How has the homosexual community enriched your Pagan community?

Question

In my city, many of our best, most intelligent Pagans are homosexuals, often after they were run away from the Christianity they were born in. For this I am happy, because these, my pagan brothers and sisters, have really enriched the Pittsburgh Pagan scene with new ideas, ritual, and specific perpective on the gods that I, a straight white man, don't often have. How about in your community?

Answer 1

I don't know much about our Pagan community, but I am in the process of learning about it. I will say that the homosexuals of my area have greatly enriched the art. They have brought much open mindedness to the art scene, and I thank them for that.

Answer 2

There is certainly quite a bit of overlap between the Pagan community and the GLBT community. The main reason is that we do not judge them, condemn them, or expect them to change. Also, some of the forefathers of Neopaganism and modern Occultism were gay or bi -- Aleister Crowley and Alex Sanders -- as well as prominent authors and leaders today such as Chris Penczak. Also, the presence of, and input from Homosexuals in the Pagan community teaches us that gender roles, gender identity, and especially the energy and metaphysical properties of gender, are not a Black and White, Male and Female thing. There is a continuum there. No one is 100% masculine or 100% feminine. A man can invoke a Goddess, a woman can invoke a God. Ever been to a ritual where the man was the Priestess, and the woman was the Priest? Ever seen a man draw down the moon? Or a woman draw down the sun? No doubt some will see these ideas as "heresy," but there is no reason why they can't be done, and you don't have to be gay to experiment along these lines. So, it challenges our paradigms, what it means to be Male, what it means to be Female, and we come closer to realizing the basic androgeny -- and equality -- of all people.

Answer 3

As far as enriching our community, we couldn't say how it may have changed it, but a noticeable portion of the Pagan community is either Gay/Lesbian or Bisexual.

The one thing about people of orientations other than straight is that they bring different energies into a coven. Sometimes, this strong mix of masculine and feminine energies in a single person can balance out energies in a coven or, equally likely, round out the energy mix on a coven where there is a gender imbalance.

Amongst some Native American tribes, people who were Bi or Gay/Lesbian were considered to be blessed by the Gods for having the energies of both the male and female all in one person.

Amongst the Pagan community that we are part of, there are quite a few members who are Gay/Lesbian or Bi. In some cases, in the Pagan community Gays/Lesbians and/or Bisexuals make up the total or majority membership of their respective covens. If you know what the energy flow feels like, then you can tell when you are working with them. And as long as you are open to it and your energy can mix well with theirs, the energy feel that you get when working with them can be quite a pleasant and energizing experience.

Answer 4

My HP is a gay man, actually.

This occasionally gets me some strange looks, yet it works very well for our little coven. His energies are very balanced (probably more so than mine, if the truth be known,) and though our friendship is platonic, it is nevertheless dynamic and passionate.

I have also noticed that in many communities, the pagans have no more solid allies than the GBL&Ts. Both tend to marginalized and isolated, and often find a measure of courage and companionship with each other.

Answer 5

I think when you free people from threats of eternal damnation and let them thrive, everyone benefits. Everyone has a different perspective and they all enrich a community when allowed to soar.

Unfortunately in heathenism, there is a conservative extreme that are more homophobic than general paganism and Wicca, I've found. They don't believe gays and lesbians have a place in their "warrior" religion. They often forget the other aspects of the religion - family, community, creativity, and non-judgmental deities.

You rock, brother.

Answer 6

There isn't really a (pagan) community where I live... It's the South, after all. I know a few people, but we don't really get together or anything.

But I agree, of my Pagan friends, several are gay and I'm so glad that they've found fulfillment in Paganism.

Answer 7

Well, funnily enough it was a gay man who first introduced me to a local moot, that then led on to me meeting a load of wonderful people, joining two ritual groups, starting my own esbat group, joining a development group and generally changing my life. The guy who was 'responsible' for this, Nigel runs a successful Witchcraft shop with his partner and they are fantastic people. The fact that they are gay (or homosexual as you put it) is not an issue but since you ask, yes they have enriched my life, in a roundabout sort of way. I know a lot of this was down to my own efforts and hard work but it was Nigel that started the ball rolling...

Many blessings

Answer 8

They have enriched the Pagan community in many ways: they are loving, big-hearted, intelligent people that we can all learn from. There are many national and international Pagan authors who are gay (Christopher Penczak and Thorn come to mind immediately.)

Answer 9

I never connected the two communities. They're totally separate and different. Though there are LGBT people as Pagans just as there are straight people.

I'm bisexual, closeted for over 7 years. Don't think I'll be able to come out either.

Answer 10

Diversity is always good, as I have seen through my own experiences... [warning: lame analogy] I mean if paganism is a sandwich, then we need more than just one thing. Two slices of bread and a slab of turkey breast isn't that great. We need some cheese and mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, etc... gays can be the pesto sauce they make it all a little more interesting :-P