Winter 2002 Lady Liberty League Report Published in CIRCLE Magazine LLL Prison Ministry Task Force Update Pagan Group Seeks Charter at Methodist University Dear Abby Learns About Paganism Florida Statues and the Pledge Use this list to link directly to the article you wish to read, or simply scroll down for all articles LLL Prison Ministry Task Force Update In the last few months, Lady Liberty League has received over 70 requests for help with religious discrimination cases from both Pagan inmates and Pagan clergy from around the USA. News of our work is beginning to spread and the number of requests are skyrocketing. Requests have come in from many different institutions and many different states, including: California, Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Oklahoma, Utah, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin, New York, Virginia, Vermont, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, and Maine. Patrick McCollum, the LLL Prison Ministry Task Force coordinator, is following up on as many cases as possible, but the requests are piling up. Some of the most common forms of discrimination Pagans in prison face include being unjustly classified as a security threat or not being all owed to celebrate the Sabbats. Sometimes, inmates who state their religious preference as Wiccan or Pagan, are sent to the "Hole" until they agree to change their faith preference. In some prisons, Pagan inmates are deprived of their religious items, and Pagan books are banned. In contrast, at these same institutions, Christian inmates are allowed all of the rights that Pagans are denied. The good news is that, because of the work LLL has been doing nationwide in numerous correctional departments, things are improving. Three state correctional agencies in the last three months have actually contacted LLL and requested help in developing Pagan religious programs. Also, several federal prisons have expressed an interest in developing inservice training for their staff and clergy. And in spite of the overwhelming number of help requests each month, overall, LLL is still successfully battling and winning nearly every single case. In early October, as a result of negotiations with the state of Colorado, where Patrick served as an expert witness on a Pagan civil rights case, two Pagan clergy members were installed as State Chaplains to meet the needs of inmates there and a number of religious rights were secured. Among these were the right for Wiccans to claim vegan or vegetarian meals based on religious preference and the right to have the day off from work to celebrate the Sabbats. In Texas, after LLL's intervention, Pagan clergy have finally been allowed into institutions where they were originally denied access, and several new volunteers have come forward to help Marie MacDonald in that state. In Missouri, inmates in the Christian County jail had been denied visits by Pagan clergy, but with LLL's help, access has now been approved. In September, Selena Fox was among the appointed religious leaders who began serving on the newly formed Wisconsin Department of Corrections Religious Practices Advisory Committee. In addition to religious leaders from world religions, the committee is composed of several corrections officials, including a warden and prison chaplains. The purpose of the committee is to examine issues and give input on policy pertaining to religious accommodation in the state prison system. In recent months, Selena has also continued her consulting work with chaplains in the federal prison system. Currently, Lady Liberty League seeks more volunteers to minister to inmates in prison systems across the US. We are also in desperate need of donations to support our work. Last year, the costs for fighting religious discrimination for Pagans cost nearly $30,000. And the total of the donations LLL received for this program were somewhere in the vicinity of $2,000. Without your help, we cannot continue at this rate. Those who are interested in helping as volunteers, please write to Patrick McCollum at: 550 Center St., PMB 133, Moraga, CA 94556. If you are making a donation, please make check or money orders out to Circle, specify that it is for the LLL Prison Program in your correspondence, and send to: Circle Sanctuary, PO Box 219, Mt. Horeb, WI 53572, USA. Pagan Group Seeks Charter at Methodist University The Pagan student group, Pursuers of All Things Holy and Sacred (PATHS), is currently being denied a charter as a religious organization at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas. PATHS is a student-based organization that seeks to provide a safe and open environment for the exploration of Nature Spirituality, that is, spirituality that acknowledges the divinity embodied within the Earth and our environment, as well as the Divine nature of humanity and relationship with the Universe. PATHS functions as a community that fosters education, awareness, growth, and tolerance. Paths does not seek to promote any one religion, but instead recognizes the beauty and validity of all modes of religious expression. Circle Sanctuary and LLL have been aiding the group with their quest. In the Summer of 2002, Circle Sanctuary agreed to be the group's outside sponsor, which is one of the requirements for receiving a charter. Selena Fox is Circle Sanctuary's liaison with the group. Other rules for chartered organization at SMU require the following: that the applying group 1) is a religious organization, 2) has met the criteria stated by University guidelines, 3) is distinct in its organizational identity; and finally, 4) will enhance the community in a significant way from energies given to a healthy working environment. In September of 2002, PATHS first presented its application and constitution to the Campus Ministry Council (CMC). At that time, CMC voted to table PATHS' application for chartered status, based on some concerns about the group's constitution. PATHS addressed these concerns by rewriting their constitution, and, in October 2002, appeared before CMC once again. At this meeting, CMC voted to deny the application. The vote was 16-5, with the Muslim and Hindu student associations being PATHS' most outspoken supporters. The official reason for the CMC denial of charter was a clause in PATHS' by-laws about the closed nature of rituals. It is not yet known why concerns about this clause were not expressed with other issues in September. However, based on feedback from people who were in the meeting (PATHS members were not allowed to sit in on the discussion), it appears that the group's application was primarily denied on theological grounds, something that is in direct violation of the CMC constitution. PATHS is in the process of rewriting the particular by-law that was cited as grounds for denial. The group plans to reapply to the CMC in February of 2003 (the earliest possible reapplication date), and plans to continue to reapply as often as needed in order to achieve chartered status. Group members are also working on a handbook which will address various questions about Paganism and about the group in particular. Letters of support are being secured from around campus. LLL is working with PATHS to help educate the SMU campus and the members of the CMC about Paganism and the positive effects a Pagan group can have on the University community. For more information on PATHS, see http://people.smu.edu/adomingu/paths.html. Anyone wishing to help PATHS with their quest should email paths_smu@yahoo.com, with a cc: to liberty@mhtc.net. Dear Abby Learns About Paganism "Bride's Witching Hour Has Family Bothered, Bewildered" was a caption in a recent Dear Abby column. The article was written by "Be-witched Sister" in Sacramento (California), whose sister is a Witch and Pagan practitioner. The bride was planning a midnight wedding under an Autumn Full Moon, surrounded by candlelight. The writer was hurt that her sister was choosing not to have family participate in the planning of the wedding and that their mother was asked to be part of the clean-up crew. The writer wanted to know if she and her mother should overlook their hurt feelings and attend the wedding or simply send a gift. Dear Abby responded that their mother should decline to be part of the clean-up crew and wrote that her sister appears to be in a world of her own. Dear Abby went on to say, "I don't know how serious her interest in Witchcraft is, or how long it will last. However, if you and your mother are curious about what the ceremony will be like, I think you should attend. Take an afternoon nap on the big day and if you start to get sleepy around midnight, then stay for only a short spell." In response, Wiccans sent hundreds of letters and emails of concern to Dear Abby. Her next headline read, "Pagan Priestess Sets Record Straight on Marriage Customs." Dana Corby, a High Priestess and Pagan Elder in Tacoma, Washington, wrote a wonderful letter to Dear Abby explaining handfasting ceremonies. Dana also wrote that she "took deep issue with your denigrating comment, 'I have no idea how serious her interest in Witchcraft is or how long it will last.' You imply that Witchcraft is something the sister is likely to get over. That's what my family thought in 1970. You don't question the commitment of people married in Jewish, Christian, or Buddhist (etc.) rites. It's inappropriate to question that of a Pagan." Dear Abby responded, "Chalk it up to my ignorance, which is something that can be corrected." Another letter published was from Willow, a Minnesota Witch, who commented about Dear Abby saying that the bride appeared to be in a world of her own. Willow wrote, "Not so. There are thousands of Pagans. You just don't see us because we look just like you. We are doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, etc." Dear Abby responded that in the last few weeks she had learned more about Paganism than she ever expected. She invited those who wanted to learn more about this "ancient religion" to visit the "web site of the Covenant of the Goddess, an international organization of Wiccan congregations at www.cog.org. I'm sure it will be a revelation." Florida Statues and the Pledge In Florida, Stephney and Marcel Aigret have requested LLL's help, which they are receiving from LLL representative Jerrie Hildebrand of Massachusetts. The case started off as a Pledge of Allegiance issue. In light of the Federal 9th District Court ruling earlier this year on the Pledge, they wanted to approach their local school board about not having children be forced to say it in class. In Florida, state law requires students to recite the Pledge unless they have a note from their parents (Florida statute 233.0655). However, the Aigrets believe that writing such a note takes their children's rights as citizens of this country away from them. After speaking with the principal and then the superintendent about this, they wrote a letter asking that their request about the pledge be placed on the agenda at the next school board meeting. Subsequently, mass copies of this letter to the school were made and circulated around town, without the permission of the Aigrets. Afterward, they were bombarded with calls from the media. The letter included the family's names, unlisted phone numbers, and street address on it. The school was unable to say how the letter got out to the public, and a call was received from the school's attorney apologizing for the situation. However, the situation worsened. On the first day of school this year, the children were harassed with taunts by three separate teachers. A meeting with the parties involved was held. A local paper published letters to the editor regarding the situation, and the majority of the letters were very hate filled. A representative at the newspaper reported that they had printed the ones that were printable and that they had not seen so much hate mail on one subject in a long time. However, articles written regarding the situation overall have been very supportive of the Aigret family and the stand the children are taking. Stephney and Marcel Aigret appeared in front of the school board and in front of media and picketers. The school board replied with an already prepared statement clearly showing they had no intention of hearing the Aigrets. Since that time the family has heard from a variety of national talk-radio shows, TV stations, and newspapers. They have decided to use these media requests to their advantage, as long as the media is accurate and will not mention the kids, and are receiving coaching from Pagan media experts. Thus far, all the press has been very supportive. Currently, the Aigret's daughter sits during the pledge and their son stands, but doesn't recite it. This is not because they are not patriotic, which they are. These young people are instead showing great courage in the face of adversity. The principal says that the school has received a letter from the children's parents stating that the children didn't have to participate in the pledge. The Aigrets, however, say they have never written such a letter, and that, according to the statute, they are the only ones who could make that request. The Aigret's requested a copy of the letter, but the principal claimed to not be able to find it and now has changed the story, saying the school instead received a phone call. The Aigrets have been contacted by an attorney who has offered to coach them in this issue. In addition, the Aigrets have since uncovered the teaching of creationism in their son's grade level, as well as additional state statues that allow Christian religion to cross over into a school's curriculum. They have been doing the necessary research to confront these issues head on. Currently, they are looking for legal assistance in the state of Florida on religious issues in the schools and regarding the state statutes on the reciting of the Pledge. The Aigrets would like coaching on how to change and lead the charge to changing state statutes on these issues in Florida. If you are an attorney in Florida, or know of anyone able to support LLL and the Aigrets with this case, please contact Jerrie via email at LdyLibertas@aol.com, with a cc to liberty@mhtc.net. Thank you.   © 2002, Circle Sanctuary. LLL Report is published quarterly in CIRCLE Magazine. Click here for Subscription Information.