Gay and Pagan
by Wind Dancer
 
 
 
 
I discovered pretty early in my life that I was gay. At the age of 13 I suspected. At the age of 17 I had my first sexual encounter with a man. At the age of 18 I began to come out to family and friends. While the coming out process is life long, the majority of people in my life know that I am gay. I prefer it that way. There are no secrets, and I don’t have to worry about keeping them. 
Much later, at about the age of 25---10 years after my first exposure to paganism, I began to explore a new spirituality which would eventually lead to the priesthood.
One of the reasons I pursued my interest in paganism is that the people who I practiced with were so very accepting of my sexuality. I could talk about my deepest feelings, the vast amount of experiences I had, both positive and negative, and I was never rejected for those feelings or experiences.
More importantly, I found that the Goddess and the God never, and I mean never, asked me to change myself. No words like sinful or shameful or evil or unnatural ever entered my relationship with the Divine. I never had to atone for or be ashamed of being gay. Being gay was cause to be celebrated, just as my heterosexual brothers’ and sisters’ relationships and marriages were cause to be celebrated. Note that I said celebrate … NOT tolerate.
I am so tired of hearing people say that they tolerate gay people. I don’t want to be tolerated, I want to be celebrated. Just as I celebrate the heterosexual relationships of the people around me. Weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, invitations as a couple, recognition of family are all things that are given automatically to most heterosexuals. I want those same things for “alternate” lifestyles. Shouldn’t gay, bisexual and transgendered marriages, which contain just as deep a bond as their heterosexual counterparts be recognized? I say yes. Shouldn’t our partners be recognized as the parent of the children we help to raise? I say yes. Shouldn’t our relationships be recognized for things such as partner benefits, tax benefits, retirement plans? I say yes.
The spirituality of paganism is not separate from the spirituality of being gay. As a matter of fact, I believe that our spirituality is not only affected by our being gay or lesbian, but I believe that it adds dimension and access to things that perhaps might not be accessible by heterosexuals. This is not to say that we are in any way better or more capable magickally than our heterosexual counterparts. They have energies and ways of accessing energy that are different from a gay man or woman. The attraction between a man and a woman is a very special and powerful magickal energy. It is different, however, from the atttraction between two men, just as it is different from the attraction between two women.
 All are wonderfully powerful and exciting. The physical attraction to a woman is not something that I can bring to a magickal circle. That does not make me less than those men who do bring that attraction. I can, however, bring my attraction for men and my understanding of the “feminine” and “masculine” to a circle. I often feel like I provide a link between the two. Indeed, gay men and women were often considered the liaisons between the two sexes in native tribes.
If a member of a pagan tradition ever tells you that you cannot do something because you are gay. Run, don’t walk in the opposite direction. There are plenty of pagan traditions and/or covens that will accept, incorporate and celebrate your sexuality into their magickal work.
I wish you blessings, love and freedom … in whatever path you choose.
 Blessed Be, Wind Dancer
 
 
 

Email Us!