Customer Reviews

Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The best part about this book is that Evans offers a historical text which is an alternative to the histories printed by other researchers and writers of the past. His links to other texts, etymologies and traditions is quite substantial and his application of this learning to modern day times in the Western world is still appropriate today, even though this book was written in the 1970's. The only drawback is that he advocates the use of violence in activism in order to get the gay/witchcraft point across, and although this may just be a sign of the time when this book was written, it does put a bit of a dampener on the rest of the text, especially when taking into consideration the wiccan rede. However, this book is a must read for any witch studying history, or any lesbian, gay or bisexual person trying to trace their historical roots.

A seminal work on queer spirituality and historical interpretation

Arthur Evans was one of the earliest stalwarts of the gay liberation movement and one of the founders of New York's Gay Activist Alliance. Born in 1942, Arthur Evans studied at Brown University and received his doctorate from Columbia University (in philosophy). While at Brown, he and friends formed the Brown Freethinkers Society, describing themselves as 'militant atheists' with the objective of combating the harmful effects of organized religion. At Columbia, he was instrumental in the founding of the Student Homophlie League, one of the few campus gay organizations to precede the Stonewall uprising. He is the author of a 1997 3-volume work on queer perspectives on philosophy entitled "Critique of Patriarchal Reason" of which Volume 1 has been published.

"Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture" ("WAGC") is one of the seminal works of the queer spirituality movement.

The book opens with a recounting of the May 30, 1431 burning alive of a young French girl, a transvestite, named Joan of Arc. The book, while primarily "an exposé of the role of homophobia in the European witch hunts" is actually much more than that. It offers a thoroughly researched and well documented chronicle of the Christian Church's genocidal murders of heretics, women and queer folk, moving from the medieval near equation of heresy with sodomy and vice-versa ("How can you call me a Cathar - I, a married man with children!") through the suppression of same-sexed intimacy amongst the third world victims of European colonization through to what was the present day (which is to say, the 1970's).

What the author had to say thirty years ago is still relevant and appropriate today, though some have taken issue with his justification of the use of violence in over-coming oppression.

A careful reading, though, shows this not to be `justification' but simply `explanation' of why and how the then nascent gay movement might understandably have (but didn't) become violent in view of the fact that "Christian violence was responsible for the birth of the modern nation-state ..." and as witnessed by the contemporaneous rise of the radical fundamentalist Christian right and the presidential election of Ronald Reagan. The author of "WAGC" shared with many of us then the sentiment that "the other shoe was about to drop" and the decade of openness birthed by the Stonewall uprising would be ended, likely in a hail of bullets.

I recommend Arthur Evan's work for anyone interested in the history of the Christian Church, queer spirituality or queer history.

This little book is full of amazing and interesting material. I highly recommend it to any LBGT person that is interested in Witchcraft, alternative lifestyles and religions, and historical accounts.

Although some of the information is dry and dated, the overall presentation of information is excellent. I bought my copy used and even though the condition of the book wasn't great, the content definately made up for it.

This is the type of book that should be in every queer library. If you read and liked Randy Conner's book, Blossom of Bone, you will definately enjoy this little masterpiece.

Our history like it's never been told before. This book is chock full of historial insight that shines a light on where we as a society have been and why we are at the place we are now in reference to gender, religion, and sexuality disputes. Get it!

This is the book that has evolved me into the Activist that I am today....I thank the author for having illuminated me on so many subjects and Truths with this book than if I had waited to come across them by myself in the day to day trans-course of my life. Any serious intellectual MUST have a copy of this book to treasure in their Library for ever. Arthur Evans has passed away from us to Summer-land...LONG MAY HE LIVE!!! VIVA!!!

His premise is that there are as many histories as those who write them. His review of pre modern history, as pertaining to medieval religeous history is just as good as any of our more christian based histories. And in some aspects, it is. whether his view is considered extreme from the reliouse right, and it is. and whether it has any more worth of consideration, and it does. is something that needs to be judged not on the authors worth, but the worth of what you do based on the author's claims. Go and research them on your own time. This is his challenge to you. How much of our understanding of history is based on the political motivations of today.

A book with a title such as this lends itself to far too much speculation. True, the book could have been another one of those pseudo new-age self-help books about "finding one's inner spirit" or somesuch. However, Evans provides an excellent historical lineage for concepts and ideas that are perdominant in both religious imagery and gay culture. I would have preferred a bit more detail in tracing certain images, but for anyone looking for a crash course in how homosexuality and witchcraft are related, without any superflous details about how to bewitch a lover or cure heartbreak, this book is a must have. Especially interesting for those interested in comparitive religions!

This excellent book details the direct connections between our cultural mistreatment of homosexuals and the European/American historical religious killing of 'witches' (women 'considered bad') by Christians.

Evans' book broke new ground when it established the link between the historic oppression of gay people and the religion of Witchcraft. This book is an essential for gay people and *all* Witches/Wiccans. Everyone needs to know how our histories are inextricably linked.

This was my first purchase of first ed. and signed, local dealer laughed when I showed her,condition was not great and I should have ask more questions from the dealer,was over charged for the overall condition.