From Fall 1977 edition of White Crane Journal. https://www.whitecraneinstitute.org/wcjarchives/wc01020.htm
by Arthur Evans, author of Witchcraft and the Gay Counter-Culture:
“The scene was San Francisco’s Sutro Park, near the beach at Land’s End. A new group I had helped create, the Faery Circle, had decided to conduct a night-time ritual here. It was held in honor of the ancient Roman goddess Diana, whose statue overlooks the Roman-like ruins of the old Sutro Baths. We gathered in a semi-circle before the goddess, chanting her name, and calling down the power of the moon, which the ancients identified with her. Since Diana is also the patron of animals, one celebrant (Earl Galvin) wore an enormous green frog’s head that he had made. He also carried a large banner of Our Lady of Guadeloupe (to remind Mary of her pagan roots!). After paying our respects to Diana, we descended to the beach, crossing the highway that separated it from the park. As we did so, motorists were forced to a jaw-dropping stop by the spectacle of a giant frog crossing the road with a banner of the Virgin Mary. After the frog came a procession of men wearing dresses and brightly flowing gowns, tinkling finger symbols, and chanting the name of Diana.
“Once we got to the beach, we built a fire, chanted, and danced joyously in a circle. We experienced in the flesh an ancient system of meaning that had validated human sexuality.”
In the same article Arthur says:
“My experiences as a gay political activist, faery celebrant, and gay scholarly researcher have been quite diverse. Yet they all share a common determination to create meaning, based on a positive sense of gay identity.
“I am not alone in having such a motivation. Whether as political activists, spiritual seekers, or innovative scholars, many lesbians and gay men are now challenging the prevailing assumptions of our time. They are also helping to create a more humane and livable world. The experiences of a lifetime tell me that this process — of challenging what is taken for granted and of building something better — is part of what it means to create and live a meaningful human life.”
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