The Boston Radical Faerie Circle

Address: Boston, MA

Years Active: 1979–Present

The Boston Radical Faerie Circle is a local gathering of the Radical Faeries—one of at least two in Massachusetts, the other one further west in Ware—which the national website describes as “queer people who look for a spiritual dimension to our sexuality.” The Radical Faeries, on their main website, stress the individuality of each of the many circles of the group across the country, refraining from speaking for all local gatherings. While many members of the numerous Radical Faerie circles are “pagan or follow a nature-based religion,” their website stresses that the circles all share values of “individual responsibility rather than hierarchy, gender fluidity, feminism, respect for the Earth.” 

The following statement on the Boston Radical Faeries was provided to LGBTQ RAN on June 19, 2024:

The Radical Faeries are not a religious movement as such—certainly not a church or even a spiritual tradition. Margo Adler in the revised edition of her book DRAWING DOWN THE MOON included a chapter about the Faeries --I think that was in the 1989 edition, and I guess she would have done further revision in the 2006 edition, but I don't have the books here. So in the context of that book, the Faeries are portrayed as a Neo-Pagan spiritual tradition for queer men. However, only some Faeries take an interest in Neo-Pagan magical and spiritual practices. As I mention later on, the spiritual and religious inclinations and activities of Faeries are highly varied, including many agnostic or atheist individuals. We don't police people's spiritual beliefs in the movement.

The Faeries started out for gay men in 1979. There were always bi men who took part from the very beginning, but when they spoke out and shared their own experiences, there were occasional disagreements in the early years. Thankfully, this particular kind of gatekeeping did not persist. Since the late 1990s, Faerie spaces have been increasingly welcoming and inclusive for people of all gender identities and variants.

The first Gathering in 1979 was called by four people: Harry Hay, his partner John Burnside, Don Kilhefner, and Mitch Walker. Harry Hay positioned himself and was embraced by many as the de facto founder of the Faeries. There were controversies which are too entangled and Byzantine to attempt to summarize here, and every Faerie who was around in the early years has their own story to tell.

And that last sentence sums up the movement and the communities that have arisen from it in an effectively brief manner. Both the strength of the Faerie movement as well as its weakness (or tendency for things to dissipate and unravel) is because of just how diverse the personalities, energies, and work/play of the movement has been.

Some terms:

The Heart Circle is, for some of us, the crucible and the seed from which everything else in the movement evolves. It's a safe space in which we share moments, questions, joys and concerns of our lives, from one heart to the other.  According to Harry Hay, a purpose of the Heart Circle is to promote what he called subject-SUBJECT consciousness, which he differentiated from the objectifying experience of personhood in what activist and author T. Thorn Coyle has called "the Overculture."

Gatherings, or Gatherettes, are times when Faeries convocate to celebrate, share Heartspace, learn from one another, carry on with one another, and further our connections in community.

The early years of the Boston Faerie Circles are intertwined with the very first Faerie Gathering which happened over Labor Day weekend in 1979. At that gathering, those who attended were encouraged to begin planning and holding local or regional gatherings (smaller ones that happen typically over a 3 day weekend are commonly called Gatherettes now).

There were Faerie forerunners prior to the 1979 Gathering, including an early 1970s gender-"bending" performance troupe called the Sugar Plum Faeries that had some Boston gay men amongst its members.

The Boston community was re-kindled by a visit from Harry Hay and John Burnside at a Boston bookshop circa 1995. Around the same time, a group of Northeast Faeries were working to establish Faerie Camp Destiny in Southern Vermont, a community that is now close to celebrating its 30th anniversary of celebration and evolution. Many Boston Faeries took a role in the work to build this community.

A new phase in the life of the Boston Faerie Circles was inaugurated circa 2014-2016 (I'd have to look through old emails to try and get a clear date for this) with the Faerie Cabaret Gatherette which happens each year over President's Day weekend.

The community events in Metro Boston now take the form of very occasional potluck dinners in the homes of various Faeries as well as a dance night that happens monthly.

At a heart circle I attended last February, what I was hearing from many people relatively new to the Faerie experience was that the feelings of safety, inclusion, welcoming and belonging were very significant reasons why they felt drawn to the space of Faerie.

Spiritually, Faeries often show openness to Earth-based spirituality, Indigenous traditions when it has been appropriate for non-Indigenous folks to be part of these, Buddhism, reform Judaism, and even some Christian churches. That is not a complete list. Some Faeries have no deep interest in spiritual exploration at all; it's simply about community and a safe space in which to have fun and relax.

Sources and Further Information:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/619729648042222/

https://www.radfae.org/about