Increasingly since this site was put together he subject of Radical Faeries has been injected into some of the discussions and even hold a couple places here on gayburners.com in the Groups section [Radical Faeries in Groups]. There is some thought that these are two worlds that can fit together.
There is an influence in San Francisco among such legendary camps as Comfort & Joy that operate under the RF flag. Many of the key leaders in that camp these days are also leaders in that community.
Kyle and Kitten will probably be the main people injecting some content here from the RF part of the community. They will talk a little more about the marriage of these two groups as time progresses. Certainly their web site www.playajoy.com has links and resources that could be very valuable.
What is a Radical Faerie?
There is a hesitation to define that here, but the description on the group now was borrowed. So borrowing once more:
“Generally, we tend to be gay men who look for a spiritual dimension to our sexuality;many of us are healers of one kind or another.
Our shared values include feminism, respect for the Earth, and individual responsiblity rather than hierarchy. Many of us are Pagan (nature-based religion).
Our defining events are Faerie Gatherings, where we’ll get together for an extended retreat, usually in the woods, separated from the outside world. A lot of that time is spent in “heart circles,” where we open up emotionally.
Of course, that’s just this circle’s attempt at a definition.” – radfae.org
How does this tie to the Burners? Well – hello! It sounds like a trip to Burning Man in this quote alone. As time progresses more information will come, but the core of this site is BURNING MAN! QUEERS AT BURNING MAN or ….or…. living the life of a Burner by the 10 principles.
Love&Light
My vote is NO. (Unless you want to just increase page visits.) Burning Man is Burning Man; Radical Faries are Radical Fairies.
No, as noted in the last paragraph this site’s mission is Queer Burners. We are just seeing an overlap of the two communities. We being some of the people contributing to the site and such. John, we’re not becoming a Radical Faerie site, just embracing new ideas… or old ideas with new faces…. Your feedback is great and will definitely keep it in mind moving forward.
Radical Faeries are just one of many types of queer Burners. I want to definitely want to hear more from any groups that have overlapping values/interests with queer burning man folks. So yes: more! of everything!
Here’s another way to answer the Question asked above:
Q: What are radical faeries?
A:The basic idea behind the Radical Faeries is that being two-spirited or “gay” is not a curse, weakness, flaw or perversion, but instead, a precious gift… a source of insight & talent that we should cultivate & explore, not suppress. The point of faerie sanctuaries is to provide a refuge for gays to get temporarily get away from a hostile mainstream culture, so we can learn more about the gifts of insight that come with being gay amongst our brothers & elders who can help us become better versions of ourselves.
Early faerie leader Harry Hay said that we shouldn’t forever stay in Sanctuary space – that is for temporary healing, educational and spiritual events. We also have a Responsibility to go back into mixed society & use our gifts to serve the human species as a whole, as leaders, teachers, priests, mediators, designers, artists, & thinkers, according to Harry’s vision. The specifics will be different for each individual, which is a beautiful thing, as are the regional specialties of the faerie sanctuaries across this country, because this local diversity leads to a stronger national whole.
In short, two-spirited people have an important role that benefits all of society, as well as a duty to help advance the good of all humanity (and the planet). Radical Faeries are those who understand this, work to develop their two spirit gifts with an eye toward serving the greater community good, and live accordingly.