments or shouting but through communion and connection.
Go well, stay well,
Sia
Links:
Earthwise Ethics
There is a nicely balanced piece on this over at the Wild Hunt site. Enjoy.
Endnotes:
(1) For some, who merely want play the rebel card, you bore me to tears but go ahead.
Art: Goddess Poster - You can buy this poster at the Suppressed History website
4 comments:
Sing it, Sister.
"When I do choose to come out of the closet with someone I've come to trust it has a larger and more positive impact because that colleague knows me as an honorable person, first, and a Pagan woman, second. This is how we change hearts and minds; not by waging arguments or shouting but through communion and connection. "
Yes! This!
Nice article, thanks for the information.
I don't like ANY closets, and I came out when the Dyke Witches brought me out, both as a Dyke and as a Witch, in 1981. Closets just further the shame from us being our true Selves. I walk down the street folks will KNOW I'm a Dyke, just by my appearance, being a Butch DykeAmazon. If they look further they will see a stone or two around my neck, or a Goddess image or Labryis, perhaps a pouch on my side which carrys my crystals, or one around my neck from time to time. Or perhaps a Goddess oriented T shirt.
When I'm in an A.A. meeting I always say 'Goddess' or She when saying the Serenity prayer. And in the readings I never mention male dieties, though sometimes I'll use the neutral term Higher Power. By being OUT about being both a Dyke and honoring the Goddess in the meeting, others who have struggled with going beyond patriarchal religion have felt safe to eventually come out about their beliefs too, if nowhere's else, at least to me.
On the job is an entirely different story, but I don't deny anything I am, though I steer away from religious issues. It's enough being out as a Dyke in a field of mostly conservative construction worker men.
While I could say 'to each their own', this is fine to a point, but then those who stay in the closet keep privileges that those of us who are out no longer have the luxury of, and yet move the community forward by our outness. Ultimately the closet serves NOBODY and does not help one be true to one's ENTIRE self. We all have to pick our battles.
-MasterAmazon
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