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Various Wiccan traditions hold a wide range of differing beliefs about sexual orientation. British Traditional Wicca is known for stressing "male/female polarity" in their theology and rituals. Gerald Gardner, the founder (with Doreen Valiente) of Gardnerian Wicca, particularly stressed heterosexual approaches to Wicca, whereas Alex Sanders, the founder of the Gardnerian offshoot, Alexandrian Wicca, came out as bisexual later in life and created new rituals in which sexual orientation was irrelevant. Newer Wiccan traditions do not usually hold to this historical aversion to LGBT-friendly approaches to Wicca.

The Wiccan "Charge of the Goddess" says "All acts of Love and Pleasure are My rituals".

LGBT issues in Gardnerian practice

im gayyyyyyy

More recent beliefs and practice

According to the Pagan Federation of Canada: 'Over the last few decades, many people have thought that the emphasis on male/female polarity in Wicca excludes homosexuals'. However, this source goes on to make the case for the validity of LGBT orientations even within traditional Wicca, suggesting that gay men and lesbians are likely to be particularly alive to the interplay of the masculine and feminine principles in the Universe.

Historically, the Christian church and lay-people have believed that more women than men are involved in paganism and witchcraft, which can be seen as far back as 1487 with the printing of the Malleus Maleficarum Several modern authors of Wiccan books state that, in current Wicca, the situation is the same.

An exception is Dianic Wicca (also known as Feminist Witchcraft and/or Feminist Spirituality), claimed to be a branch of Wicca (despite not being in line with Wiccan beliefs) practiced almost exclusively by women, most of whom are heterosexual, preferring to practice their spirituality with other women in pursuit of Women's Mysteries. Some Dianics, of course, are lesbians, just as there are lesbians in other Wiccan denominations. Dianic Wiccans worship a goddess but not the god, and form female-only covens, for the most part. There are some mixed-gender Dianics, specifically the McFarland Dianics, who practice in either all female or mixed-gender circles, and who may or may not include the god in their workings.

Since the 1980s, a number of all-male or "Mithraic" circles have been formed. These masculist circles worship both the god and the goddess, but tend to emphasise the role of the god in their lives. It is thought that these circles may have been formed In response to Dianic Wicca.

Gay- and lesbian-oriented traditions

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Dianic Wicca is a religion that welcomes lesbian pagans and celebrates their perspectives on feminism, sexism, and women's empowerment within patriarchal culture. However, many Dianic covens ban transgender women, claiming they are solely for "womyn-born-womyn."

Although not specifically Wiccan, one branch of traditional Witchcraft has provided a home for many Neo-Pagan LGBT men and women. The Feri Tradition is very open to all sexual orientations and some sources encourage bisexuality during rituals to reach states of ecstasy. The Feri Tradition should not be confused, however, with other spiritual traditions bearing the name Faery (including the Radical Faeries as well as branches of Wicca that focus on fairy/faery lore.)

Faery Witch covens of gay men only have been formed and are readily accepted among the larger group of Faery Witches. Both heterosexual and LGBT couples are married and handfasted in Faery Witch ceremonies every year.

The Minoan Brotherhood was founded in 1977 in New York City by Edmund Buczynski, an elder in the Gardnerian, WICA and New York Welsh Traditions, in order to create a Craft tradition for gay and bisexual men—one that would celebrate and explore the distinctive mysteries unique to men who love men. The Minoan Sisterhood was founded as the Women's counterpart to the Brotherhood soon thereafter by Lady Rhea and Lady Miw-Sekhmet in collaboration with Buczynski, based on his work with the Brotherhood. Legitimate Minoan initiations and elevations are all conducted in same-sex only circles. Both traditions continue to this day. The Brotherhood and Sisterhood are oath-bound, initiatory mystery religions which use a ritual framework descended from Gardnerian Wicca.

The Brotherhood of the Phoenix was founded in the summer of 2004 by seven gay men from diverse traditions such as ceremonial magic, shamanism, and pre-Gardnerian witchcraft in order to create an ecumenical Neopagan tradition which serves the community of men who love men. The mandate of the Brotherhood is to help gay, bisexual, and transgender men overcome the burden of societal labels. The Brotherhood rejects the limiting beliefs and prejudices of modern culture and religions that preach intolerance and hate. Instead of didactic teaching, they stress a simple Neopagan principle: "Find the Divine within your own experience." To impart this principle, they hold public rituals near the eight common holidays of Neopagan tradition where they celebrate the embodiment of the gay male divine through the life-cycle of human experience.

There is another predominantly gay male, Neo-Pagan oriented group called the Radical Faeries, which emphasizes queer spirituality. Certain branches are exclusively focused on gay male spirituality; others are open to all genders and orientations.

See also

• Homosexuality and religion

References

1. Gardner, G.B., Witchcraft Today, p.75, London:Rider, 1954
2. The Wicca Bible, Anne-Marie Gallagher
3. Gardner, Gerald. Witchcraft and the Book of Shadows (2004) Edited by A.R.Naylor. Thame, Oxfordshire: I-H-O Books, p.70. ISBN 1-872189-52-0
4. Huneault, Robert.Homosexuality and Wicca. Pagan Federation/Fédération Païenne Canada website, accessed 11 May 2007.
5. M. Summers (trans.) (1971), The Malleus Maleficarum of Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger, Courier Dover Publications, p. 47, ISBN 0-486-22802-9
6. Murphy-Hiscock, Arin (2006), The Way of the Green Witch, Provenance Press, xii, ISBN 1-59337-500-X {{citation}}: Unknown parameter |nopp= ignored (|no-pp= suggested) (help)
7. Zell-Ravenheart, Oberon (2004), Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard, Career Press, p. 24, ISBN 1-56414-711-8
8. Adler, Margaret (2006). Drawing down the moon: witches, Druids, goddess-worshippers, and other pagans in America. Penguin Books. p. 126.
9. Aburrow, Yvonne (21 June 2007). "Wicca". glbtq.com. Retrieved 16 August 2007.

Further reading

• Barrett, Ruth (2003), « Lesbian Rituals and Dianic Tradition » in Ramona Faith Oswald (ed), Lesbian Rites: Symbolic Acts and the Power of Community, The Haworth Press.
• Conner, Randy P. (1993), Blossom of Bone: Reclaiming the Connections between Homoeroticism and the Sacred, San Francisco: Harper.
• Conner, Randy P., Sparks, David Hatfield, and Sparks, Mariya (1997), Cassell’s Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit, London and New York: Cassell.
• Evans, Arthur (1978), Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture: A Radical View of Western Civilization and Some of the People It Has Tried to Destroy, Boston: Fag Rag Books.
• Ford, Thomas Michael (2005), The Path of the Green Man: Gay Men, Wicca and Living a Magical Life, New York: Citadel Press.
• Kaldera, Raven (2002), Hermaphrodeities, the Transgender Spiritual Workbook, Xlibris Corporation.
• Moon, T. (2005 June 16) "Spirit Matters IV: Ten Queer Spiritual Roles", San Francisco Bay Times.
• Omphalos, C., Polanshek, J., Pond, G., Tanner, P., Thompson, S., eds. (2012), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism, Cupertino: Circle of Cerridwen Press. With contributions by Ruth Barrett, Gavin Bone, Janet Farrar, and Raven Kaldera.
• Penczak, Christopher (2003), Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe, Newburyport (MA): Weiser Books.
• Rodgers, B (1995), The Radical Faerie Movement: A Queer Spirit Pathway, Social Alternatives, 14:4 pp 34–37.
• Malychite, (2014) The Gay Grimoire: A Spell Book for Pagan Men, California: Ankh Eternal Publishing.

External links

• The Minoan Brotherhood
• The Brotherhood of the Phoenix

v t e Neopagan witchcraft
History	History of Wicca Etymology of Wicca Wicca and LGBT people Dettmer v. Landon
Traditions	British Traditional Alexandrian Wicca Algard Wicca Blue Star Wicca Central Valley Wicca Chthonioi Alexandrian Wicca Gardnerian Wicca Other 1734 Tradition Celtic Wicca Church and School of Wicca Cochrane's Craft Coven of Atho Dianic Wicca Faery Wicca Feri Georgian Wicca Odyssean Wicca Reclaiming Seax-Wica Stregheria Universal Eclectic Wicca
Notable figures	Gerald Gardner Doreen Valiente Alex Sanders Maxine Sanders Sybil Leek Dafo Margot Adler Victor Anderson Artemis Gavin Bone Lois Bourne Jack Bracelin Raymond Buckland Eddie Buczynski Zsuzsanna Budapest Charles Cardell Ipsita Roy Chakraverti Patricia Crowther Vivianne Crowley Robert Cochrane Scott Cunningham Phyllis Curott Cerridwen Fallingstar Janet Farrar Stewart Farrar Raven Grimassi Gavin Frost Yvonne Frost Philip Heselton Frederic Lamond Rosaleen Norton Silver RavenWolf Starhawk Joseph Wilson
Deities	Triple Goddess Horned God Green Man Spirit of nature Holly King / Oak King Mother goddess
Key concepts	Wicca Wiccan morality Wiccan Rede Rule of Three Wiccan views of divinity Coven Craft name Magic Witchcraft White magic Otherworld The Summerland Reincarnation Karma Skyclad Summoner Watchtower Familiar Animism
Rites and ritual	Drawing down the Moon Great rite Handfasting Wiccaning Fivefold kiss Magic circle Cone of power Herbal medicine Scrying Spellwork / Incantation Banishing Divination Invocation Initiation Rite of passage Eko Eko Azarak Solitary practitioner Spiral dance
Holidays	Wheel of the Year Solstice Equinox Imbolc Ostara Beltane Midsummer Lughnasadh Mabon Samhain Yule Esbat Wild Hunt
Paraphernalia	Magical tools in Wicca Altar Amulet Athame Bell Besom Boline Book of Shadows Candles Cauldron Censer Chalice/Goblet Horn Incense Parchment Pentacle Runes Scourge Statue Talisman Tarot deck Wand Witch's ladder
Literature	Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches The Meaning of Witchcraft The Spiral Dance What Witches Do Witchcraft Today Charge of the Goddess Enchanted Feminism
Related	List of Wiccan organisations Bricket Wood coven New Forest coven Neopagan witchcraft Witch-cult hypothesis Left-hand path and right-hand path Cunning folk in Britain European witchcraft Malleus Maleficarum Granny woman Cunning folk Magical alphabets Runes Theban Hebrew Witching hour Witch hunt Witches' Sabbath Flying ointment Museum of Witchcraft and Magic Witchcraft Research Association

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• LGBT and religion
• Wicca