You know how it's not o.k. to stereotype?
Well watch this:
San Francisco = Gay; Haight-Ashbury = Hippies. Anybody
have
a problem with that? In the spirit of the Contract on
America,
which the republicans in Congress recently put out on
us, let
me be the first to usher in the new era of "political
inconceivableness."
We're bold, we're blunt, and we intend to offend. Whatever.
That off
my chest, we now return you to our regularly scheduled
article.
When you see the juxtaposed words, Radical
Fairies, your imagination
works on images. Perhaps you conjure up the notion of
effeminate men
lobbing molotov cocktails at cops in retribution for
busting heads at an
AIDS benefit? Or if you're not politically bent, you
might picture a kid
finding kind buds under her pillow instead of quarters;
a rad little Tooth
Fairy buzzing around the room checking out the snow boarding
posters on
the wall.
The lesson here is that although stereotypes
are fun, they're
not bright enough to shine any light on the truth, the
whole truth,
and nothing but the truth, so help me goddess. San Francisco
is
not all gay, and the Haight is not just for Hippies.
But if you are a
gay Hippie, boy are you in luck. The Radical Fairies
have been holding
court in the hood for fifteen years, and the organization
is still growing,
sprinkling "back to nature" pixie dust amongst its devoted
membership.
If your stereotyped image of "Gay Hippie"
doesn't appeal to your 90's
sensibilities, but you're intrigued nonetheless, I suggest
two things:
1) Don't trust what you see in print (written words can
be careless and vague).
2) Jot down this number, (415) 626-3369.
That's the Telefairy Hotline number that will provide
a recorded listing of
upcoming community events such as: Kundalini Yoga, Dream
Circles (bring
your dream journal), Heart Circles, Vegetarian Pot Luck
Dinners, and the
occasional politically inspired gathering.
The Radical Fairies got their start
in 1978 at an inspired gathering of the
extended Rainbow family. The Rainbow Gathering occurs
annually the first
week in July. Each year a committee selects a beautiful
and remote wilderness
area suitable to accommodate the thousands of pilgrims
who reunite to revel in
relative freedom--primal fashion. Let your imaginations
chew on that for a while.
The Rainbow folks are non-exclusive, all stripes of peaceful
people are welcomed
home by the family, (but not always by the constabulary
of the area they've invaded
for the week).
When the founding fathers of the Radical
Fairies (gay friends from California)
decided to personalize the experience of the Rainbow
Gathering, their vision
included the familiar fantasies of the "Back to Nature"
movement: To work the
land and live and love in peace among friends who share
a deep and expansive
reverence for the Earth. This dream is an eight year
old reality sitting on 100 acres
of Wolf Creek, Oregon. Wolf Creek is part commune and
part retreat for the Radical
Fairies who have grown from a small circle of friends
to 600 Bay Area "members,"
100 of whom live here in the Haight.
Rad. Fairy co-founding father and prominent
marijuana rights activist Dennis
Peron (whom I thank for providing me with an overview
of the group), is an
active local mainstay. Other pockets of organized R.F.'s
can be found in Portland,
Seattle, Santa Cruz, and New York. For further reading
by and about Radical Fairies,
a publication called R.F.D. might be found in your favorite
Anarchist/Pagan bookstore.
If you think you might be a Radical Fairy trapped in
just a plain Fairy's body, call up the
Telefairy Hotline, choose an event and simply show up.
You'll know soon enough if this
is your scene.