No Lesbian Pagans Allowed in Isreal
The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) reports that Starhawk, a prominent American pagan, feminist, environmentalist and lesbian, was deported from Isreal today. She had traveled to the Middle East on March 12 to teach a course on permaculture in the northern West Bank, a Palestinian area, and to work with earth activists to develop a project in the Bethlehem area.
According to Wikipedia, permaculture is formally defined by a set of ecological values as they relate to human communities:
- Earthcare – recognizing that the Earth is the source of all life (and is possibly itself a living entity- see Gaia theory) and that we recognize and respect that the Earth is our valuable home and we are a part of the Earth, not apart from it.
- Peoplecare – supporting and helping each other to change to ways of living that are not harming ourselves or the planet, and to develop healthy societies.
- Fairshare (or placing limits on consumption) - ensuring that the Earth’s limited resources are utilised in ways that are equitable and wise.
In the IMEMC article, British psychologist Dr. Joanne Taylor, said of the deportation that “clearly the Israeli authorities are paranoid even about letting people grow crops and conserve rainwater on their own land.”
Or perhaps the presence of a queer wiccan was just too spooky. Apparently Starhawk didn’t make it to the temple. She was too busy practicing witchcraft and being a lesbian.
Starhawk is well-known as a global justice activist and organizer. She is the author or coauthor of ten books, including The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess, in continuous publication for more than 25 years and long considered the essential text for the Neo-Pagan movement. Her first novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing, won the Lambda award for best Gay and Lesbian Science Fiction in 1994. Her newest book is The Earth Path: Grounding Your Spirit in the Rhythms of Nature.
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