Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, fall funding time, and more!

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LAS VEGAS –  Hundreds of concertgoers and vacationers were sent running when a gunman opened fire into the crowds near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. Currently, there are at least 50 dead and more than 400 reported injuries, making it one of the worst shootings in modern U.S. history. Seyani, a Wiccan from Atlanta, was there with her boyfriend. She said, “We heard gunfire as we were walking to the Bellagio. Police showed up, and we were like, oh shiz.”

Pagan Community Notes

Pagan Community Notes: Women’s March, Chaplain Conference, Jerry Fandel, HUAR, and more

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WASHINGTON D.C. — Beginning 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, women will unite and march on Washington to, as organizers say, “stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families — recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country.” Although it is called the “Women’s March on Washington,” organizers say that everyone who supports their purpose is welcome. They wrote: “In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity, and justice who have come before us, we join in diversity to show our presence in numbers too great to ignore. The Women’s March on Washington will send a bold message to our new administration, Congress, Senate, state and local governments on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights.”

News

Transgender inclusion debates re-ignite in Pagan community

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TWH – Over the past year, issues related to transgender rights have crested in mainstream social discourse. The most recent national debate has centered around the passage of North Carolina’s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (also known as House Bill 2 or HB2) that, among other things, “blocks local governments from allowing transgender persons to use bathrooms that do not match the biological sex.” The collective Pagan, Heathen and polytheist communities, as diverse microcosms of the greater whole, are not free from similar debates, discussions and, at times, serious conflicts on the subject of transgender inclusion. While never fully disappearing from the culture’s meta-dialog, there are times when a particular event or action rekindles the conversation with renewed fervor, pushing it to the forefront of communication. And that is exactly what has happened over the past month, reaching a fever pitch last week.