There is an escalating situation around Z Budapest and PantheaCon right now, with a protest planned outside Z's ritual tomorrow due to the nature of its gender exclusivity. This evening has had some strong emotions and high tensions, including Z sending out calls for help and strong words.
There is no need for this escalation.
Z, it does not have to be a war. When we sign up to be the Priestesses of the Goddess, we need to know that sometimes She will send us challenging lessons. How can we work to resolve this with love, with compassion, and with queenly grace? We do not get to take off the crown. Your words, and I do believe them. How might they apply here?
To all those who are angry with Z and her stance, I ask these questions. How can we resolve this without a war, of magic or ideals? How can we hold respectful disagreement with our Elders, inviting them to the table of learning and sharing our wisdom, while still honoring the fact that they built concepts that support our very own evolution?
Can we join together to be the future of peace that we profess to dream of, envision, meditate upon, offer magic for? Can we not collectively model respect, personal self-control, and mutual commitment to resolution, then come to the table in dialogue?
Why sit in silent protest when you can invite someone to a conversation?
Why lunge forth in anger against a harmed and often-humiliated population to try to resolve one's own relationship to pain?
Surely there must be another way.
Z, and all her supporters, and also her opponents: I invite you to be the leaders you were born to be. Outside our community a very real wolf waits- a wolf that would tear down ALL of our rights, regardless of how we feel about each other. How might we engage in a conversation, how might we prioritize peace, solidarity, and universal respect? How might we evolve creative approaches that embrace what we do want rather than resisting what we don't want?
I invite you, Z, and anyone else who wishes it, to attend the Pagans in the Media panel on Sunday at 3:30 at PantheaCon. I am committed to participating in healing this painful wound in our shared pagan psyche, which is the highest level we all share, well above the layers of personal identity attached to any single view. I think there are some real grievances and really good points on both sides of this issue, and I'd like to see us take them on together- arriving at the table already committed to finding true unity in diversity together. Will you join us there?
First off, Yeshe Rabbit, I want to thank you for the compassionate and down-to-earth way you have handled the transgender controversy of last years' Con and its fallout, and for the work you continue to do for our community/s. There has been and will continue to be much benefit for our community/s around this issue, despite the nastiness that has also arisen. May we all be healed of our wounds!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I have read T. Thorn Coyle's blog post 'Holding Beloved Community' this morning, which details hir reasons for sitting in silence outside Z's exclusionary ritual:
http://www.thorncoyle.com/2012/02/holding-beloved-community/
It would seem to me - far away from the Con and observing via social media - that sitting in silence outside this ritual and holding Z in hearts as part of our Beloved Community while making visually challenging the privileges normative gender expression is powerful and needed. It is an action that does not preclude the sitters from engaging in conversation at other times.
I will be holding you all in my heart this evening, while I sit in silence in my home in Seattle, meditating upon our Beloved Community and sending energy for healing of this wound for all.
So mote it be!
Thank you, Sister Jake. This is a very wise perspective. Tonight, Z issued an apology. It was clumsy. It was self-revealing. It was a good start. There was peace during the sit-in. The Amazons and the Living Temple of Diana stood, with a foot on each side of the taped-off line. In turns, we sang songs written by Z and Thorn. There was a healthy vibration that emerged from it, I felt.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a powerful happeing. Thanks to all for their contributions to keeping peace and holding integrity. This is such an important issue. I fervently hope that we can all cultivate patience and compassion in this long-term working for healing and integration.
ReplyDelete"This is the dawning of enlightenment,
the awakening to nonduality.
Her form and every form are now blending
into one radiant blackness.
O mind, despise no being, reject no path.
See all in Her and Her as all."
--Ramprasad Sen
trans. Lex Hixon, "Mother of the Universe"
Words of wisdom I learned a long time ago: The Law of Circulation states that inside everything is the seed of its apparent opposite. Think about it...There is no duality, in fact, IMO.
ReplyDeleteMay everyone who reads this, was at the event, learn from the grace, respect, wisdom and leadership shown by Yeshe Rabbit, my HPS, in this.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” —Gandhi
Love and blessings, yo.
xoxox
Raven of the Redwoods
Raven, I love you, too. Thank you for these kind words.
DeleteLady Jake, you really are an angel. I am reading that book right now. I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteUm... Rabbit? I bring this up in genuine compassion and desire for clarity and communication, but I have to let you know that your intention to "watch and witness" did not come across the way you intended.
ReplyDeleteI think you really might want to consider posting a statement about what the Amazons and the Living Temple's intent was, (and who the men who joined y'all were) because it seems to have been incredibly, incredibly mis-understood.
Nearly everyone I talked to after Thorn's sit-in thought that, well, "that army wearing all black" were "Z's bodyguards" and there to "protect Z from us" (Thorn's protesters).
Most of the folks I talked to who sat with Thorn perceived this as having happened, both practically and energetically:
an intimidating group of people in uniform, led by you--someone who is perceived as one of Z's right hands--marched in wordlessly, stood by Z, listened to her statement, and then marched out when she was done, again without a word. I heard this repeatedly in person, and have seen the same interpretation posted in various places online.
This was exacerbated, I believe, by Z's statement that (paraphrased) she "called for protection, and it came to her". Folks seemed to take that statement as her "claiming" your band there as her protectors, and nothing was said to the contrary.
I, personally, had initially intended to leave the sit-in at 9:15 and go to "the Rite of the Bear Mother. I was so caught off guard, upset, and disturbed at how I perceived what happened that I chose NOT to attend the Rite, and instead convened on the mezzanine with some of the other protesters to unwind and continue talking.
What happened after that, I was one of only a FEW people to be aware of, so here is where I have insight that only that maybe 5 of the 89 protesters do. Several of the men that had stood with you (who I believe were Feri, but am not sure?) came up and started talking to some of us sitting at the table by saying "apparently there is already some mis-information spreading..."
They then explained and clarified essentially what you have said here: that the intent was to stand between the two groups, bridge the gap, one foot on each side, sing chants by both leaders, hear Z's statement, acknowledge Thorn's sit-in, and watch and bear witness as a neutral third party.
I told them what I have told you here, that they had been perceived by many as being Z's bodyguards or there to protect her from us. They were shocked and horrified to know that their actions had been taken that way, reiterated that was in no way their intent, and apologized for the misunderstanding.
I have been trying to share what I was told where I can, and help clear the air, but I felt it was important to make you aware of, however good your intentions, how your actions came across to the majority of individuals who witnessed them.
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ReplyDeletePart of the issue, too, may have been simple poor spatial logistics.
ReplyDeleteI was sitting on the far end, across from the room where the Baldr ritual was, and there was a fairly large column obscuring a lot of the view. Guesstimating, about a third to half of the folks there with Thorn were on the far side of that column.
From where I was sitting, none of us could really see what was happening: we had NO idea who started singing--if it was someone with Z's group, you guys, or someone with Thorn. We couldn't tell if the two different songs were started by the same group, or different ones.
And worst, visually, we couldn't see you all bridging the gap entirely -- we could only see two or three of y'all after you took your final positions, and the only ones we could see were those closest physically to Z, due to the angle and the column.
I'm sure none of that helped things.
Thank you, D Heidman, for letting me know about this in such a timely fashion, and with such grace and soli explanation. I appreciate the opportunity to adress this.
ReplyDeleteThe intent was exactly as my brothers from the Living Temple of Diana stated. We were in ritual costume for our Rite of the Bear Mother immediately thereafter, and we simply walked in, stood in the middle space between the two groups, showing love and respect by singing songs from both Z and Thorn that we feel inspire us to hold that liminal space of non-judgmental love and respect. Then, we processed up to our Rite and it began. It occurred to me, looking at the protesters who were truly noble in their silence and poise, how like the very illuminating Occupy Davis video the moment felt. Naturally, with that being such a close cultural zeitgeist right now, it might be natural for some to worry that we were some kind of "black bloc" of Dianic witches. But we are not. We were wearing black because our Rite was all about drawing forth the creativity of evolution from the dark places and circumstances that haunt us from the past. And, well, because we all really liked how it unified our look for the aestheti of the ritual.
I am sad to hear that our intent, which we felt was amply demonstrated by our choice to deliberately stand in the middle and to sing songs that represented leaders on both sides of this debate. I thought I made it very clear when Z showed up and asked, "Who are my people and who are the people against me?" and I answered her, loudly, "Z, there is no 'them.' There is only us." Naturally, there were many people and so I completely understand if I was not heard. But I did, actually, speak up in the moment. That one line was the only spoken word any of us gave- we had agreed to represent ourselves in song as a means of peacemaking.
I will re-iterate this in my write-up of PantheaCon this week. I also sent public messages to Z and Thorn that same night via Twitter that reflected my respect for both of them- for Thorn's respectful witness and for Z's first step in apology. I am in this for the long haul and I am not naive enough to think it's going to change overnight, but I was glad to see a crack in what had previously seemed a very spiny armor on this issue.
I think one thing to note is that a reactionary temperament is pretty natural in a highly emotionally charged moment like this one was, and I hold that all parties might choose to move beyond reaction to contemplation of the event's unfolding, as well as the awareness that will continue to emerge about the specific intentions clearly voiced in the ritual that followed. I look forward to the dawning of "Ohhhh, NOW I see what that was..."
I know that Storm Faerywolf also posted a statement of our intent on his Facebook fan page. Please do continue to spread the word as you have been; feel free to offer the link to this statement if you come across anyone who thinks this, and I will dispatch an e-mail to Thorn directly tomorrow. I deeply appreciate your commitment to shedding light on this. Truly, in my experience in being wounded- sometimes a gesture of love feels even more unsafe than the abuse one has become accustomed to. I completely can see how this might have been perceived inaccurately or touched triggers and land mines of which we were unaware.
Blessed be.
Yes, D- good points. In fact, the majority of us were standing much closer to the protesters, as PCon staff were directly outside of Z's ritual space. We gave them a wide berth to do their work.
DeleteAgain, thank you so much for addressing this.
Yeshe Rabbit,
DeleteI did not com to Pcon this year, and one reason was the things that happened last year. I can tell you that my heart-hurt and anger are so considerable that I too would have interpreted your actions as menacing, antagonistic, and partisan.
I ask you to consider this:
Is it possible that your standing between the two groups, dressed in energy-absorbing black, made more of a barrier between them than a bridge?
Does it not behoove a sudden and unexpected third participant intruding on a two-party negotiation to make their intentions clear-- in non-magical, verbal and explicit ways-- without assuming anyone can clairvoyantly understand what you are doing?
Finally, I think that you need to take care of your own wordspreading. As you point out you touched triggers and land mines of which you were unaware-- although you could have been aware of them had you reached out to anyone beforehand-- and you need to take responsibility for that.
I love you Rabbit. It sounds like the ritual was beautiful, much needed, and Im sure blessedly healing for the whole pagan community. Exclusionary ritual space is a sharp blade, divided by gender particularly so, but age and race similarly weave into our identities. To me the bigger question asked here is under what circumstances anyone has the right to define another person. What right do I have to deny the goddess whatever divine form she presents? I appreciate Thorns protest, and associated writings. I love the courage and dignity that called all those who sat in silent prayer. I am working on loving the outbursts and raw emotionality that so often usher in change. I have to hope Z didn't mean her words the way some of them came across. This is an amazing improvement from last year.
ReplyDeleteIs there a link to a transcript of Z's apology? Several of us in the Pagan media who were not able to attend PantheaCon have been following this very closely, and would appreciate being able to absorb all the positions and responses.
ReplyDeleteThere is a written statement, which I do not have a copy of. There was a video recording of Z's extemporaneous comments as well. I hope to see these in the coming days also. Z's partner recorded the video. I hope that the written statement is circulated as well. I plan to post a more detailed statement of my own in just a little while.
ReplyDeleteI did find this link to a summary of the con. It contains a quote from Z.Budapest as she addressed the people gathered in silent protest outside her ritual.
Deletehttp://bayarea.pagannewswirecollective.com/2012/02/21/pantheacon-2012-unity-in-diversity-and-controversy-recap/
I was at the ritual and experienced the protest first hand. First, women wanting to attend the ritual had to walk down a long hallway lined by many protesters. Protesters stared and photographs were taken of us by protesters as we walked what felt like a guantlet to get to the ritual. Photographs continued to be taken as we stood in line to enter the ritual. Bobby attempted to document the happenings by videoing, but was immediately stopped by P-con staff who insisted that Bobby not film and not use anything she got before being stopped because this particular staff had a "security clearance." The staff person continued to harass and challenge Bobby throughout the ritual and afterward. No effort was made to speak with the many protesters who also took photos. During P-con there were several workshops and panels whose focus was villifying Dianic Craft. I was also very angry to see that there were several P-con staffers who joined in the protest, and as I've already stated to Rabbit, there was simply no way to tell that she was holding space. It appeared that she was leading the protest.
ReplyDeleteThis is not about discrimination by Dianics and never has been. Trandgendered individuals are welcomed into women's rituals (not focused on women's mysteries) all the time, however, their life experince does not give them any type of context to relate to women's mysteries since these mysteries are about being born into a female body, the experience of growing up through girlhood in the female body and into becoming a woman in Patriarchy. As someone born female I would have no context to understand and get much out of going to mens' or trans' mystery celebrations or rituals. I simply do not understand why the concept of women's mysteries is so difficult for people to understand.
What about our right and women and girls to have our own rituals and space? When every other group can have their own rituals and space that is not challenged, why is it that only women are being attacked for seeking to take care of our own needs rather than the wants of others? This agenda by some transfolk to assert their patriarchal "right of privelege" to go where ever they want, whenever they want and yet to portray themselves as the "victims" of genetic females has gone far enough. Its time that people start questioning the assertions being made by the anti-Dianics and make some effort to listen to what is being said by the Dianics who celebrate women's mysteries. We will not give upour rites and our sacred space. Transfolk have their own amazing mysteries and rather than constantly trying to destroy and eliminate Dianic Mysteries, should focus their energies on building their own traditions, mysteries and rituals. They can then invite whomever they want to share their experiences with them. Why has this not happened? You might want to ask yourself this because it may clarify what is really going on. Make an effort to look into the history of the last 10 to 15 years of harrassment of women by some in the trans-community that has led to the elimination of nearly all genetic women's space. Anytime we attempt to gather, we are called bigots and it is said that we are somehow victimizing the trans-folk. We have very few safe spaces left. Space that we need to take care of ourselves physically, emotionally, spiritually. I am not anti-trans. I have no issues with an inclusive community. But I will not be bullied and harassed out of participating in my birthright as a female.
Wow, very interesting how walking down the middle was misunderstood by people on both sides of the tapeline! I heard from women inside the ritual who thought exactly the OPPOSITE when they saw CAYA's presence! One said to me that she was shocked because "Rabbit was LEADING the protesters in song!". I was just heartbroken by the entire thing. I do not feel that protesting other pagans at p-con is useful in any way because it is so big, so public and misinformation spreads like wildfire; thus leading to intensified division among us. It is distressing that grown adults have not been able to address this in some other less combustible manner, even tho it seems that options were made available to them.
ReplyDeleteI find perception to be a rich area for exploration. What seems so clear to one might seem murky to another. And, unless one "takes a strong stand" it is up to the perceiver to take responsibility for what they might be layering into the scene. For my part, my perception (as someone who was right there) was that all parties involved did a great job in the moment of staying on top of some strong emotions. I hope all will continue to do so now that we are entering the murky period of "he said she said" that is the natural process of synthesis after a catalyzing event.
ReplyDelete