Pagan Pride group to host event

Special to ViewPointed Hat Society members meet for dinner at a local Applebees. Many of the members also are involved with Las Vegas Pagan Pride, an organization planning an Ice Cream Social and Sock Hop on July 25. Advertisement

Witches have gotten a bit of a public relations makeover in the last decade. These days, the word witch is less likely to summon images of green-skinned hags with pointed hats than it is British schoolchildren with a penchant for eating horribly flavored jelly beans.

Neither image is quite what the local nonprofit organization Las Vegas Pagan Pride is going for, and one of the group's stated goals is to dispel misconceptions about the pagan and Wiccan religions.

As part of this positive image campaign, the group plans to throw its first Ice Cream Social and '50s Sock Hop from 3 to 7 p.m. on July 25 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 3616 E. Lake Mead Blvd. The event will feature a disc jockey playing songs from the '50s and '60s, as well as ice cream and other refreshments for sale.

In addition to image building, the event will serve as a fundraiser to help pay for the group's observation of National Pagan Pride Day.

"We have the same values as the other major religions as far as family, honesty, work, et cetera goes," said Las Vegas Pagan Pride member Vicki Clair. "Our morals are somewhat different. We believe that whatever consenting adults do is fine, as long as they're not abusing those that can't protect themselves."

The group includes pagans, Wiccans and heathens, which Clair describes as Germanic and Norse pagan religions. While she notes that members of the group tend to have more liberal views, they're all individuals and can't be painted with the same brush.

"My husband and I are probably among the most conservative people in the pagan community here," she said.

Clair explained that the group includes polytheists, who believe in multiple gods, and pantheists, who believe the world is god. There are also those who believe all gods are one god and all goddesses are one goddess. She added that even Hinduism is considered a pagan religion by her group.

"We believe in a supreme creative force but not the god of major religions," Clair said. "We believe there's no gender to it, it's beyond that."

Nationally, Pagan Pride Day takes place on the autumnal equinox, which Clair describes as pagan Thanksgiving. The fall event occurs on either Sept. 23 or 24. Locally, the event will not be tied to the equinox, but will instead be held on Nov. 7.

"The weather here can still be really hot in September," Clair said. "We got permission from the national office to move the ceremony. The Unitarian Universalist Church has graciously allowed us to use their property for free."

The National Pagan Pride group has held a Pagan Pride Day for the last 11 years. The local group has hosted the Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day for the last six years at the Unitarian Universalist Church.

The event is designed to promote education about pagan religions, and to help promote community networking for local pagans. The event also serves as a way to gather food, clothing and monetary donations for local charities.

"We're hoping to create a positive image in the media of the pagan religion," Clair said.

Throughout the year, the church also is the site of other events to help raise funds for the Pagan Pride Day. For the last two years, the group has held a chili cook-off in the spring.

"It has been very difficult to get the word out," Clair said. "Typically, we don't appear in community calendars, even though we are a religious group and a nonprofit. I think it's because of prejudice against our religion."

Clair said that there are a number of persistent myths the group's members have had to strive to dispel. She noted that people think that they're Satanist and that they're trying to harm people or convert people.

"We don't believe in proselytizing. What we're really trying to do is promote understanding among all the different religions and let people know that we can all live in peace with one another. We feel that people who are interested will find us, and generally that is what happens," she said.

According to Clair, although pagans want to be clear that they're not Satanists, many have no problem with being called witches.

"Witch is a term we are proud of," Clair said.

She even has fun with the stereotypical image of the witch.

"Some of my crazy lady friends and I started a charitable organization. We call it the Pointed Hat Society," she said.

Admission to the Las Vegas Pagan Pride Ice Cream Social and Sock Hop is free, but participants are asked to bring nonperishable food or pet food items to be donated to the Three Square Food Bank and the Poppy Foundation for Cats or Adopt a Rescue Pet for dogs. Ice cream will be $1 a scoop and $1 for three toppings. Baked goods and drinks also will be available for purchase. Dressing in '50s attire is encouraged, but not required.

Contact Sunrise and Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.