Published inPrism & Pen·Nov 22We’re Lesbian Elders Reinventing ThanksgivingCelebrating Native Americans and our chosen families — Dear Friends, In our culture, the Thanksgiving holiday is a time to get together with family and eat a big meal together. For some it also involves a day off from work and watching football. But we pagans believe these traditional holidays can be so much more. Thanksgiving gives us…LGBTQ6 min readLGBTQ6 min read
Nov 15My Post-Election BreakdownRemembering how we went from feeling safe to unsafe — The 2016 presidential election disturbed me deeply as it did my friends and family, but it was only when we began driving away from San Francisco on Friday that I got in touch with just how deeply. My wife Holly and I were making our annual trek to the San…2016 Election3 min read2016 Election3 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Sep 21An Older Lesbian’s Thoughts on Death and HappinessMy Regular Pagan Holiday Post Autumn Equinox 2023 Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year celebration that takes place near the autumnal equinox, is all about starting anew. But it’s also about contemplating death. So says psychology professor David De Steno, who studies the ways emotions guide decisions and behaviors. I’m not Jewish, but I appreciate much that I’ve…LGBTQ5 min readLGBTQ5 min read
Aug 26OTTERS in WheelchairsWheelchairs were a highlight of my summer travel back home. — If you’ve never been disabled, it can be hard to appreciate disability. This is where construction workers have an advantage in sympathetic understanding. Most of us have been temporarily disabled at one time or other in our lives. …Travel4 min readTravel4 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Aug 13My Lesbian Life as a Dirty Old Man in the Ladies RoomLike Judy Grahn’s poem, Edward the Dyke, written in 1965, “…my problem this week is chiefly concerning restrooms.” * — At 74 I’m still often called sir. I’m mistaken for a man because I wear my hair short and usually wear a ball cap. I dress in T-shirts and hiking pants and, often, boots. Hiking is a favorite pastime. …LGBTQ4 min readLGBTQ4 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Jul 29Invoking the Travel Goddesses: My Regular Pagan Holiday PostSending best wishes for a safe and peaceful Lammas. — August 1, 2023 It is the season for traveling in the northern hemisphere and I’ve been traveling along with millions of others, this year freed from covid restrictions. The Santa Rosa, California airport was packed with more people than I’ve ever seen there, and my destination, Seattle, was just as…LGBTQ5 min readLGBTQ5 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Jun 21Celebrating Pride and Solstice: My Regular Pagan Holiday Greeting!Reclaiming ritual — Can we remake religious rituals into traditions that are free from religion? In her book, The Wonder Paradox, Jennifer Michael Hecht answers with a resounding, Yes! And she shows us how. Hecht posits that humans need tradition and ritual in our lives, but that there is no reason to attach…LGBTQ5 min readLGBTQ5 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·Jun 17Queer Californians Stand Up To Bullies and Book BannersLibraries Under Attack in Sonoma County — As LGBTQ people and their families in states like Florida pack their bags to move to nondiscriminatory states like California, those of us who live in the Golden State brace ourselves for an onslaught of anti-queer violence during Pride month. Yes, we’re worried about becoming targets of violence, but that…LGBTQ3 min readLGBTQ3 min read
Published inPrism & Pen·May 16A Sister’s Murder Sparks Action: Lesbian, Black, or “Just” a Woman?Tradeswomen Respond to Workplace Violence — Carpenter apprentice Outi Hicks was working on a job in Fresno, California in 2017 when she encountered continuing harassment from another worker there. She didn’t complain and no one stood up for her. Then her harasser attacked her and beat her to death. We don’t know whether Outi (pronounced Ootee)…Workplace Violence5 min readWorkplace Violence5 min read
Apr 29Remembering the Mother of California Civil RightsMy Regular Pagan Holiday Greeting Beltane, May 1, 2023 Mary Ellen Pleasant, the mother of California civil rights, is associated with the pagan holiday Beltane because she once owned and lived at Beltane Ranch, here in Sonoma County. It is now recognized as a Black historic site by the National Park Service. Once the richest Black woman in America…Beltane6 min readBeltane6 min read
