Number 177 Spring 2019 • $11.95 I’M MIGRATIONIssue 178 / Summer 2019 STONEWALL 50 Submission Deadline: April 21, 2019 www.rfdmag.org/upload photo by ysonuts under license: creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, we call for submissions on DIRECT ACTION. We truly honor the legacy of those who rioted when we take di- rect action ourselves. What are our struggles today? Where is direct action going? We ask to hear from Standing Rock and indigenous struggles for space and survival. We ask to hear from those who are part of Black Lives Matter, Occupy, Queers for Climate Justice, and movements to abolish the prison indus- trial complex. Stonewall was festive and defiant, but also messy and violent. In what ways does the state still bear down on our bodies? For a select few, secure in race, gender, or pass- ing privileges, clubs and guns may have become less likely. For the rest of us—black, brown, poor, and especially trans—condi- tions have not much changed. The neglect and abuse of our queer children continues to this day. Many people still live trapped in homophobic communities, hiding and sup- pressing themselves. What happens when we can’t take it anymore, when we feel there is no choice but to act? Many are firmly committed to nonviolence, using our fierce glamour and humor to dazzle, evade, provoke, and inspire as we find ways to put our bodies upon the gears. Others, like the queens and butches who threw bricks and bottles at Stonewall, are committed to doing whatever it takes to bash back against the oppression bearing down on us. What creative tools and skills might we use to take direct action ourselves? How might we act here and now to trans- form our oppression and to conjure a new world into being? RFD 177 Spring 2019 1 Roaming Faerie Diaspora Vol 45 No 3 #177 Spring 2019 “Welcome home!” Do you remember your feelings when you first heard these sweet words? They offer respite and represent the bedrock of fey consciousness and hospitality. With this hearth-felt greeting we become one another’s most cherished resource. Welcome home to this volume of RFD entitled, I’m Migration. Found in these pages are stories of courage by queers from several cultures around the world, peers who challenge us to reflect on their hard-won stories while inspiring us to organize for change. In this volume we ask what are the necessary conditions for LGBTQIA+ people to feel safe, whether in their own coun- try or en route to another? What are the emergent roles and emergency plans of our gatherings and sanctuaries? Which strategies, skills and stories of our own difficult pasts can translate into needed supports and structures that may help our comrades rest in lovers’ arms? As this genera- tion’s story unfolds, let’s be one another’s safe harbors dreaming of fairer days. Feeling safe is paramount and requires many factors both external and internal. Acts of generosity are critical if we are to survive. Be it the temple of our bodies, the roof over our heads or the ways in which we gather, sharing our lives helps resettle our deeply held sensitivities and temporarily nourishes this core need to feel secure. Our community-making helps one another heal by reflecting back the shared dignity of the commons. “Give me your tired, your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” These hallowed words emblazoned on the Statue of Liberty, the Mother of Exiles, are being brazenly erased by the Corp-rupting policies of White House occupiers. When the myths and symbols of nation states sour to bitter untruths and are founded on outright lies, when the co-opted arms of justice build walls of denial and separation, it becomes our task to transform our precious lives into acts of freedom through connection. We recognize the extreme shame of our current political moment here in Amerikkka and around the WorldInc. Histories must be rewritten if we are to undo assumed privileges and return stolen Indigenous lands. By debugging our consciousness of supremacist conditioning we resist the violence of colonial imperialism. RFD contributors show us how to live as enactments of radical mutual liberation. No one wants to leave the comforts of home, our place of birth, unless we have to—whether it is ecological devastation, and/or political, social or civil uprisings, this world is ever and increasingly on the move. Some of us had to escape, some needed to stay. Some fought, some fled; many still suffer. While migration implies moving one’s body through space, it also infers an inner movement of consciousness, identity, ways of bad-ass being-ness. Thank you for simul- taneously navigating these inner shores while seeking and sharing beloved havens so we may celebrate being queer in a non-queer world. Welcome homo! —The RFD Collective Between the Lines2 RFD 177 Spring 2019 RFD is a reader-written journal for gay people which focuses on country living and encourages alternative life- styles. We foster community building and networking, explore the diverse expressions of our sexuality, care for the environment, Radical Faerie consciousness, and nature-centered spirituality, and share experiences of our lives. RFD is produced by volun- teers. We welcome your participation. The business and general production are coordinated by a collective. Features and entire issues are prepared by different groups in various places. RFD (ISSN# 0149-709X) is published quarterly for $25 a year by RFD Press, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Postmaster: Send address changes to RFD, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Non-profit tax exempt #62-1723644, a function of RFD Press with office of registration at 231 Ten Penny Rd., Woodbury, TN 37190. RFD Cover Price: $9.95. A regular subscription is the least expensive way to receive it four times a year. First class mailed issues will be forwarded. Others will not. Send address changes to submissions@rfdmag.org or to our Hadley, MA address. Copyright © RFD Press. The records required by Title 18 U.S.D. Section 2257 and as- sociated with respect to this magazine (and all graphic material associated therewith on which this label appears) are kept by the custodian of records at the following location: RFD Press, 85 N Main St, Ste 200, White River Junction, VT 05001. On the Covers Front & Back: “ I Want To Grow Old” by Vojislav Radovanovic Production Guest Editors: robin hood and Rosie Delicious Managing Editor: Bambi Gauthier Art Director: Matt Bucy Submission Deadlines Summer–April 21, 2019 Fall–July 21, 2019 See inside covers for themes and specifics. For advertising, subscriptions, back issues and other information visit www.rfdmag.org Demonstration in support of immigrants, Paris, November 2016. Photograph by Chang Martin. Visual Contributors in this Issue Images or pieces not directly associated with an article. Chang Martin. ..............................2 Sunlight Moonshadow/Jason Jenn ......17, 40, 41 Chris Moody. ...........................22-24 Aaron Coshaw. ............................32 Vojislav Radovanovic. .....Covers, 39, 46, 52, 53 Summer Minerva ..........................44 Robbie Sweeney .........................48, 50 Bill Castello ...............................55 RFD 177 Spring 2019 3 CONTENTS Announcements .....................................................................6 Expanding Faerie Consciousness Globally .....Hammer ................................8 The “Let Them In!” Resource Page ............robin hood and Rosie Delicious ...........11 The Essence of Ourselves That We Put Into Everything .....................Méraki .................................13 Migrations, Messages and Motivations ........Miqxtja ................................16 The Multiple Migrations of a Transgendered Korean Adoptee ..........Pauline Park ............................18 Chris Moody .......................................................................22 get out of town .............................pink jimmie on a pale blue dot ............25 Report from the Spanish Sanctuary Search, or: Fear and Loathing in Andalucia ........May ...................................26 The Ones Who Stay .........................Ed of All People .........................31 I Wanted to Make Friends ...................anonymous .............................33 Carlito ....................................Uranus .................................34 Stormproof: Cultivating Spiritual Resiliency ...Keala Naone ............................38 Grief is the Sound of Living .................robin hood .............................42 Femminiello//belonging .............................................................44 Le Mani della Mia Nonna ...................Summer Minerva .......................47 Queer Migrants ............................J Jha + Keith Hennessy (Cuz’n) ...........48 Don’t Take Your Marble For Granite ..........UltraViolet .............................54 The Unpunished Vice: A Life of Reading .......Review by Leo Racicot ...................57 Stella Maris: and Other Key West Stories ......Michael Carroll. Review by Leo Racicot ....58 Poem .....................................Tolth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59 Where I’m From, April 1997 .................Robert Meadows ........................60 Transmigration ............................Blackbird ...............................61 Have You Told Your Parents? ................Alan Sugar .............................62Midwinter / Visioning Feb 28–Mar 3 Saratoga Springs, CA thebillys.org Many-Fae-Station Gathering Mar 10–21 Guatemala atitlanradfae.dudaone.com/#Gatherings Ostara Gathering Mar 19 – 26 Featherstone, Haltwhistle, UK albionfaeries.org.uk New Zealand Summer Radical Faerie Gathering Mar 21–25 Raglan, New Zealand www.radfae.org Maple Sugaring Gatherette Mar 22–25 DeKalb Junction, NY radfae.org Spring Awakening Gathering April 5-8 Chengdu, China chas@faeriesexmagick.org Black Leather Wings Rites Apr 6 San Francisco, CA www.blackleatherwings.org Sex Magic Apr 6–13 Austin, TX faeriesexmagick.org Spring Awakening Gathering Apr 7–14 Andalusia, Spain eurofaeries.eu Spring Retreat April 12–14 Highlands, NC gayspiritvisions.org Spring ButchQueens Community Week Apr 14–21 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Magic Gathering Apr 24–28 Gloucestershire, UK albionfaeries.org.uk Beltane Apr 27–May 4 Nomenus, Wolf Creek,OR nomenus.org Beltane Gathering Apr 27–May 5 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Berlin City Gathering Apr 30–May 5 Berlin, Germany radfae.org May Day May 1–5 Saratoga Springs, CA thebillys.org Beltane May 2–5 Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada akaamberfox.ca We Here Now– ZMS Renewal Convergence May 10–20 Ramah, NM www.zms.org Meditation Retreat May 16–20 The Channon, Australia www.ozfaeries.com Victoria Day Gathering May 17–19 Amber Fox, Ontario, Canada akaamberfox.ca BC Radical Faerie Camp May 17–20 British Columbia, Canada bcradfae.ca Spring Love Awakening May 19–24 Glastonbury, UK albionfaeries.org.uk Kench Hill May 24–27 Kench Hill, Tenterden, Kent UK www.edwardcarpentercommunity.org.uk Welcome Home May 24–27 Faerie Camp Destiny, Grafton, VT www.faeriecampdestiny.org Gavdos Gathering May 28–Jun 5 Agios Ioannis, Gavdos, Greece https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1409750252484141/events/ Laurieston Hall “Connections” Jun 8–14 Laurieston Hall, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland www.edwardcarpentercommunity.org.uk Naraya Jun 12–16 Nomenus, Wolf Creek,OR nomenus.org Europride Vienna City Gatherette Jun 13–16 Vienna, Austria radicalfaeries.at Solstice Gathering Jun 15–23 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Canada Day Gathering Jun 28–Jul 1 Fox’s Haven, Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada akaamberfox.ca Faerie Sex Magick Jun 29–Jul 6 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Sex Magic Jun 29–Jul 6 Nomenus, Wolf Creek,OR faeriesexmagick.org Faerie Spirit Gathering Jul 1–6 Kawashaway, MN radfae.org July Fourth Jul 1–7 Saratoga Springs, CA thebillys.org SGRF Jul 8–10 Nomenus, Wolf Creek,OR nomenus.org GATHERING GUIDEPan Gathering Jul 12–19 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org American Ridge Radical Faerie Gathering Jul 15–22 Naches, WA americanridgegathering.org MidWest Men’s Festival Jul 16 – 25 McLouth, KS http://midwestmensfestival.com/ Summer Community Weeks Jul 21–29 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Lammas Jul 26–Aug 4 Faerie Camp Destiny, Grafton, VT www.faeriecampdestiny.org Faerie Roots and Ancestors’ Great Circle Jul 30–Aug 4 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org High Summer Gathering Jul 31–Aug 5 Amber Fox, Ontario, Canada akaamberfox.ca Lammas Gathering Aug 2–11 Kawashaway, MN radfae.org Naturrrisme Gathering Aug 5–13 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Queer Spirit Mystery School Aug 9–19 ZMS, Ramah, NM www.zms.org Faerie Camp at Queer Spirit Festival Aug 14-18 Northamptonshire, UK albionfaeries.org.uk Breitenbush Summer Gathering Aug 14–18 Breitenbush, OR www.cascadiafaeries.org Art in Abundance Gathering Aug 14–21 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Golden Sands Black Sea Gathering Aug 17–25 Varna, Bulgaria radicalfaeries.at High Close Aug 20–27 Lake District, UK www.edwardcarpentercommunity.org.uk Harmony in Nature S.P.A.C.E. Retreat Aug 24–Sep 2 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Blue Heron Farm Gathering Aug 25–Sep 2 DeKalb Junction, NY radfae.org Labor Day Aug 29–Sep 2 Saratoga Springs, CA thebillys.org Meditation Retreat Sep 5–9 The Channon, Australia www.ozfaeries.com Sex Magic Sep 7–14 Faerie Camp Destiny, Grafton, VT faeriesexmagick.org Shamanic Reconnection Gathering Sep 9–15 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Shamanic Reconnection Gathering Sep 9–15 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Fall Conference Sep 19–22 Highlands, NC gayspiritvisions.org Pendulum Sep 19–24 Nomenus, Wolf Creek,OR nomenus.org Radical Rest Gathering Sep 25–Oct 2 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Coldwell Sep 27–30 Coldwell near Burnley, UK www.edwardcarpentercommunity.org.uk Thanksgiving Gathering Oct 11–14 Amber Fox, Ontario, Canada akaamberfox.ca Fall Foliage Oct 11–14 Faerie Camp Destiny, Grafton, VT www.faeriecampdestiny.org GlitterBall Oct 12 Jiggi Hall, NSW, Australia www.ozfaeries.com Samhain Gatheirng Oct 17–20 Lake Nipissing, Ontario, Canada akaamberfox.ca Sex Magic Oct 19–26 Nimbin, NSW, Australia www.ozfaeries.com Lumbers Community Weeks Oct 19–Nov 3 Folleterre, Ternuay, France www.folleterre.org Samhain Oct 27–Nov 3 Nomenus, Wolf Creek,OWR nomenus.org Halloween Oct 30–Nov 3 Saratoga Springs, CA thebillys.org Samhain Gathering Oct Featherstone, Haltwhistle, UK albionfaeries.org.uk New Year’s Dec 27–Jan 1 St Dorothy’s Rest thebillys.org Summer Gathering Dec Dates TBD Nimbin, NSW, Australia www.ozfaeries.com6 RFD 177 Spring 2019 ANNOUNCEMENTS faeriesexmagick.org 169 - First level Austin, TX - April 6-13 Folleterre, France - June 29- July 6 Faerie Camp Destiny, VT - Sept 7-14 Faerieland, Australia - Oct 19-26 269 - Second level Wolf Creek, OR - June 29- July 6 faerie sex magick workshops 2019 The New Body Electric School Big Change !!! How many life-changing experiences have I had? I can’t count them all. I’m fortunate that way, and also have had a long life of invoking uplifting change. To me, change that leads toward a deeper and more meaningful life is always good. And change that increases my availability for intimate connection is the best! Since before I came out at the age of twenty, I’ve always felt the importance of integrating sexuality with my spiritual life. So one of my most significant life-changing experiences was discovering of Body Electric. Attending the two-day workshop “Celebrating the Body Erotic” many years ago gave me tools for exploration and experimen- tation that have served me well ever since. There are many teachers who provide various angles on exploring intimacy, and many of them are excellent. Having said that, Body Electric is unique in that the program is so well-designed, well-established, and is facilitated with very high standards. Last year, I found myself pulled into the effort to shift the School away from private ownership. It’s been a wild ride, working with a wonderful team of folks who really love the work of the School, and I’m thrilled to say: WE DID IT! We’re open for business, now as a nonprofit, which is the model that fits best. Years ago it was only for gay men, but now there are events for all genders. So, I want to encourage you, dear RFD reader, to check out the calendar, and consider giving yourself the huge gift of a Body Electric workshop. http:// thebodyelectricschool.com. We’ve lowered the prices significantly from the past, but even so, don’t let money get in the way—there are scholarships available too. With love in this breath in this mo- ment. —Mountaine. Radical Faeries of Albion Dear Faeries of the World and beyond: 2019 marks forty years since our conception. Here in Albion (United Kingdom), some of us are in the process of organising a series of happenings which involve art exhibitions to celebrate forty years of Fa- erie fundamentals. Doing something similar? We’re eager to hear if there are any other events being planned across the globe, dreaming that we could somehow weave them together creating a global web of jubilation. If you would like to get involved, find out more information or to share with us your plans to honour the Ruby anniversary of Fae please contact us on faerieuk@gmail.com. Big hugs! P.S. Photos needed! If any global faeries have photographs from Faerie gatherings they wish to be showcased in the our timeline exhibition, please get in touch. RFD 177 Spring 2019 7 S ince the first gatherings in Terschelling in 1995 and the inauguration in 2005 of the first sanctuary of Fol- leterre in France, the EuroFaerie family has grown rap- idly. In recent years, this mushrooming of interest and engagement of old and new faeries alike with Folleterre has put a great deal of strain on the existing infrastruc- ture and emotional capacity of the community. Further, our only sanctuary in Europe remains closed for half of the year throughout the proverbial “faerie winter”. To that extent the general sentiment among the community for sometime has been that new sanctuary projects should be a priority and a variety of efforts have been underway to add to the diversity of faerie cultures across Europe and to create sister-homes to Folleterre. One such project has been the efforts to scout new land in Spain and Por- tugal which began early in 2018. One of the lands discovered - a lush south facing valley in Portugal, overlooking the Village of Sortelha, bewitched a group of enthusiastic faeries, who collectively proceeded to lease it for a period of two years with expressed intention and preferential rights to purchase it if it proves viable as a long term sanctuary space. A vital and connecting experience was had by those who initially stum- bled upon the now fondly named Alto das Fadas (literally “faerie hill”). The already habitable house growing out of a magnificent rock; ancient boulders littering the land; the multiple water sources and impressive views of the surrounding valleys and charming medieval Iberian villages, embodied a sense of gravitas and magic - holding great promise and potential as a nurturing and thriving faerie sanctuary. This is both an announcement of our progress and an invitation to connect and get involved with our ef- forts. We are currently seeking some faerie coin to the tune of 20,000€ to secure Alto das Fadas over the short term. This will help contribute to the first year’s rent, setting up a cooperative to steward the land, legal fees, purchase of tools and to prepare to host our first gather- ing around Beltane. Beyond finance we are seeking faerie minds, hands and hearts to join our effort—either by joining our Steward’s Circle, actively working on the land or by organising and offering material donations to the sanctuary (such as beds / tents / kitchen equip- ment). To donate, please visit our fundraising site: https:// faenet.org/donate/alto-das-fadas. For more informa- tion, please visit the Alto das Fadas FaeNet home page: faenet.org/community/pages/283-alto-das-fadas-sanc- tuary/info. Thank you fae—we hope to see you at Alto das Fadas soon! Alto das Fadas (Faerie Hill) Needs You! Images courtesy author.Next >