Click here for the San Francisco Faerie Pride Guide 2009!
What does it mean to be a Radical Faery? When our forefaeries dreamed us up, they imagined we would radically alter the perception of queers in the Muggle world by turning away from assimilation into straight, capitalistic culture and toward a proud queerness informed by Native American and other pagan traditions. They saw us taking on respectable roles as healers, mediators, shamans, seers and stewards of the earth. But they expected hard times for us before we reached that stature. That’s why they thought it important for us to create sanctuaries.
We’ve seen hard times in these past thirty years, but our sanctuaries didn't serve to protect us. Our ranks were decimated, our dreams deferred. We are having an influence, but... well, we haven’t yet done much to change the status of queers. Do we still hope to?
It’s said, “You’re a Radical Faery if you say you are.” Really? That’s all it takes? Then our gatherings become just another flavor of circuit party (with much the same substances). Is getting freaky in the woods what makes a Faery? Don’t we distinguish ourselves from others by our values, by our interpersonal politics?
Think about it. What makes you a Radical Faery? Your answers are probably different from answers of thirty years ago when themovement was newborn. We’ve grown a lot since then. We’re older (and younger) now; we’re more numerous; and we’re more diverse. Are we also more powerful? Is our presence felt more clearly in the world? Do we serve a greater purpose than in years past? Our Saturn return calls on us to think about courage and integrity, as well as responsibility. Saturn disciplines us until we can learn to discipline ourselves. Are we there yet? If so, where do we go from here?
For one thing we’re going global. This is the first issue of RFD with a presence on the world-wide web, and it’s the largest issue of RFD ever. It’s a double issue in two ways: We have issued it through two portals; and the contents of our two issues are entirely different. In fact, it’s more than a double issue (with more than twice the contents of a typical print issue of RFD)— here on the web we are happy to be able to offer you audio, video and lots of art and color photographs. Look at the "Web Issue Contents" in the upper right corner of this webpage to see what we have for you here. To get our print issue, click the Subscribe button at the top of this page. Scores of talented Bay Faes have contributed their work to this double issue. We all hope you will enjoy it. —Tinkerbear, Mojo, Jesse, Wingheart, Wow and Wyn (the SF RFD team)
PLEASE NOTE: We are in the process of renovating this website. Soon we will add illustrations and links to many of the articles listed in our Web Issue Contents. We will also have a Contributors page with photos, bios, and links. We invite you to revisit our site over the next days and weeks to see how things develop.
