News

Wiccan Minister Kathryn Jones to Run for Office in Pennsylvania

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On June 7, Rev. Kathryn Jones, a Wiccan minister from Uniontown, Penn. announced her candidacy for state representative in the 51st District. Rev. Jones is running on the Green Party ticket against Democratic incumbent Timothy S. Mahoney. Although this will be her first time running for public office, Jones has had years of experience working around and with the structure of local politics. Since 2010 Jones has been an active presence in city and county prisons, where she performs general ministerial duties for local Pagan inmates.

Living

Column: Pagan Festival Season in Ontario

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[Walking the World is a new addition to our weekend columns. It will feature different Pagan and Heathen writers from outside the U.S.A. bringing new perspectives and unique outlooks to The Wild Hunt. In our inaugural post we introduce Dodie Graham McKay, our Canadian-based Walking the World columnist. Dodie is an initiated Witch and independent film maker living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. She has been involved in magic, music and media since the late eighties, and finds it important to be connected to the currents and communities that influence our art, environment and magical practices.]
Greetings from Canada!

Paganism

Culture and Community: The Complexity of Pagans in Prison

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I recently had the opportunity with my graduate program to go into the bowels of San Quentin State Correctional Facility in San Rafael, California. San Quentin is one of the most famous state penitentiaries in California, and the only facility that enacts capital punishment in the state. There are approximately 4,000 inmates currently in San Quentin, the range of crimes span from drug possession to murder. Crime and prisons go hand in hand. The population of prisoners in any institution is made up of a myriad of races, ages, and religions, thereby needing a host of services to address the many needs of different populations of people.

News

Update on Beebe: “That man’s God is not my God.”

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[The Wild Hunt has an update on the alleged religious discrimination against Seekers Temple in Beebe including an interview with temple High Priest Bertram Dahl.] 

More details emerge in the conflict between Mayor Mike Robertson of Beebe, Arkansas and a Pagan church. High Priest Bertram Dahl said the city of Beebe welcomed him, his church, and store to relocate to the town with open arms – until they found out the church wasn’t a Christian church. Now the mayor claims Dahl’s Seekers Temple and metaphysical store cannot open due to zoning issues. In our interview with the Dahls they say it has nothing to do with zoning and everything to do with religious discrimination. Beebe area Pagans asked the Dahls to relocate from El Paso, Arkansas to Beebe as it was more centrally located.

News

Obama to Sign Executive Order on LGBT Workplace Discrimination

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Announced Monday, June 16, President Obama will soon sign an executive order that bans workplace discrimination for LGBT federal contractors. In a tweet, the White House said:
Share the news: President Obama will prohibit federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. — The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 16, 2014

Last night President Obama confirmed his intentions in a speech given at the Democratic National Convention’s annual LGBT gala in New York City. According to the Los Angeles Times, he said that we can’t leave “talent off the field.” Then he jokingly added, “Sometimes you guys were a little impatient…Sometimes I had to say, ‘Will you just settle down for a second?'”

All of this coming on the heels of the president declaring that June is “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.”