The NeoPagan community has been divided over issues of gender and sexuality, particularly the appropriate relations between natal and trans-women. While this controversy deals with important issues, its vehemence is due to mistaken ways of thinking about it, ways rooted in Christian styles of thought which strengthen looking at the issue in dichotomies. The result is framing the discussion in zero-sum terms.
When we deepen our understanding to grasp issues of sex and gender are shaped by context and relationship, they can be addressed fairly and reasonably for all sides. In particular, many Pagan societies have viewed their world as involving many genders, all of which are respected. Using examples from Native American societies in North and Central America, we can grasp that the term “Two Spirits” describes trans-people in ways fair to all. It recognizes the legitimate differences and similarities between natal women and transwomen.
To make its case, this paper – presented at the Conference on Current Pagan Studies, Jan. 26-17, 2019 in Claremont, CA – weaves together actual cases and ongoing controversies with philosophical analysis.
Women are being doxxed, pushed out of jobs, and threatened with rape or death just for saying that biology is real. Women are having to meet in secret because of the hatred directed at them for simply acknowledging material reality, and they’re creating secondary, secret accounts on social media to avoid some of these trans rights activists and their handmaidens. I assume you’ve already heard that smoke bombs were set off near Grenfell Tower, in protest of the women meeting near there? This is appalling and it feels like nobody’s speaking out against this – or if you do, you’ll be branded a TERF as well.
Sadly and infuriatingly, yes. My focus has been on these poisonous peopl’s impact on the pagan community, but the destruction in which they happily participate is part of a broad attack on what has been, rightly, called Second Wave Feminism.
As perhaps its most influential spiritual expression, NeoPagans are a major target. Please see this piece I wrote recently, and please spread it around: http://www.dizerega.com/2020/02/24/looking-deeply-neopagans-domination-and-the-woke/