Posting the link again because it was and still is worthy and important work. I like to keep this active.

After the Pantheacon incident a few years ago where transwomen were turned away at the door of a “women only” ritual this is one of the good things that came after that experience. Other good things in terms of dialogue about sacred space, discrimination, and how an event such as Pantheacon should address these issues going forward happened, too. This is a free shareable file for non-commercial use titled “Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism”.

Read chapter 11 “Boys Shorts: an experience of gender and modern paganism” by Lance Moore for a ride through the USA and varying Pagan circles and how gender was treated and felt by Lance over an extended period of time.

Excerpt from ch 11:

Video from Harvest Moon Celebration, about 1990, somewhere near Los Angeles, CA.

Press `Record.’

Perhaps 150 people, at the end of a weekend of ritual and connection (and unsafe sex, by all later accounts). We’re separated into lines of men and women. It’s dark out.

 The women gather in the ritual hall, a big, open space, bare, but our energies have filled it all weekend.

 The women are singing a couple of lines from – a chant – we sang a lot of chants.

 The men file in, taking places among the women, singing the other lines of the chant; where the sound of the women’s voice went quiet, the men’s filled in, back and forth, interweaving bodies and song.

 It gives me chills.

 I think I am in the wrong line. I am a young female adult. To all appearances, anyway. No one would’ve imagined otherwise. I squirm inside… appreciating every moment of this ritual, and still squirming inside.

Press `Stop.’

I went to about three Harvest Moon Celebrations. They were so amazing; pagans gathering together in LA! Judith Butler rocked my world with her giant book and her in-depth presentation on the chakras. A woman! I went to a great intensive on runes… the book I was working from was not one of the ones the presenter recommended. Bummer. I recently found the name of that presenter, while going through my rune notes. It was Patrick McCollum. How the wheel turns!

 There was no word for ‘trans’ then. In some ways, I didn’t exist.

 …..con’t. in book…..