Your browser does not support script
TWV Presents...



Articles/Essays From Pagans

[Show all]


Views: 15,120,964


May 19th. 2013 ...

The Role of Identity in Magic

Talking Trash? It's a Dirty Subject but Waste Happens.

Earth Angels

My Wiccan Journey

13 Keys: The Victory of Netzach


May 12th. 2013 ...

Pagan Studies I: How Should We Define Modern Paganism?

The Third Path

Nothing Special... Part Two

Exploring Paganism


May 5th. 2013 ...

Nothing Special.

The Value of Multicultural Awareness

Put Your Back Into It (Our Lady of the Sacred Honey Badger)

Moon Musings, Planetary Preponderances and Red Lipped Bat Fish


April 28th. 2013 ...

Lessons from the Lessers: Iris


April 21st. 2013 ...

Taken By The Goddess: The Crescent Moon Tattoo

The Gods/Being Godbothered

To Be A Witch

The Archetypes are Gods: Re-godding the Archetypes


April 14th. 2013 ...

On The Inclusion of Children

'Wand Fun' With Grandson

Lessons from a Baby

Lessons of Freedom: On Divinity and Healing


April 7th. 2013 ...

Out of the Broom Closet... Sorta

A Journey Through the Witches Tarot

History and Science Behind Numerology


March 31st. 2013 ...

What is the Magickal Self?

Ethics and Numerology


March 24th. 2013 ...

Keystones of the Sacred Land


March 17th. 2013 ...

Why Some Pagans and Witches Still Hide

Witch Heritage 101: What Happens When Witch Haters Joke about anti-Witch Films

I'm Not a Broom. So What's with the Closet?


March 10th. 2013 ...

Top Ten Stupid Things I Did as a New Pagan: Part 3

Hunting for the Real Witch in Film

The Collective Shadow

Lies - The Opposite of Truth


March 3rd. 2013 ...

Grounding and Releasing Negative Energy

A Patchwork of Magick


February 24th. 2013 ...

Top Ten Stupid Mistakes I Made as a New Pagan (Part Two)


February 17th. 2013 ...

Top Ten Stupid Mistakes I made as a New Pagan... Part One

Gardening with Crystal Energies

A Call from the Ancestors

Moon Musings, Planetary Preponderances and Black Water Snakes


February 10th. 2013 ...

We Are the Weirdos, Mister: A Completely Uncool Story of Origin


February 3rd. 2013 ...

"I'll Grind Your Bones to Make my Bread": Pagans and Animal Husbandry

The Role of Contemporary Culture in Magic

A Pagan Response to Endangered Earth

The Great Mother's Gift, Heinlein, and the Nature of Squirrels

13 Keys: The Glory of Hod


January 27th. 2013 ...

Why We Do Need Wicca

The Cosmos In the Coffee Shop

Learning Consciousness

On Travel Spirituality and Magick

Gratitude


January 20th. 2013 ...

Beloved Backs and How to Save Them

Building or Burning Bridges?

Plants, Magic and Intuition

Plagiarism - How It Harms Our Community

Looking Back


January 13th. 2013 ...

Ramblings of a Pagan Guy: Stupid Clichés

Know Thyself

The Magick and Power of Words

Aging Is Not Easy

The Riddle of Who We Are?


January 6th. 2013 ...

Wicca v Witchcraft

Innate Paganism

A Witch in the Closet

How Many People Can You Fit Under An Umbrella?

Gut Hunches, Mouse Dreams, and Pinkie Sense

Coming Home


December 30th. 2012 ...

Ritual "Cheat Sheet" Bracelet

Magick is All Around Us

Confessions of a Living Satyr

A Tiny Bit of Belly Dance History


December 23rd. 2012 ...

The Warrior Goddess and You.

World Change: A Message from Greece

What's the Meaning of Life, Anyway?

My Brother's Keeper


December 16th. 2012 ...

Keeping Christ in Xmas

Love is the Law

Listen to Your Heart's Wisdom


NOTE: For a complete list of articles related to this chapter... Visit the Main Index FOR this section.












Article Specs

Article ID: 12685

VoxAcct: 239209

Section: words

Age Group: Adult

Days Up: 1,790

Times Read: 11,843

RSS Views: 32,510
Thank You, Kathy Lee Gifford

Author: Sandy Lareau [a WitchVox Sponsor]
Posted: June 29th. 2008
Times Viewed: 11,843

On Wednesday, 25 June 2008, Kathy Lee Gifford expressed her opinion about pagans. It wasn't very good. In fact, she called us nasty, bad pagans. At approximately minute 4:40 in the segment, you can hear her reading options off a card and she stated, “Pagans … the nasty, bad pagans believed it was bad luck to carry metal on your right side.”

She called us nasty, bad pagans on the Today show, a nationally broadcast program. I was actually shocked.

(You can view it here. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25368216#25368216)

I was so shocked that I wrote an email to the Today staff. I kept it respectful but strong. In my email, I asked that they have Ms. Gifford issue an apology. In another part of my email, I asked what they thought would happen if Ms. Gifford had said, "Jews … the nasty, bad Jews believed it was bad luck to carry metal…” She'd probably be slapped with a lawsuit so hard that her ancestors would say, "ouch!"

I'm worried that the Today show will do nothing.

I'm worried that they will do nothing because we don't have a public voice. I'm worried that she will issue some lame statement saying that she was referring to some obscure ancient sect or some other nonapology-apology. I'm afraid it will get buried on an obscure Today show Webpage. They can slander us nationally, but they tend to apologize quietly and without ceremony.

Look at what happened last year when the Lady Liberty League won Wiccan veterans the right to have pentacles on their headstones. Nothing that the Lady Liberty League does makes national news, but it should. That win was a huge, huge win for us!

So, how do we stand up to this most recent slander? It's difficult when so many of us are "in the broom closet." We're afraid to stand out and stand up and protest in public because we might lose our jobs. Our kids. Our good standing in the communities in which we live. We are not heard because not enough of us speak out publicly because we are afraid of retaliation and negative retribution. I'm just as guilty as the rest.

I think something is changing, though. I think I'm starting to get more pissed off than afraid. I'm starting to think that maybe being out wouldn't be so bad. People know me as a hard working, responsible citizen. Without shoving it down their throats, could I also be known as a pagan? Could I make a difference in their opinions of us? When I volunteer at the women's shelter, should I let my pentacle hang out of my shirt? What if we all did just a little bit?

I don't know, friends. I'm starting to believe that I've been hiding too long. I'm starting to think that we deserve to be out. We deserve to be open about our religions. We deserve to be apologized to when slandered on national television.

I'm starting to believe that it would be OK to lose my job for something I believe in so strongly. I don't want to lose my job. I can probably get another job. But, I'm really established in my job. Do you go around in circles like this, too?

I'm guilty of hiding. I'm guilty of being afraid.

I WANT to swear to you, that from this day forward, I will hide no longer. I'm afraid to swear it. I want to wear my most tasteful pentacle to work. I'm afraid to wear it. I want to talk openly and casually with my colleagues about everything, including religion. I'm afraid I won't get promoted when they find out that I am a Wiccan. And what will the customer think?

I've been keeping my religion hidden at work so that I do not offend anyone. Why am I doing that? Christians wear their crosses, Jewish men wear their Yamakas, and Shiite men wear turbans and the women veils. None of them worry about offending anyone. They are true to themselves. Why is it not ok for us to be true to ourselves?

I want to be out.

Goddess Mother, please help me find the strength to be out, to be respected for my differences as I respect others for theirs, and to be appreciated for my courage. I want to put my face out there for the whole world to see! Work is just going to have to deal with the fact that they have a witch on staff. That's it.

I'm going to put my face on my column in the next issue of the magazine. I'm going to wear my pentacle to work once in a while. I'm going to do it, yes, but I'm going to do it slowly. I don't want shock value, I want acceptance. I'm making a commitment to you, dear reader, and to myself. I'm coming out.

I'm going to get up really early and call the Today show on Monday (they're on the east coast, I'm on the west coast). I'm going to try to find out just exactly what they plan to do about this, and I'm going to try to get a telephone interview with Jim Bell, the Executive Producer. Why not? Why have a magazine if I'm not going to use it to help the community?

Thank you, Ms. Gifford, for helping me get off my tush and for motivating me to make a positive change, and to stand up to you and people like you. Thank you Lord and Lady for giving me the courage to try to create positive change for the pagan community!

What about you? Will you join me? Will you help me stand up to people like Kathy Lee Gifford? Will you try to be more "out?" Please let me know what you think and what you plan to do by sending me an email: editor@modernwitchmagazine.com.

Blessings and best regards,

Sandy Lareau






ABOUT...

Sandy Lareau


Location: San Diego, California

Website: http://www.modernwitchmagazine.com

Author's Profile: To learn more about Sandy Lareau - Click HERE




Other Articles: Sandy Lareau has posted 1 additional articles- View them?

Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE




Email Sandy Lareau... (Yes! I have opted to receive invites to Pagan events, groups, and commercial sales)

To send a private message to Sandy Lareau ...



Pagan Essays
1996-2013





Pagan Web
8,000 Links





Pagan Groups
Local Covens etc.





Pagan/Witch
80,000 Profiles














Home - TWV Logos - Email US - Privacy
News and Information

Chapters: Pagan/Heathen Basics - Pagan BOOKS - Traditions, Paths & Religions - Popular Pagan Holidays - TV & Movies - Cats of the Craft - Festival Reviews - Festival Tips - White Pages (Resources) - Issues/Concerns - West Memphis 3 - Witch Hunts - Pagan Protection Tips - Healing Planet Earth

Your Voices: Adult Essays - Young Pagan Essays - Pagan Perspectives (On Hold) - WitchWars: Fire in the Craft - Gay Pagan - Pagan Parenting - Military - Pagan Passages

Pagan Music: Pagan Musicians - Bardic Circle at WitchVox - Free Music from TWV

Vox Central: About TWV - Wren: Words, Wrants and Wramblings - Guest Rants - Past Surveys - A Quest for Unity

Weekly Updates: Click HERE for an index of our weekly updates for the past 6 years

W.O.T.W. - World-Wide Networking

Your Town: A Link to YOUR Area Page (The largest listing of Witches, Pagans, Heathens and Wiccans on the Planet)

VoxLinks: The Pagan Web: 8,000 Listings

Your Witchvox Account: Log in Now - Create New Account - Request New Password - Log in Problems

Personal Listings: Pagan Clergy in Your Town - Adult Pagans - Young Pagans - Military Pagans

Events: Circles, Gatherings, Workshops & Festivals

Covens/Groups/Orgs: Local Groups Main Page

Other LOCAL Resources: Local Shops - Regional Sites - Local Notices - Global/National Notices - Local Skills & Services - Local Egroups - Political Freedom Fighters

Pagan Shopping: Online Shops Index - Original Crafters Sites - Auction Sites - Pagan Wholesalers - Pagan Local Shops



Web Site Content (including: text - graphics - html - look & feel)
Copyright 1997-2013 The Witches' Voice Inc. All rights reserved
Note: Authors & Artists retain the copyright for their work(s) on this website.
Unauthorized reproduction without prior permission is a violation of copyright laws.

Website structure, evolution and php coding by Fritz Jung on a Macintosh G5.

Any and all personal political opinions expressed in the public listing sections (including, but not restricted to, personals, events, groups, shops, Wren’s Nest, etc.) are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinion of The Witches’ Voice, Inc. TWV is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization.

Sponsorship: Visit the Witches' Voice Sponsor Page for info on how you
can help support this Community Resource. Donations ARE Tax Deductible.
The Witches' Voice carries a 501(c)(3) certificate and a Federal Tax ID.

Mail Us: The Witches' Voice Inc., P.O. Box 341018, Tampa, Florida 33694-1018 U.S.A.
Witches, Pagans
of The World




Search Articles
1996-2013










 Current Topic
 Editorial Guide


NOTE: The essay on this page contains the writings and opinions of the listed author(s) and is not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Witches' Voice inc.

The Witches' Voice does not verify or attest to the historical accuracy contained in the content of this essay.

All WitchVox essays contain a valid email address, feel free to send your comments, thoughts or concerns directly to the listed author(s).