Radical Faeries facts for kids
The Radical Faeries are a worldwide group and movement. They combine ideas about being queer (meaning not straight) with spiritual beliefs. This movement also includes ideas from neopaganism (modern nature-based religions), anarchism (a belief in no government), and environmentalism (protecting nature).
The Radical Faerie movement started in the 1970s in the United States. It was created by gay men who wanted a different way of life. Gay activists Harry Hay, Mitch Walker, Don Kilhefner, and John Burnside organized the first Spiritual Conference for Radical Faeries in September 1979.
The group grew as rights for LGBTQ+ people expanded. They explored different spiritual ideas and rituals. They also challenged parts of modern LGBTQ+ life that they saw as too focused on money or old-fashioned power structures. Faeries are often very independent and focused on building strong communities. Today, Radical Faeries include people of many different genders and backgrounds.
Contents
What Radical Faeries Believe
A writer named Stuart Timmons described the Faeries as a mix of political ideas, a different way of life, and a spiritual movement. Another person, Peter Hennan, said the Faeries included ideas from feminism (equality for women), paganism, Native American spirituality, New Age beliefs, and earth-based movements. They wanted to support sustainable communities.
The Radical Faerie movement started because many gay men felt a lack of meaning in both mainstream society and parts of the gay community. One Faerie said that mainstream gay culture felt like a copy of straight culture. He felt it did not help people form strong connections. In contrast, Faeries wanted to live their lives in a way that felt connected to nature.
The Faeries were the first spiritual movement to be centered around gay identity. This means that being gay was a main part of their spiritual ideas. They explored the "gay spirit" as a source of wisdom and new beginnings. Mitch Walker believed that this movement brought a new seriousness to gay identity. He felt it showed the deep potential of Gay Liberation.
Following trends of the time, like those of hippies and nature-focused groups, Faerie gatherings were held outdoors. Many Radical Faerie communities have created special places called sanctuaries. These places are "close to the land," meaning they are in natural settings.
How the Movement Started
Early Days: 1978–79
Harry Hay was an experienced activist for gay rights. He was a founding member of the Mattachine Society in 1950. Don Kilhefner was a skilled community organizer in Los Angeles. He helped start The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, which is now the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Mitch Walker wrote many works about gay spirituality and psychology. He also led many workshops.
The idea for a spiritual conference came from conversations between Walker and Hay. They started talking in 1976. In 1978, Walker visited Hay. A writer named Timmons said that meeting Walker was very important for Hay's ideas about a new gay movement. Walker and Hay formed a "society of two" that grew into the Radical Faeries. When Kilhefner joined them, they became a "society of three."
Kilhefner had been involved in the anti-Vietnam War movement. He also worked with the Peace Corps. He became a leader in the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). He later became the first executive director of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center.
In 2019, Kilhefner said that the Radical Faerie movement came from his conversations with Harry Hay alone. He also claimed that the ideas came from workshops he hosted. However, these claims go against earlier interviews with the founders. Those interviews showed that Walker played a central role in forming the movement's ideas.
In late 1978, Hay, Walker, Burnside, and Kilhefner led a workshop together. This event convinced Hay and his partner, John Burnside, to move to Los Angeles. The four then decided to organize an outdoor conference. They wanted to discuss ideas about gay identity and spirituality with other gay men. Kilhefner found a good location in a magazine. It was a spiritual retreat in the desert near Benson, Arizona.
Their conference was planned for Labor Day 1979. It was called the "Spiritual Conference for Radical Fairies." Harry Hay created the name "Radical Faerie." "Radical" meant both extreme and "root" or "essence." "Faerie" referred to both immortal spirits and a slang term for gay men. Hay initially called it a "not-movement" rather than a "movement." In organizing the event, Hay handled politics, Burnside logistics, Kilhefner money, and Walker was the spiritual leader. They sent out flyers advertising the event.
About 220 men came to the event, even though the place could only hold about 75. Hay gave a speech. He encouraged everyone to "throw off the ugly green frogskin of hetero-imitation to find the shining Faerie prince beneath." Instead of workshops, they had "Faerie circles." These circles covered topics like massage, nutrition, healing, and dancing. People took part in spontaneous rituals, singing and blessing. Many wore feathers, beads, and bells. They decorated themselves with rainbow makeup. Many felt a change in their minds during the event. One person called it "a four day acid trip – without the acid!"
Growth and Challenges: 1979–80
.jpg)
After the first gathering, people wanted more. Hay started a Faerie circle in Los Angeles. It met at his house, which became "Faerie Central." The group discussed serious topics and also had fun. As more people joined, they met in other places. However, they found it hard to feel the same special connection as at the rural gathering.
The group discussed what the Faerie movement should become. Hay wanted them to focus on political action. Others wanted the movement to focus on spirituality and understanding the mind. They felt politics was part of "the straight world." There were also disagreements about who could be a "Faerie." Hay had strong ideas about what a person with "gay consciousness" should be like.
The second Faerie gathering happened in August 1980 in Estes Park, Colorado. It was called Faery Woodstock. This gathering showed more influence from the U.S. Pagan movement. Faeries started using ideas from books like The Spiral Dance. At this gathering, a special shawl with a picture of the deity Cernunnos became an important symbol. It was sent from gathering to gathering for many years. Hay also talked about creating a permanent Faerie community. They wanted to buy land and live self-sustainably. More men from outside America, like Canada and Australia, also attended. Many went back home to start Faerie communities there.
There were some disagreements between Hay and Walker from the start. Walker was concerned about power issues and understanding the "shadow" side of the mind. He believed psychology could help gay men. Hay did not trust psychology. Kilhefner also became annoyed with Hay for dominating conversations. At the 1980 gathering, Walker, frustrated with Hay, formed the "Faerie Fascist Police." He wanted to fight against "power-tripping" within the Faeries. He specifically targeted Hay.
At a gathering in late 1980, meant to discuss buying land, the core group of founders had a big conflict. The plans for a land sanctuary stopped. A separate group formed. The core group tried to make up, but at a meeting called "Bloody Sunday," Kilhefner and Walker left. They accused Hay and Burnside of "power tripping." Walker and Kilhefner then formed a new group called Treeroots. This group focused on gay spirituality and psychology.
Even with these disagreements among the founders, the Radical Faerie movement continued to grow. Many participants did not even know about the conflicts. Walker and Kilbourne continued to be involved in gatherings for many years. They offered workshops on understanding inner struggles. Kilhefner later left Treeroots in 1994. Hay continued to be welcomed at gatherings.
In 1998, Harry Hay changed his focus. He said he was concentrating on helping gay men remove self-hatred. He believed this was a big challenge for many gay men.
Since 1981
The first Faerie gathering in Australia happened in January 1981. It was inspired by reports of the second U.S. Faerie gathering. This led to the continued growth of Radical Faeries in Australia. They tried to set up Faerie communities, and one, Faerieland, is still active today.
In the United States, a group called NOMENUS formed. They raised money to buy land. In 1987, they bought Magdalene Farm in Oregon. This 80-acre property became a place for regular gatherings.
Throughout the 1980s, the Radical Faerie movement spread beyond the United States. Gatherings took place in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.
Black Leather Wings is a group for spiritual gay leather folk that is connected to the Radical Faeries. The San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley honors important people in the local leather communities. It includes bronze boot prints for people like Mark Thompson, a co-founder of Black Leather Wings.
Sanctuaries and Gatherings
Rural land or urban buildings where Faeries live together are called sanctuaries. These places often host gatherings.
Faerie sanctuaries often use rural living and environmentally sustainable ways of using modern technologies. Radical Faerie communities are sometimes inspired by spiritual practices that include genderqueer ideas.
Sanctuaries and gatherings are generally open to everyone. However, some specific gatherings might focus on the spiritual experience of men who love men creating temporary special spaces.
Influence on Culture
People who attended the 1979 Faerie gathering helped start the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in San Francisco that same year.
In the late 1990s, Faeries helped keep the New York City Drag March going. This event is an activist march held before the larger NYC Pride March. The Drag March started in 1994 because of attempts to ban certain styles of dress during pride celebrations.
The TV show Queer as Folk had an episode called "Stand Up for Ourselves." In it, characters Emmett and Michael attend a rural gathering to find their "inner Faerie."
Faeries also influenced the 2006 film Shortbus. The film included performance artist Justin Vivian Bond, who is connected to the Faerie community.
Artist Taylor Mac uses "Radical Faerie realness ritual" in his performances.
See also
- LGBT themes in mythology
- Religion and LGBT people
- Running Water Farm, a place where several Faerie gatherings happened
- Subject-SUBJECT consciousness, an idea from Harry Hay
- Modern pagan views on LGBT people
- Pink capitalism
