Religion and beliefs

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In Solidarity with “Out of Place”
(posted on behalf of ‘In solidarity with “Out of Place”, London’)

This statement is written by a group of white non-Muslim queer activists in solidarity and support for the writers of the article “Gay Imperialism: Gender and Sexuality Discourse in the ‘War on Terror’” (2008) by Jin Haritaworn, Tamsila Tauquir and Esra Erdem. This article problematises the role of the white queer activist Peter Tatchell, amongst others, in the construction of Muslim communities as homophobic, highlighting the racist and imperialist effect such constructions have in the context of the ‘War on Terror’. Haritaworn et al. point out that in many of Tatchell’s campaigns and political statements the discourse he uses reinforces the idea of Muslims as dangerous extremists, and constructs Muslims as “the other” of white gay people, and that in doing so he dismisses and marginalises the voices and experiences of queer Muslims, in particular those who object to having Tatchell as a spokesperson for their struggles.

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I've decided to start the Bent Pentacle as an outlet for people to share information, experience and stories of queer paganism with others. I hope it will allow those who identify with queer to see how paganism and spirituality can be relevant to their views on gender and sex, and that it will be of interest to pagans who want more information about what queer could have to do with their path, as well as anyone else with an interest in the queer experience, or pagan spirituality, or both. It is completley DIY, which means noone will be making any money from it at any point and the content will be defined by what people want to contribute to it. This allows it to be a space for anyone who has something to say to contribute, including pieces that wouldn't be published in more mainstream publications.

What is queer paganism? A ridiculously brief introduction
This is a very big question and one that will hopefully be explored in the Bent Pentacle. The terms "Queer" and "pagan" have similarities, in that both of them cover a large range of people, identities and activities, and both of them have often failed concrete definitions. Queer can be used as a synonym for Gay, but there has been a growing global movement that has taken on the word as a kind of "non-identity" that centres around the deconstruction and critique of rigidly defined roles of gender and sexuality and the idea that there are many more than two genders and two (or three) sexualities. There is alot of inspiration from the work of writers such as Michael Foucault and Judith Butler.

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LoveKills manifesto

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"Fallopian Falafel – אשת חיל is a non-profit, Jerusalem-based feminist zine established in May, 2007. It deals with feminism in Israel, in all its forms of expression (third-wave, riot grrrl, religious movements, etc.), and it aims to spread awareness about the ongoing need for feminism to the Israeli public. It is worth noting that despite its secular leftist nature, the zine is neither anti-religious nor anti-Zionist." (Text from http://fallopianfalafel.blogspot.com/)

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