Blessing for the Body Gone Under the Blade

Blessing for the Body Gone Under the Blade

For all the mxgender and transgender people, and for anyone else doing top or bottom surgery, this blessing is for you.

For all those who go under the blade

Healing your life by cutting away

I offer you this blessing:

Transgender but not in Transition: Honoring our Non-Binary Community

What are the assumptions you make when you hear the word "transgender"? Is there a point during transition where you suddenly start "being" the being you are transitioning to? How do we celebrate rites of passage for non-binary transgender people, mxgender people who may not plan to undergo a physical transformation to match their gender identity?

Every transgender, mxgender, non-gender identifying being has a different story. A different path that they are on. Some look forward to physical transitions brought on by hormone therapy or surgery. For some, the first day putting on a new bra or using a new name that matches the gender that is correct for them is the transition point. For those going from male to female or female to male, "passing" is the rite of passage. Joining a womens' or mens' circle and being honored as a new member of that sister or brotherhood can mark that moment. Being far enough along in transition to feel that society sees you as a "boy/girl/man/woman" now can be that moment of finishing transition.

Non-binary, non-gender, meta-gender, two-spirit and any other folks that I may have missed have more work that society puts upon them. Those who are not transitioning from one side of the spectrum to another still deserve our respect through appropriate use of names and pronouns. Continually having to come out over and over, reminding people of the correct pronouns to use, facing the assumptions people make based on your look or clothing is a difficult, painful process that I see my siblings face. Continual erasure.

For those of us that may be binary transgender or cis-gendered allies to the non-binary, non-gendered, meta-gender, and beyond, how can we best support our siblings?

In the CAYA Pagan Congregation, self-identified men and women are welcome in the moon circles of the brother and sisterhoods. A spiritual circle called the Rainbow Moon Circle was formed specifically to provide a place for those who identify anywhere along the spectrum and those who don't identify with the spectrum whatsoever are welcome and encouraged to join us. We do our best to engage with a variety of deity, our ritualists are beings all across the spectrum, and we seek to honor the experience of all of those who join us.

I know that our community will continue to engage in this discussion so that we can find the best ways to serve and support our non-binary siblings. We honor all of our siblings as God/dess/x gifts to the world.

Blessed Be.

Mxgender Mxer at Pagan Fest this Saturday!

Come As You Are to… The Rainbow Moon Circle Stitch-n-Witch—Saturday, May 7, 11am-noon, MLK Park, Berkeley— FREE!!!

Mxgender members of CAYA Coven will be hosting a crafty social hour at our CAYA Coven booth at the 13th Pagan Festival in Berkeley this weekend. Honoring this year's theme of Ancestral Wisdom, we will be decorating jackets, bags and whatever we wish to with colorful quilt patches of beloved Transcestors—our beloved dead of countless genders and sexes.

Transcestor quilt patch from Rainbow Moon Circle Rite of Release

DIY! The sticker machine will be loaded and ready to make archival-quality stickers from your own photos, prints or drawings of beloved Transcestors, too. Tasty refreshments will be served and we will share stories of our loved ones and conspire about creative ways to support living members of our vast and varied communities.

They do not rest in peace—THEY RISE IN POWER!

We hope you will come on over and introduce yourself, enjoy a snack, and get crafty! Live the Spectra!

Blessed be.

A Spell for Freedom and Justice

Our trans kin are under attack in North Carolina, Mississippi, and beyond. The most basic freedoms are being taken in the name of "protection" when in reality, an already vulnerable population is being put at further risk.

To counter these horrible injustices, I offer a spell of freedom and justice for our transgender selves and loved ones. It can be performed once or repeated during this waxing moon to build up the energy to be released on the full moon (April 21st at 10:30PM).

In this spell we call on Libertas, Lady Liberty, Greek Goddess of Freedom. Libertas is celebrated on April 13th, so this work is timely. Her best known modern representation is in a work of art called "La Liberté éclairant le monde" which translates to Liberty Enlightening the World - you'll recognize it by the more common title "The Statue of Liberty".

For my altar, I created a candle with Liberty Enlightening the World to burn during the working.

Center yourself and create sacred space.

Libertas! Libertas! Libertas!
I/we call upon you, sweet Libertas!
Goddess of Freedom, Lady Liberty

Grant all trans people these basic freedoms:
Equal protection under the law!
Equal status in society!
Justice for those taken away!
Courage to those of us who still stand.

Libertas, bring freedom and justice for all.

Take a few minutes to meditate on each of these areas. Picture that new reality coming into being. What role can you play in bringing it forward?

When you're ready, thank Libertas for her time and energy.

Hail and farewell Libertas!

Open sacred space.

Blessed be.

Rainbow Moon Circle's Rite of Becoming Feb 27 at The Sacred Well

CAYA Coven’s Rainbow Moon Circle presents The Rite of Becoming

A sacred circle honoring the full spectra of gender diversity

Saturday, February 27, 2016

8pm (no one is admitted after the circle is cast).

The Sacred Well

536 Grand Ave, Oakland

wheelchair accessible

$10-$20 donation requested—no one turned away for lack of funds.

Come As You Are Pagan Congregation’s Rainbow Moon Circle invites people of any and all genders —or none— to join us as we reveal the possibilities and potential in ourselves and each other. What will we choose to bring forth into the world? We will call upon Panprosdexia—All-Acceptance; the Agender deity of the Tetrad++ pantheon, to support this work. Together we will witness and honor the first public Initation into The Divine Spiraling Rainbow Tribe—CAYA Coven’s Mxgender Mystery Tradition. Bring something to charge on the altar and a treat for Cakes and Ale following the ritual— and Come As You Are!

Our Mission: The Rainbow Moon Circle is a safe and sacred space for all to explore the spectra of gender and identity. We honor the holistic experience of self-determined identity and its infinite intersections. We celebrate the glittering prism of Divine existence that is powerful, delightful,  enthusiastic,  playful, transformative, magickal, compassionate, and reverent. Live the Spectra!

Mark your calendars for Trickster Moon; Saturday, April 23, 7pm at The Qultural Collective, Oakland.

Share your sparkles with us on FB & G+ RainbowMoon

http://www.cayacoven.org/rainbow/

Reflections on Panhyle

Panhyle is the second of the Tetrad++, the trans and gender variant deities making themselves known through the work of P. Sufenas Virius Lupus and others. Here are some of my thoughts on Him and my relationship with Him.

~

Panhyle feels

like those soap sculptures we made

in 7^th grade, in imitation of a long ago art:

strong, moldable, delicate, beautiful

and yes, sometimes frustrating!

(He feels like the same Artist that shaped Him also shaped me

Like what He is shaped of might make me clean,

wash away the grit and insults of the world)

He feels

like the trees feel to me

(me, with my Greenman heart):

like I am utterly safe

leaning into His rootedness

as though His embrace

sinks me ankle-deep in the Earth

With Panhyle,

I think

I could hide my face between His shoulder blades

and weep

And He would stand between me and the world

protecting my privacy

until I am ready to raise my face

Panhyle knows

about getting to decide

what is hidden and what is revealed*

He knows about safety and trust and intimacy

Panhyle, who came into the world

with his most delicate parts hidden

helps me draw a line,

to decide who gets to see me

and how bare I will be before them

Panhyle feels

like my dad, next to me in the stands

at my sister's graduation

the two of us screaming our lungs out as my sister walked

loud enough that others turned to stare:

He does not care much for the norms

and He is proud of His children

(His brothers, His sisters, His siblings, His lovers, His people, us)

Panhyle feels

like a kiss to the nape of the neck,

a lover's hands on my hips:

intimate

a shivery promise of pleasure to come

a firing of nerves

that leaves me awake in my body

I turn my head,

brush my bare cheek against

His soft bristles

And want to know more.

~

*Writing this, I had a sudden deep flash of empathy for all those who choose to veil all or part of their body/hair/face. I finally get it on a gut level as well as an intellectual level.

Come As You Are to… The Rainbow Moon Circle

It's been a long time bubbling in our dreams and studies and discussions and prayers—and finally it is time to come out to the world: CAYA Coven's Rainbow Moon Circle is bursting your way—a-glitter and aswirl!

CAYA Priest/esses Melissa ra Karit and myself (Jaina Bee), with the able assistance of soon-to-be-ordained Verity Blue (who created that beautiful graphic, above) and Dedicant HiC have been mixing up the ingredients for this series of four rituals in the coming turning of The Wheel of the Year. These will all happen at The Sacred Well, in Oakland.

Learn more about this and join in on the colorful discussion at our G+ group: Rainbow Moon Circle. The more colors in our palette, the more beauty we can create together.

What is Trans*? What is Pagan?

 A memo that started out as a short message to the other members of Beyond the Binary became an unfolding exploration I'd like to share with you all.

This week has given me much food for thought in the realm of our studies and service in Beyond the Binary—from the PACO panel discussions on POC, gender and the intersections of identities, to the Rainbow Moon (a seedling CAYA group) Circle's brainswarm on Monday to spending all of yesterday in the company of P. Sufenas Virius Lupus (birther of the Tetrad++ group of gender-variant deities)! WOW.

What is becoming clear to me is that it is important to acknowledge that many gender identities (if not most, if not all) are inherent, and deserve to be recognized as primary and central to each individual's experience— rather than in their relation to the binary, cisgendered cultural "norm." In that context, using the word Trans* no longer feels correct as the term to use in my events listing, or in my description of whom I serve. Trans* is included, yet still not the central focus, nor the umbrella term that works for me. Many people who identify as Trans* also identify as binary, besides. There are ritual spaces for women or men. This is not where I serve.

I have been questioning the usefulness of my Trans*/Pagan events listing for a few months now, wondering if it is necessary to include every all-gender event that is Pagan, or focus only on events that address variant-gender inclusiveness, though many are binary-oriented. Are Buddhist sanghas, yoga classes, healing clinics and workshops that focus on or include the needs of Trans* people appropriate to list on a Pagan events announcement?

What is Pagan? What is Trans?* That could be (and will be) the title of the blog post this is clearly becoming. (Though I won't be opening the can of worms called "Pagan" at this time. It's about as useful as "Trans*" is to me these days.)

Frankly, I included all of those aforementioned options because I haven't found very many events that could be considered Trans* AND Pagan. If my service as a public Priest/ess is to minister to the needs of nature-based spiritual practitioners who do not identify with the gender binary, then WTF do I call it? C'mon, Hermes, give me the language!

The intersection of personal identities within an individual is difficult— perhaps impossible— to sort out into neat sections. The phrase that seemed to resonate with brilliant intensity this week was "Gender is a holographic experience. Identity is a holographic experience."

While I sort this all out, my events listing will go on hiatus. Is it transitioning to a new identity or simply recognizing what it was all along?

Trans Body Blessing

I've been thinking a lot about what I, in my role as Priest/ess of the Body-Temple, can offer to the large portion of the trans population that experiences body disphoria. I want to acknowledge, first of all, that I don't experience body disphoria. It is thus difficult for me to really get into peoples' heads and hearts to discover what they need. I've done my best through personal conversations and research. If you feel I've been disrespectful, please do contact me so I can do my best to address your concerns and make amends.

Archetypes

I've been thinking recently about what archetypes might be of service for trans* folks. What bridges our life experiences, speaks to different stages we grow through, touches both transsexual women and men and those of us with non-binary gender identities? The results of my musings are hard to swallow in places, but that seems about right. Being trans* is hard at times, too.

Traitor

Many of us begin our journey by being accused, either overtly or subtly, of being traitors. We are called traitors to our gender, to what it means to be a man or a woman, to our communities, to feminism, and sometimes to our sexual orientations. Transmen who love women are particularly vulnerable to this last accusation.

So what is there to celebrate about being a traitor? I look to mythology to give me a broader picture. Prometheus, who brought fire to humanity, was no doubt called a traitor. When Inanna kept the me (divine powers) that Enki gave her while intoxicated, or when Isis forced Ra to giver her his secret name, betraying the trust those gods had in them, they acted as traitors. To be a traitor is to betray something or someone. In these myths, we see that to be a traitor is to be a revolutionary, to overthrow or threaten the current power structure.

To embody the archetype of the Traitor as a trans* person means to question whose power we are being asked to uphold. It means to acknowledge that, YES, actually, in many ways we are betraying the gender binary. It means to be a wedge, a hammer, creating cracks through which others might see that they are walled in. It means giving others space to question what they support and why. It means doing all of that from a place of deep integrity with the intent of doing good.

Trickster

A lot of us hear "trickster" as well. Gender tricksters are not what we seem. What's under our clothes and especially what is in our pants is a surprise. We are fakers somehow, illusionists intent on messing people up. The voices that call us tricksters most loudly are those that are outraged.

Many mythological tricksters do not blindly cause mayhem. They have specific targets. The fey who whisk away greedy mortals for a night of dancing that turns out to be a century in the human world are tricksters. Rabbit feigning fear of Coyote to lure him into defeat is a trickster. Hermes trading his lyre to Apollo in return for the cattle Hermes had stolen and a share of Apollo's power is a trickster. Odysseus claiming to be Nobody to the Cyclops is a trickster. Tricksters take on the arrogant, the power hungry, those who are too certain of themselves and what they deserve from the world.

To be a trans* Trickster is to acknowledge that we unmoor gender from its fixed point. We are a sign that sex and gender don't always align, or even conform to binary categories. We are not fooling anyone about who we are, though. Rather, people are fooling themselves. We are (or at least, I am) not trying to pass as something other than what we are. We are just living our truths. Our targets create themselves. How people choose to read us is up to them. Their outrage is the result of finding out that their assumptions were wrong. It is on them, not us, to come to terms with this newly revealed world.

Shapechanger

Many of us literally change our shapes, making additions or subtractions to the upstairs and downstairs, as it were. We take hormones to harden or soften our lines. Others of us use more temporary means: binders, carefully glued hair, the cut of our clothes, soft or hard packs, make-up, and body language to pull people's perceptions one way or the other.

Shapechangers abound in mythology. Loki, who brings the end, appears as both male and female. A number of mortals, male and female alike, have their shape changed in Greek mythology as punishment, to escape an untenable situation, or as a sign of respect for their life. Cerridwen changes shape in the pursuit of Talisman and in the end consumes him and rebirths him with many gifts.

Changing shapes signifies an end to one thing and a beginning to another. It is a new life. Shapechangers also bring to the forefront of our awareness the connectedness between human beings and animals and plants.

Embodying the Shapechanger archetype as trans* person means holding space for all people to change. It means recognizing the subtler shifts in gender expression in ourselves and others. It means giving people space (physical, emotional, psychic) to not be something anymore and instead to be something new.

Outsider

There are, in straight up numbers, not very many of us. Statistics suggest 3% of the population is trans. In queer communities, which are generally more welcoming than straight ones, we are still on the outside. As one person put it, we are the Gl(b)_t community. If we are recognized as trans*, many doors are shut to us.

Pagans, too, are outsiders. We have been the old woman at the edge of the village, the medicine man who goes into the forest, the monk on the mountain top. We pagans know the power of crossroads, of being outside the normal stream of things. Many circle castings include some variation of the words, "In a space outside space and a time outside time."

Trans* Outsiders consider the unique gifts we have to offer our communities. We take the time to see patterns invisible from the inside and call attention to them. We tap the medicines and knowledge from the wild places accessible to us through our unique positions. We gather together to share and celebrate. We are deeply rooted in our sense of Mystery.

These archetypes will not resonate for everyone. They were drawn from my personal experience as a genderqueer pagan and from conversations with others in the pagan and trans* communities. In grand pagan tradition, please disregard what doesn't work for you. Or, better, figure out what does work for you and share it. The more options trans* pagans have to draw from, the better!

What archetypes resonate for you? Share in the comments.

My Gender Sermon of the Moment

 I have recently had several interactions with a friend of mine who is currently offering generally wise and well-informed counseling to the public on matters of sex and relationships. After a few incidents in which I felt that her gender education wasn't up to speed, I sent this email. This seems like a fine introduction to my personal gender story, which is one of the subjects the Priest/esses of Beyond the Binary would like to share with the public. May it be received with the love and compassion with which it was composed.

I hope this missive finds you well and fine.

I have been wanting to touch in with you about something that hasn't settled well with me. I haven't spoken up before because I felt too upset to communicate clearly and compassionately, and, well, you know we discussed the difficulties in working against the conditioning not to speak up for oneself.

Lately, for me, it has been an interesting process of "coming out" as a gender variant individual. It has been a private affair for me, and one that has felt too unclear to share with others, similar to what I have heard shared by my friends of variant sexualities. I never had an issue with identifying my sexuality as "queer", though most people presume I am heterosexual (and my sig others tend to be straight white men). I have found it to be much more challenging to correct others when they presume I am a cisgendered woman.

It has been easy for me to pass as a woman because of my feminine gender expression, however I often feel more like a drag queen. I like being a drag queen. No one questions me when I use the women's room, (Try using the men's room in the city to get an idea of what it's like to be gender variant) I have been welcome in women's spaces (though with increasing discomfort for me. I wrote a blog post about it here: http://paradoxmysteryandawe.blogspot.com/2013/07/womens-rituals.html ), and no one (friends, family, strangers) feels entitled to ask me, "So what ARE you? A boy or a girl?" as they do many other gender outlaws.

This is important for me to share with you; a person who is offering counseling services to the public on matters of sex and relationships. Gender is a highly-charged topic these days, as it comes out of the cisgendered binary cage it has smothered in for so long.

We have spoken on this subject for three weeks in a row now. The first time, I told you I had a book to give you on the subject, and all was well. The second week, I paid for your counseling services, and in a moment of enthusiasm, you spoke very dismissively about "that gender stuff" as you literally waved your hands as if shooing it away, presuming you were talking to a cisgendered woman. I was in a bit of shock and found myself speechless. The next week, I brought you The Gender Book, hoping it would help you understand the vastness and beautiful nuances of this topic. Again, you said something dismissive about gender and again you waved your hand as if it were a fly in your face. It was then I came out to you as a person who does not identify within the gender binary. Though I sensed some mild resistance at first, you quickly began to adapt this new information to your understanding of gender. Right on!

When you complained of men being dismissive to women's issues, such as rape and sexual predation, you were expressing your own gender awareness and experience. Please consider showing other genders the care and support you want men to show women.

I found the topic of gender to be a serious area of insensitivity in your otherwise considerate and informed services. I have great confidence that you will inform yourself further on this subject, as every person you meet has a gender identity, whether they have explored this and defined it for themselves yet, whether it is static or fluid, whether it is cisgender or agender or the many countless and multiplying identities that people are claiming and reclaiming for themselves.

I am here for you if you have any questions, wish to discuss this further, want some recommendations on resources. There's a lot out there on this evolving issue, and I am grateful to be of service.

With love and respect, Jaina Bee

The Gender Book! Is Out! In the World! NOW!

Two faces smiled down from a large screen in a corner of San Francisco's Center for Sex and Culture. Jay Mays and Robin Mack, two if the three main creators of The Gender Book, had beamed their gleeful mugs across cyberspace to help celebrate the birth of this fine publication. "It's a book!" (That's a gender joke, get it?) The third creator, artist Mel Reiff Hill, stood on the low stage with a microphone, facilitating a Q&A.

"How did this book come to be?"

Mel described how their boyfriend "paid to teach his therapist about gender." After spending his session laying down the basics of this fundamental subject of life, he wished he could've simply handed the doctor a book and say, "Read chapter 6— see ya next week!" But that book on gender did not exist. So he brought this concern to his friends and the friends said, "Let's make one!"

And what a gorgeous book they've made. With it's large, slick, colorful pages and graphic novel design it looks a lot like a children's storybook. The team say they wrote it for the broadest range of ages possible, attempting to keep the language plain and simple. Indeed, this book is so attractive and friendly, I can imagine it crossing many thresholds into spaces that have never before questioned mainstream gender norms.

Attendees sat around the balloon-festooned room at tables covered with crayons and activity pages, munching on snacks segregated by glutenousness. The atmosphere was relaxed and playful—even slightly giddy—catalysing conversations amongst strangers expressing a wide range of genders. I wondered why the room wasn't packed to the brim, though, because I certainly felt like I was witnessing one of the most important moments in cultural history. Mel says the book's release is just the beginning, and now what they want to see is how people USE it. "Don't just put it on a shelf. Read it, give it away, talk about it."

In an OutSmart interview, Jay Mays reports that the Gender Book team will be participating in the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference this June, "to connect with others who also want to ease the burden of trans* folks having to educate their health professionals." Right on!

As a contributor to their wildly successful Indiegogo campaign, I had a stack of Gender Books waiting for me at the merch table. I nearly knocked Mel over in my eagerness to get mine all signed. They grinned calmly as I explained that I was a Priest/ess in a Bay Area coven and as I frothed all about our Beyond the Binary and Trans*/Pagan endeavors in a sort of star-struck way, and then they amiably signed one "To CAYA Coven." I even got a fancy creature in a shimmery outfit to snap this photo of Mel & I. Can you tell how excited I am?!?!?!?!

Gender Scouts unite!

Trans*/Pagan Events for April 2014

A periodical events round-up focusing on that which may be of interest to people who identify as Trans* and Pagan, radiating from a central point in the San Francisco Bay Area and extending Worldwide. Maintained by Jaina Bee, a Priest/ess of CAYA Coven, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA, Earth.

http://www.cayacoven.org/

http://cayacovenbeyondthebinary.blogspot.com/

*************

A Petition to Legally Recognize Non-Binary Genders

Signatures due by Sunday, April 20, 2014

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/legally-recognize-non-binary-genders/j5KvDVvh

Free!

Legal documents in the United States only recognize "male" and "female" as genders, leaving anyone who does not identify as one of these two genders with no option. Australia and New Zealand both allow an X in place of an M or an F on passports for this purpose and the UK recognizes 'Mx' (pronounced as Mix or sometimes Mux) as a gender-neutral title.

This petition asks the Obama Administration to legally recognize genders outside of the male-female binary (such as agender, pangender, genderfluid, and others) and provide an option for these genders on all legal documents and records.

*************

The 36^th Annual St. Stupid’s Day Parade

Tuesday, April First, noon

Meet at Embarcadero Plaza, foot of Market St.

FREE!

The St. Stupid’s Day Parade will strut its stuff yet again to honor Saint Stupid, the patron Saint of Civilizations and Parking meters. This year’s parade will be of the sidewalk variety, thru the financial district, (the weekend version is thru North Beach). This DIY parade will stop at the traditional Stations of Stupid; the Federal Reserve HQ for the dead lottery ticket toss, the old Stock Exchange building for the 'Sock Exchange', the plaza of the bare-butt mechanics for the 'Leap of Faith', the Bankers Heart sculpture for the penny offering and the traditional Free Lunch. This FREE event is open to the public to participate. Odd costumes, absurd signage, noise makers and a willfully irreverent attitude to the business of religion and the religion of business are encouraged.

Sponsored by the First Church of the Last Laugh, the world's largest church, this yearly San Francisco Rite of Spring event updates the ancient European Feast of Fools and provides photographic fodder for those who think they know what a weird city we are. Fun for the whole family.

RAIN or SHINE… and if it snows, wear a snow tire

Contact: Ed Holmes (Bishop Joey) 510 841 1898 bishopj@saintstupid.com

www.saintstupid.com

http://www.saintstupid.com/event.html#newz

*************

Transmagic at LYRIC
Tuesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29, 4-5pm (a weekly event)
Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center, 127 Collingwood St, San Francisco, CA
FREE: Contact: Charles Stevens, 415.703.6150 x18 charles@lyric.org

Transmagic is a LYRIC Community Building Group celebrating young trans* and gender-variant youth (24 and under) and their allies.

LYRIC’s programs are open to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth and allies (24 and younger). If you are a youth and would like to become involved in any of our programs, the first step is to schedule a New Participant Orientation. Call (415.703.6150 x10), or email (lyricinfo@lyric.org) LYRIC to schedule an orientation. Orientations are typically held Monday-Friday, 2:00-3:30pm.

http://lyric.org/

*************

Transnatural with Kara Sigler

Tuesday, April 8, 6:00-8:00PM

Homestead Apothecary, 486 49th Street, #C, Oakland, 510-495-6549

$35

For myriad reasons, there is not enough information or health resources available for trans people. With this class we begin to bridge the gap of accessibility and inequality, offer suggestions for self-care and navigating the medical system. We will discuss ways to support the trans body and spirit with herbs, explore hormone maintenance with natural remedies, and talk about ways to mitigate the side effects of synthetic hormones. Time permitting, we will also discuss herbal support for surgery. All bodies welcome!

http://www.homesteadapothecary.com/Happenings

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/transnatural-with-kara-sigler-tickets-10728054901

http://www.sfherbalist.com/about

*************

The Queer Ancestors Project: An Exhibition of Prints by Queer Artists Age 18 to 26
Thursday, April 10, 2014, 6-7 Panel Discussion, 7-9 Artist Reception & Print Sale
The LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market Street, SF

FREE!

The Queer Ancestors Project is devoted to forging sturdy relationships between LGBTQI people and our ancestors.  Using history as a linchpin, we build community by providing young Queer adults (age 18 to 26) free interdisciplinary workshops in printmaking and Queer history.  Public exhibitions and readings of their work provide a window on the past through which the large community can glimpse our collective future.

Honoring Shape-Shifters and Shamans, Rioters & Revolutionaries, Sailors and Songbirds, Immigrants & Refugees, Blessings and Blasphemies, Bondage & Freedom

Artists: Corey Brown, Joan Chen, Jared Clifton, Amman Desai, Paula Graciela Kahn, Amirah Mizrahi, Courtney Stock & Terry Xiao, with artistic director Katie Gilmartin

Exhibition April 6th through May 16th

For more information: queerancestorsproject.org

Facebook Event: http://tinyurl.com/queerancestors2014

*************

LYRIC’s 25th Anniversary Open House

Thursday, April 17th, 2014. 5:30-7:30pm

The Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center; 127 Collingwood St, SF

FREE!

Join us for an evening of food, community, and memories. Come walk through LYRIC’s history with a retrospective organized by our Youth Interns.

LYRIC’s mission is to build community and inspire positive social change through education enhancement, career trainings, health promotion, and leadership development with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth, their families, and allies of all races, classes, genders, and abilities.

LYRIC’s vision is a diverse society where LGBTQQ youth are embraced for who they are and encouraged to be who they want to be. By working towards social justice and supporting young leaders, their families and allies, LYRIC is building a world that honors, respects and appreciates LGBTQQ youth and their contributions.

Email openhouse@lyric.org to RSVP.

http://lyric.org/openhouse/

*************

Just Around the Bend— save the date and register for these exciting events

Sex Magick 169: Transcending the Boundaries of Intimacy

A Faerie Sex Magick Workshop for gay cis- and transmen

May 31-June 7

Dos Rios, CA (more details upon registration)

$550-850 (€500-750) for the entire 7 days.

Price includes meals and accommodation — tent camping. There may be some indoor spaces for those with special needs or for colder weather workshops.

Consider these questions…

How can I extend the limits of my intimacy with my Faerie/Billy brothers?

Does sex constrain or expand my relationships with men?

How can I integrate sexual play into my intimate relationships?

Does recreational sex diminish my capacity for intimacy in a committed relationship?

How does the prevailing society’s prudishness dampen and undermine the intimacy in my relationships?

How does my sexuality and my spirituality inter-relate?

Are my sexual and my spiritual aspects one in the same?

We welcome your questions and discussion of any possible concerns you might have. In order to participate we ask you to contact one of the facilitators.

FAQ: http://faeriesexmagick.org/SM2003Q.html

More info and registration: http://faeriesexmagick.org/index.html

 *************

California Witchcamp 2014

Sunday June 29th-through Sunday July 6th 2014
Northern California, Mendocino Woodlands

Cost: April 1st through May 31st, the price is $620 to $720 sliding scale, your envelope must be postmarked no later than May 31st, and payment in full postmarked no later than June 1st 2014
June 1st until camp begins, the price is $680 to $740 sliding scale. After June 1st any registration payments must be made in full, you can register anytime up until camp starts as long as we still have room. 

This is an extraordinary event for extraordinary people.

Share in a week of Reclaiming style, earth based spirituality and magic. Come and study magic and ritual in a week long Intensive. Witchcamp is offered to all genders at all levels of experience. Newcomers can learn the basic skills of magic and ritual, working with the elements, movement, sound and the mythological and historical framework of the Goddess Tradition.

Advanced classes offer the chance to apply the tools of ritual to personal healing and empowerment, or a focus on taking the Craft out into the world, creating public ritual, ongoing groups, and healing issues surrounding leadership and power. This event is a deeply moving, life changing week and a constant experiment in temporary village life. We will also look at ways of bringing this work and inspiration into our everyday lives, creating powerful, joyful times. 

We welcome people of all genders, gender histories, and orientations, and we encourage you to feel safe to explore the fluidity of your identity, if you so choose. 

This year Witchcamp will be held at the Mendocino Woodlands, located just far enough outside the town of Mendocino to avoid coastal fog. The camp is set among a mature Redwood/Douglas Fir forest, creating a beautiful, peaceful setting. The cabins are rustic, but pretty. Camping is also an option. A small river runs through the camp, and is the home of steelhead trout. To request a brochure, please send us an email at:   info@californiawitchcamp.org with your mailing address.

http://www.californiawitchcamp.org/register.html

Check here for Reclaiming Witchcamps worldwide: http://www.witchcamp.org/index.php?id=42&section=witchcamps

*************

Trans*/Pagan Events March 2014

A periodical events round-up focusing on that which may be of interest to people who identify as Trans* and Pagan, radiating from a central point in the San Francisco Bay Area and extending Worldwide. Maintained by Jaina Bee, a Priest/ess of CAYA Coven, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA, Earth.

http://www.cayacoven.org/

http://cayacovenbeyondthebinary.blogspot.com/

I'm dedicating this first events post to Kate Bornstein, who celebrates her 66th birthday today! Blessings to Kate and her family, with sparkling heaps of gratitude for all love and light she has brought into the world.

 ****************************************************************

Transmagic at Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center
Tuesday, March 18, 4-5pm (recurring weekly)
LYRIC, 127 Collingwood St, San Francisco, CA
FREE
Contact: Charles Stevens, 415.703.6150 x18 charles@lyric.org

Transmagic is a LYRIC Community Building Group celebrating young trans* and gender-variant youth (24 and under) and their allies.

LYRIC’s programs are open to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth and allies (24 and younger). If you are a youth and would like to become involved in any of our programs, the first step is to schedule a New Participant Orientation. Call (415.703.6150 x10), or email (lyricinfo@lyric.org) LYRIC to schedule an orientation. Orientations are typically held Monday-Friday, 2:00-3:30pm.

LYRIC’s mission is to build community and inspire positive social change through education enhancement, career trainings, health promotion, and leadership development with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth, their families, and allies of all races, classes, genders, and abilities.

LYRIC’s vision is a diverse society where LGBTQQ youth are embraced for who they are and encouraged to be who they want to be. By working towards social justice and supporting young leaders, their families and allies, LYRIC is building a world that honors, respects and appreciates LGBTQQ youth and their contributions.

http://lyric.org/

****************************************************************

InsideStoryTime: Physician Heal Thyself

Tuesday, March 18, 7:30-9:30pm

La Movida Wine Bar & Community Kitchen, 3066 24th St., San Francisco

Free!

 

This "monthly reading series with a twist" features a different theme each time. This month's bill will feature practitioner of narrative medicine Louise Aronson (A History of the Present Illness), immortality-seeking volcano boarder Zoltan Istvan (The Transhumanist Wager), shattered poet Jen Siraganian (Fracture), transgendered iron worker and comedienne Morgan (Morgan's Funny), and seeker after truth Dorinda Vassigh (contributor to The Day My Nipple Fell Off anthology). MCd by James Warner (All Her Father's Guns).

 

http://www.insidestorytime.com/

****************************************************************

Ain’t I A Woman? My Journey to Womanhood with Laverne Cox
Wednesday, March 19, 2014, 7:00pm

Nourse Theatre, 275 Hayes Street, San Francisco, CA

$25/$35/$50
$75 ticket price includes reception with the artist
Buy Tickets

Laverne Cox explores how the intersections of race, class, and gender uniquely affect the lives of trans women of color. Laverne draws from her own personal story and how issues of race, class, and gender affect how she has been able to navigate the world. From growing up in Mobile, Alabama, raised by a single mother in a Christian family, to attending college in New York City to pursue a career as an actress, to finally finding the courage to step into the womanhood she always knew at heart was her destiny, Cox tells the story of the unique challenges along her journey to womanhood, professional achievement, self-acceptance, and love.

Cox is the first African-American trans woman to produce and star in her own television show, VH1′s critically acclaimed TRANSForm Me. TRANSform Me was nominated for a GLAAD media award for Outstanding Reality Program in 2011 and was the first television show to star three transsexual women. Cox made television history when she became the first African-American trans woman to appear on a reality television program, VH1′s I Wanna Work for Diddy in 2008. She accepted the GLAAD media award for Outstanding Reality Program for I Want to Work for Diddy in 2009.

Cox was named as one of the most influential trans people in America in the inaugural Trans 100 in 2013. She was named one of the top 50 trans icons by the Huffington Post in 2012. Laverne was named one of Out magazine’s “Out 100″ in 2010. Metro Source magazine named her one of the “55 People We Love” in 2008.

https://lyon-martin.org/event/aint-i-a-woman-my-journey-to-womanhood-with-laverne-cox/ 

****************************************************************

Reclaiming Spring Equinox Ritual—San Francisco

Saturday, March 22, 1pm

Magic Meadow, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA

Free; donations gratefully accepted

Intention: As we ply the Fool's craft, we work a spell for Justice

Join us as the Wheel of the Year turns toward the sunshine. Rain or shine, it will be a beautiful day in Golden Gate Park. 

This ritual especially involves young people, and includes an egg-hunt for kids afterwards. Please bring food or non-alcohol drinks to share at post-ritual feast. Flowers and musical instruments are also welcome.

Wheelchair access via paved path from parking lot. Field itself can be swampy after heavy rain. 

Transit: BART to Civic Center, transfer to Muni N-Judah train. Take train to Judah and 40th, walk two blocks to park, enter at 41st Ave. Walk two short blocks into park, enter parking lot on right, look for Pagans and/or signs. We're usually straight ahead in the big meadow. (Drivers - enter at 41st and Lincoln, park in lot.)

Contact sfrpc@yahoogroups.com

http://reclaiming.org/ 

find a Reclaiming community near you: http://reclaiming.org/worldwide/index.html#Anchor-Reclaimin-64672

 

****************************************************************

Equinox of Joyful Vows with CAYA Coven

Saturday, March 22, 7pm

The Home of Truth, 1300 Grand St, Alamenda, CA

$10-20 donation requested, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Come As You Are Coven, is an open, eclectic, drop-in coven providing community rituals in the San Francisco Bay area. Perhaps you are a curious seeker, perhaps an experienced practitioner. If you wish to contribute your own unique, authentic, and benevolent beliefs to a community that is accepting, empowering, diplomatic, ethical and fair, then Come As You Are and be welcome. 

 http://cayacoven.org/

****************************************************************

Reclaiming Spring Equinox Ritual—North Bay
Sunday 23 March, doors at 3:30pm, ritual at 4pm
Ragle Ranch Regional Park, Lions Grove Picnic Area, 500 Ragle Road, Sebastopol, CA
Suggested donation is $30-$10 but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Funds to help support North Bay Reclaiming events. 

Join us for the North Bay Reclaiming Ostara/Spring Equinox Ritual. As the wheel turns, we come as the children of Spring to dance with the Fae.

Intention: The Rabbits say rejoice with the Spring and tend to the Earth.
Celebrate with us welcoming Rabbit and Springtime with songs, spirals and an Egg Hunt. So much fun for children of all ages! Please bring a basket to collect eggs in.

For more information, email NorthBayReclaiming@yahoo.com or call 707-484-7786.

Website: www.northbayreclaiming.org
find a Reclaiming community near you: http://reclaiming.org/worldwide/index.html#Anchor-Reclaimin-64672 
 

 ****************************************************************

Erotic Reading Circle

Wednesday, March 26, 7:30pm – 9:30pm (recurring every 4th Wednesday)

Center for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission Street (at Grace Street between 9th and 10th streets) in San Francisco (map)

$5 suggested donation

Come share new or old work with us! We listen non-judgmentally and share our responses with any writer/reader who feels s/he/ze can benefit from peers' feedback. And it's great practice if you've been thinking about doing any public readings. We welcome writers of any experience level and every orientation. A Best of the Bay award-winning event!

Facilitated by Jen Cross (of Writing Ourselves Whole) and Carol Queen 

http://www.sexandculture.org/ 

****************************************************************

Every Direction LIVE!
Thursday, March 27, doors at 9pm
El Rio, 3158 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
Cover $5-20 sliding scale, to benefit Lyon-Martin Health Services

Every Direction is an Oakland-based queer boi band/drag group covering One Direction. Featured with the Rebel Kings and making their San Francisco debut, these bois will surely steal your heart, bringing something upbeat, silly, somewhat wholesome, and just ridiculously cute to the queer community.
Check out their most recent video!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hsAMgAofAw
>>> DANCING with DJ DasGigler!
>>> One Direction TRIVIA
>>> Raffle PRIZES
>>> FREE CHAIR MESSAGES by dana schnittman! (http://www.danaschnittman.com/)
>>> and more to come!
 
Bring your friends! Bring your mom!

Lyon-Martin Health Services provides excellent health care to women, lesbians and transgender people in a safe and compassionate environment, with sensitivity to sexual orientation and gender identity; all services are regardless of ability to pay. Find out more at http://lyon-martin.org/!!

****************************************************************

Writers With Drinks

Saturday, March 29, 7-9pm, doors open at 6pm

At the Elbo Room, 647 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA

Cost: $10 to $20, no-one turned away
All proceeds benefit the Transgender Law Center and the Center for Sex and Culture

Writers With Drinks combines erotica with literature, stand-up comedy with science fiction and poetry with essays. Plus mystery, romance, memoir, rants and "other."

Janet Mock (Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More)
Ayelet Waldman (Love and Treasure)
Annalee Newitz (Scatter, Adapt and Remember: How to Survive a Mass Extinction)
Marga Gomez (Love Birds)
Marie Brennan (A Natural History of Dragons)

http://www.writerswithdrinks.com/

http://transgenderlawcenter.org/

http://www.sexandculture.org/

****************************************************************

Lake Merritt Pagans

Sunday, March 30, 5:30pm

The Sacred Well,  536 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA

Free

A group for Pagans of all stripes who live near Lake Merritt to socialize and touch base about life on the lake in all its aspects, practical and spiritual. Activities may include: full moon lake walks, altar building, and other ideas you bring!

http://www.sacredwell.com/classes-events

****************************************************************

Transgender Day of Visibility: A Celebration of Trans* Lives

Monday, March 31, 5-8pm

SF LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market St, Rainbow Room, San Francisco, CA

FREE: RSVP to attend – you won’t want to miss this!

The Bay Area TDoV 2014 is a trans* community event to celebrate our accomplishments and inspire future change.  The evening will include empowering and uplifting presentations from community leaders, LYRIC, Larkin Street Youth, the Center’s Trans Employment Program (TEEI), and the Transgender Law Center.

We deserve to throw ourselves a party!* Complimentary Hors d’oeuvres and Beverages will be offered, and our special guest DJ Alexndr will spin a set to transform the Rainbow Room into our own private dance hall!

* TDoV is a substance-free and family friendly event.

History of TDoV:

The International TDoV is an annual holiday dedicated to celebrating transgender/ gender non-conforming people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide. The holiday was founded by Rachel Crandall in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT holidays celebrating transgender people, citing the frustration that the only well-known transgender-centered holiday is the Transgender Day of Remembrance, which mourns the loss of trans* people to hate crimes, but does not acknowledge and celebrate living members of the transgender community.

Events surrounding the day include protests, actions, sit-ins, poetry events, social events and a variety of other activities that emphasize the importance of trans* visibility is in our communities locally and abroad. TDoV exists to build community, celebrate what we have accomplished, and inspire future change. 

Thank you for supporting your local TDoV celebration! #TDoV

https://lyon-martin.org/event/transgender-day-of-visibility-2014/

http://www.sfcenter.org/

****************************************************************

UPCOMING EVENTS: Pencil it in, register, get ready!!!

Sex Magick 169: Transcending the Boundaries of Intimacy

A Faerie Sex Magick Workshop for gay cis- and transmen

May 31-June 7

Dos Rios, CA (more details upon registration)

$550-850 (€500-750) for the entire 7 days.

Price includes meals and accommodation — tent camping. There may be some indoor spaces for those with special needs or for colder weather workshops.

Consider these questions…

How can I extend the limits of my intimacy with my Faerie/Billy brothers?

Does sex constrain or expand my relationships with men?

How can I integrate sexual play into my intimate relationships?

Does recreational sex diminish my capacity for intimacy in a committed relationship?

How does the prevailing society’s prudishness dampen and undermine the intimacy in my relationships?

How does my sexuality and my spirituality inter-relate?

Are my sexual and my spiritual aspects one in the same?

We welcome your questions and discussion of any possible concerns you might have. In order to participate we ask you to contact one of the facilitators.

FAQ: http://faeriesexmagick.org/SM2003Q.html

More info and registration: http://faeriesexmagick.org/index.html