Radical Faeries
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The Radical Faeries (also faeries and faes) are a loosely affiliated worldwide network and counter-cultural movement seeking to redefine queer consciousness through secular spirituality. Sometimes deemed a form of modern Paganism, the movement also adopts elements from anarchism and environmentalism.
Rejecting hetero-imitation, the Radical Faerie movement began during the 1970s sexual revolution among gay men in the United States. The movement has expanded in tandem with the larger gay rights movement, challenging commercialization and patriarchal aspects of modern LGBTQ+ life while celebrating eclectic constructs and rituals. Faeries tend to be fiercely independent, anti-establishment, and community-focused. A central tenet of the group is that there is no single definition of faerie - Faerie is a self-assumed identity.
The Radical Faerie movement was founded in California in 1979 by gay activists Harry Hay, his long-time partner John Burnside, Mitch Walker and Don Kilhefner Influenced by the legacy of the counterculture of the 1960s, they held the first Spiritual Conference for Radical Fairies in Arizona in September 1979. From there, various regional Faerie Circles were formed, and other large rural gatherings were organized. Although Kilhefner and a later, pivotal member, Mitch Walker, broke from Hay in 1980, the movement continued to grow, having expanded into an international network soon after the second Faerie gathering in 1980.
In the beginning, the movement was open exclusively to gay men, though most communities are now open to all genders and sexual orientations. Radical Faerie communities practice "queer-themed spirituality" associated with radical politics, paganism or neopaganism, feminism, gender liberation, and may encompass any and all religions or a lack of them.
Today Radical Faeries embody a wide range of genders, sexual orientations, and identities. Sanctuaries and gatherings are generally open to all, though several gatherings still focus on the particular spiritual experience of man-loving men co-creating temporary autonomous zones. Faerie sanctuaries adapt rural living and environmentally sustainable ways of using modern technologies as part of creative expression. Radical Faerie communities are sometimes inspired by indigenous, native, or traditional spiritualities, especially those that incorporate genderqueer sensibilities.
Radical Faeries vary greatly from region to region and often commune at large gatherings timed with the seasons and solar system - especially the Equinox and Solstice.
The Faeries were a contributing influence to John Cameron Mitchell's film Shortbus.
The Radical Faeries use heart circle, communal living, consensus decision-making, dance, drag, pagan ritual, drumming, sex, magic, and intimacy to "examine what it means to be a whole human who is also a queer person".
Sanctuaries and gatherings
- The Kiss - 2003
- Rural land or urban buildings where Faeries come together to live a communal life are called sanctuaries', which may host gatherings from time to time.
Cultural influence
- Participants at the 1979 Faerie gathering helped establish the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in San Francisco that same year.
- In the late 1990s Faeries sustained the New York City Drag March, an activist event held the Friday before the corporate-sponsored NYC Pride March. The Drag March began in 1994 in response to attempts to ban leather and drag during festivities marking the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
- Queer as Folk episode "Stand Up for Ourselves" features a storyline where the characters Emmett and Michael attend a rural gathering to discover their "inner Faerie."
- Faeries were a contributing influence to the 2006 John Cameron Mitchell film Shortbus, including the casting of performance artist Justin Vivian Bond.
- Taylor Mac invokes "Radical Faerie realness ritual" during performances.
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