LGBTQ+ inclusion, the 7 Tenets & my experience within The Satanic Temple UK - Neil CurrieHai

LGBTQ+ inclusion, the 7 Tenets & my experience within The Satanic Temple UK - Neil CurrieHail Satan, my name is Neil. I am guessing that as you are reading this blog you have at least a passing interest in The Satanic Temple. And, given the title of the post I’m hoping you have more than a passing interest in the LGBTQ+ community and its experiences. Whilst deciding on writing this blog post I decided that for it to make sense I would need to start in the past. I grew up in the UK, in fact, other than a short sojourn in Barcelona, my experience of the LGBTQ+ “community” is predominantly one grounded in the UK. A little about me, I came out as queer in the late 1980s in a small town in Yorkshire, of course, there was no LGBTQ+ community (although at this point in queer history it was just LG, the B was added around 1989 the rest later). In order to try to find my tribe I had already been exploring the post-punk and goth scene in Leeds, this was centred around a now legendary club called Le Phonographic. Some of you reading this may remember it and if you were there between 89 and about 92 may even know me. After coming out I was welcomed with open arms by this community and as the UK in the 80s and early 90s was still less than welcoming to LGBTQ+ people, the community was very tight knit. Although it was tight knit, it was very welcoming and whilst being predominately very white and often with separate Women’s and Men’s spaces, it was diverse, diverse in the sense that it didn’t matter if you were a goth, or a rocker or a disco bunny, there was little or no fem shaming like there is today. I felt welcome in both my communities. In fact, in the 90s there were even queer clubs specializing in “Alternative” music, which were generally packed to capacity. Fast forward to 21st century LGBTQ+ community, it has become homogenized with difference being used as a tool to shame.Okay, all well and good but what does this all have to do with The Satanic Temple and the 7 Tenets you ask. Well, hopefully I can translate the confusing mess of thoughts into a coherent post.The homogenization of our culture and “difference” being used as a tool to shame is not unique to the LGBTQ+ community, The Right is yet again on the rise and whilst the moderate right have historically simply been the other side of the isle to my own political standpoint in the UK our Conservative party are sliding towards becoming a party of the far right. This move emboldens those in the wider community who would seek to further oppress minorities and more specifically seek to remove those protections in law we have achieved over the last few decades. It is this march to the right that I, to some extent, blame for the LGBTQ+ community becoming less tolerant of difference. For some time now I have been following The Satanic Temple in the US, watching what they have been doing with interest and wondering about how to get involved. I am an Atheist, I do not believe in Magick or superstition, so TST’s brand of Satanism really appealed. After reading the Seven Tenets:(Image copyright of The Satanic Temple, source)This made my mind up and I joined up through the website. Of course, like everyone else I tried to find a chapter near me. At the time I joined, the UK only had a “friends of”, we have now been granted official chapter status. Since joining the UK chapter (friends of at the point I joined), I very quickly found I was making a new family, one that accepted everyone as they were, through upholding the Tenets my person was accepted without question. There was no expectation for me to have to change to fit in, I simply am, what I am. And, my experience, is these are not just words, we have had some amazing discussions on such varied and wide-ranging topic, not all about LGBTQ by any means. But, through these discussions and members and allies have shown they actively live the tenets. I have found, I suppose, what I had in the post-punk and goth scene of the late 80s. People who genuinely believe and live the seven tenets, as part of their truth, as part of their life. This may all seem obvious and are asking does this need to be said?I have to say I honestly think it does. For those of us, through who we are, are often singled out for abuse and exclusion by the state, state sponsored actors, or just those members of our society deem who or what we are to be outside of what they view as acceptable ways of “being” to find a place where we are not simply accepted, but, through the very core of the beliefs that the community we are joining actually live. We are validated, we are supported and defended. Words are insufficient to get across how this feels and what it means., certainly to me, as I realise, I cannot speak for everyone in the LGBTQ+ community. So, I guess this is my “love letter”, if you like to The Satanic Temple. A clumsy metaphor I know but I am at a loss for a better one. I must also stress, this is MY experience, My personal view. But one I felt important to get across so those members who have not experienced what it is to be “other than” in this world could understand the very meaningful impact finding this “family” has on people.The views in this article are that of the writer, Neil Currie, based on his own personal experiences, and should be treated as such. -- source link

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