Why does Paganism attract so many LGBTQ+ people—and how are queer practitioners reshaping Pagan traditions from within?
In this in-depth episode, Dr Angela Puca draws on extensive academic research and ethnographic evidence to explore the powerful intersection of queerness and contemporary Paganism. We’ll examine why decentralised structures, ritual flexibility, and the sacralisation of the body make Paganism particularly resonant for queer seekers. From feminist Wicca to trans-inclusive magical circles, and from the mythic play of the Minoan Brotherhood to the controversies surrounding Dianic Witchcraft, this episode uncovers the theological innovations and spiritual practices that queer Pagans are creating.
Drawing on scholarship by Sarah Pike, Melissa Wilcox, Robert Wallis, Martin Lepage, Kathryn Rountree, and many others, this lecture explores topics such as gender alchemy, ritual storytelling, queer reinterpretations of myth, and the embodied politics of magical practice. It also problematises the gender polarity model in traditional Wicca and explores how LGBTQ+ practitioners are queering divinity itself.
Join us for a critical and compassionate conversation about how Paganism becomes not only a refuge for LGBTQ+ individuals but also a space of radical religious creativity.
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REFERENCES
Berger, H. A., Leach, E. A., & Shaffer, L. S. (2003). Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press.
Clifton, C. S. (2006). Her Hidden Children: The Rise of Wicca and Paganism in America. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press.
Coyle, T. T. (2012). Snapshots: Musings on polarity and flow. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 91–92). Circle of Cerridwen Press.
Eller, C. (1993). Living in the Lap of the Goddess: The Feminist Spirituality Movement in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Helix. (2012). Polarity without gender. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 35–40). Circle of Cerridwen Press.
Kaldera, R. (2012). The third voice. In S. Thompson, G. Pond, P. Tanner, et al. (Eds.), Gender and Transgender in Modern Paganism (pp. 75–86). Circle of Cerridwen Press.
Lepage, M. (2013). A Lokian family: Queer and Pagan agency in Montreal. The Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies, 15(1–2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v15i1–2.1
Mueller, M. (2017). The chalice and the rainbow: Conflicts between women’s spirituality and transgender rights in US Wicca in the 2010s. In I. B. (Eds.), Female Leaders in New Religious Movements (pp. 249–268). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
(check the last slide on screen for the complete bibliography)
00:00 Introduction and Academic Context
06:13 Feminist Spirituality and Queer Ritual Innovation
07:10 Paganism as an Inclusive and Experiential Spiritual Path
12:54 Embracing Diversity: The Spiritual appeal to LGBTQ+
16:04 Wicca, Polarity, and Queer Theological Reframing
19:57 Queer Influence on Contemporary Paganism
20:04 Montreal, Pantheacon, and Queer Groups
26:29 Case Studies and Ethnographic Insights
33:09 Queer-Centred Pagan Traditions and the Problematics of Wiccan Heteronormativity
39:21 Implications of LGBTQ+ for the Study of Religion
36:04 Academic Implications of Queer Paganism
46:06 Conclusion and Reflective Discussion
49:36 Support Angela’s Symposium
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Published on June 15, 2025
