Editorial Note: This story has been updated as of 9:50 AM May 9, 2024
PHILADELPHIA – The Troth has relieved Diana Paxson of all leadership roles, including those in clergy and Eldership, while the Board conducts an inquiry into the potential removal of her titles as Clergy and Elder, as well as the possibility of revoking her membership within the organization. Paxson is not accused of any abuse, but rather her lack of judgment or action regarding abuses that reportedly happened around her.
Diana Paxson is a well-known author, priestess, and leader in the contemporary Pagan community. She is known for her work in the Heathen and Asatru traditions, as well as her contributions to the broader Pagan and Neo-Pagan movements. Paxson has written numerous books on contemporary Paganisms and has been actively involved in various organizations promoting Pagan spirituality and community.
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Paxson has served previously on the board of the Society for Creative Anachronism and was First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess.
Paxson joined the Troth in 1991, becoming an Elder in 1993 and serving on the High Rede and Steerswoman for three years. She has been currently serving the Troth as editor of the Troth’s journal, Idunna, and Coordinator of the Clergy Training program.
Paxson’s suspension comes after a clergy candidate raised concerns. The candidate highlighted Paxson’s recent interview on Netflix’s Last Chance U episode titled Greyhaven (released July 28, 2020) but also raised concerns vis-a-vis research into Paxon’s history and from personal communications with her.
In that interview, Paxon describes events at her family home in Berkley, which she and her family gave the title Greyhaven after purchasing it in 1971.
Among the individuals who interacted at Greyhaven was a family member of noted science fiction author, Marion Zimmer Bradley. The two households shared contact, and according to Paxon’s prior comments on the issue, met “regularly for holidays and Sunday afternoon tea.” Zimmer Bradley passed away in 1999.
In 2014, Zimmer Bradley’s daughter, Moira Greyland, made claims of child sexual abuse and allegations of Zimmer Bradley’s purported collaboration with her second husband, convicted child abuser Walter Breen, in the sexual abuse of numerous unrelated children. “I thought that my mother’s fans would be angry with me,” Greyland wrote in a letter to The Guardian, “for saying anything against someone who had championed women’s rights and made so many of them feel differently about themselves and their lives. I didn’t want to hurt anyone she had helped, so I just kept my mouth shut.” Greyland added more details in her book, The Last Closet: the Dark Side of Avalon.
The Last Chance U interview focused on Laney College wide receiver RJ Stern, Marion Zimmer Bradley’s grandson, and the family history of abuse emerged. Paxson and Greyland were both interviewed. RJ Stern was living at Greyhaven.
The Last Chance U episode references convicted child molester Walter Breen, husband of author Marion Zimmer Bradley, and her alleged role in child molestation and abuse. Paxon says about Breen that he questioned every aspect of sexuality and thought “children should be allowed to express their sexuality.”
“He assured us that he understood that had to stay theoretical,” she adds in the interview. “Apparently, he did not keep his assurance.”
“There are people with a very different set of moral imperatives that most of us would consider to be criminal,” Greyland says in the episode. She adds that defending men who prey on children is “beyond my understanding.”
“If we only had perfect people writing,” said Paxson in reponse, “there would be nobody to write. What we should be doing is honoring what people manage to achieve despite their flaws… What we should be doing is honoring what people managed to achieve despite their flaws.”
Today, The Troth shared a timeline of events:
- 2/24/24: Clergy candidate reports the concern about Diana Paxson’s conduct and some of her statements to the Arbiter, as per our whistleblower policy. Our current, but soon-to-be-reviewed and revised Whistleblower policy is: The Compliance Officer will work with the complainant to investigate the complaint and present the evidence and desired outcome to the Member Advocate/Arbitrator. The Arbitrator will be the final adjudicator on the issue.
- 04/20/24: After investigation, the Board is informed of the Arbiter’s determination that in response to this complaint, Diana would retire from her positions as Clergy Coordinator and as Editor of Idunna.
- 05/11/24: The Board of Directors meets to deliberate on the question of whether or not to revoke Diana Paxson’s remaining titles and/or membership in The Troth.
Once informed by the clergy candidate, The Troth says it followed their whistleblower policy and kept the process confidential as per their bylaws.
“This is there so that whistleblowers can feel confident that when they come forward,” said the Troth in a statement, “they will face no retaliation, and that the accused person can have a fair investigation. We abided by that policy. But this policy failed to address the larger question of whether such statements about child abuse were acceptable in a Troth officer.”
The Troth noted the process and speed with which the concerns were addressed could further endanger vulnerable individuals and populations within the community. The statement said:
Our failure to act in an expedient and transparent manner has let down our membership, as we did not properly address a serious complaint about someone in the leadership’s ethical and moral judgment.
People have come to The Troth to heal. As an organization, and as practitioners of Inclusive Heathenry, we must give people a safe place to heal. If people must worry that they are in yet another place where they will be dismissed to protect the powerful and influential, then we are not a safe place.
The Troth leadership is considering corrective actions that include revising their guidelines and proposing background checks, as well as abuse prevention training for “all clergy, stewards, children/youth volunteers, and volunteers in leadership positions.” The Troth notes that it currently has no Children/Youth Volunteers but would seek these background checks if these programs emerge in the future.
The Wild Hunt attempted to contact Paxson. She has not responded at the time of publication.
Paxson has previously commented on the events in Greyland, “I was shocked and appalled to read Moira Greyland’s posts about her mother on Facebook. Child abuse is one of the most terrible of crimes, because the perpetrators are those who should be the victims’ protectors.”
The Troth concludes its statement with an apology.
“We apologize to all of you for our handling of this. We can do better than this, and we will do better than this. The Troth can and will do everything in our power to ensure this does not happen again.”
The Troth expects to conclude its deliberations on the issue on May 11, 2024.
Update (May 8, 2024, 11:38 PM ): The Troth released a subsequent statement to The Wild Hunt:
The Board of Directors has received further information regarding an incident related to the present inquiry from The Fellowship of Fire & Ice.
We are grateful to The Fellowship of Fire & Ice for coming forward and entrusting us with this, and they may rest assured that it has been added to our records and is being considered in our deliberations.
Update (May 9, 2024): Following the publication of this article, Diana Paxson sent a message stating that she believed the complaint against her had been correctly and confidentially handled by the Troth’s process. She also stated that she believes the complainant was not satisfied with the outcome of the Troth’s initial investigation and so took the complaint public.
The Wild Hunt will continue to update this story.
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