Today marks the beginning of the autumn equinox. Arguably the time of year where gays come most alive from the thought of endless pumpkin-spice lattes, breaking out the chunky mustard sweaters, and the return of American Horror Story, the fall also beckons in the biggest gay holiday of the year: Halloween (a.k.a. Gay Christmas).
It’s hard to imagine Halloween season without thinking about witches, and in honor of their time to shine, we’re channeling our inner Nancy from The Craft and taking a deep-dive into queer witches online to see exactly just what they’re up to.
Whether you buy into their magical spells and rituals or not, there’s no denying that queer people have been enchanted by witchcraft for decades.
Google #queerwitch and you’ll find thousands of Instagram posts, tweets, and even TikTok videos featuring LGBTQ+ witches engaging in their art. In fact, according to a 2015 survey conducted by Pew Research Center, around twice as many queer adults as the general public say they identify as a member of a non-Christian faith group, including Wicca and paganism.
Why? At its core, witchcraft is rooted in healing, rebellion, and rituals: all things that are intertwined with LGBTQ+ culture.
Just like the witches that were once persecuted for their powers, queer people also relate to being told our very existence is threatening to society. If we’re going to be deemed as evil, why not step fully into our dark side and have a little fun while we’re at it?
Not only that, but witchcraft predates Christianity and other religions that hold so much power in our modern society, so in a sense, we can take back that power by returning to the purest forms of spiritual practice.
But what exactly does a gay witch do? It’s time to unveil what’s in the cauldron.
Turns out, some of them, like the smouldering @green_witch_miami on TikTok, take their craft very, very seriously. In the below clip, he shares with us his favorite,ahem, “tool”, a gift given to him by another witch that he “uses a lot”. We can’t help but notice the erotic shape. Leave it to a gay witch to choose something so on point.
He also gives us a little lesson on the difference between black magic and white magic. If you don’t believe in this stuff, how do you explain getting hypnotized by those eyes?
Another gay witch on Tiktok, @witchofsouthernlight, lets us in on the fact that you can’t just have herbs without telling them what you want them to do, even if means your inner bitchy queen needs to give them a little sass.
“You better f*cking protect me,” he snaps at his jar of botanicals.
But what good is being a gay witch if you can’t use it for very important gay matters? TikToker @lesby.onix tells us gay witches do just that.
“After meeting people on Grindr, I kind of like to you know, just cleanse out a little bit” he states, as he sages his room with a spell.
“Should we be bad boys and do some crystals tonight?”, he continues, mocking various other things gay witches say.
But in all seriousness, how can a gay man use witchcraft to truly better his life? This gay witch, @batcavefreak, tells us which herbs will not only attract a lover, but which ones specifically will attract a top or a bottom. Now we’re talking!
Sadly, it’s not all fun and games, as one practitioner wearing a pentacle necklace gives us a glimpse of what it’s like being a “gay witch in a Christian family.”
No matter how much you buy into witchcraft, its origins speak to our community.
The word “witch” has long been reclaimed and repurposed as a source of power. In fact, the 1960s’ W.I.T.C.H. (Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell) movement was created to demolish patriarchal structures, and still fights for LGBTQ+ rights today.
So as you break out the candy corn, pumpkins, and scarves this spooky season, don’t forget to channel your inner Stevie Nicks and cast up a spell or two.
And if you’re rolling your eyes right now, we say to you, “Witch, please!”
FreddieW
“Just like the witches that were once persecuted for their powers,”
“Powers”? What powers? Do you know the difference between fantasy and reality? Witches make great characters in books, movies, and TV shows. But that’s all they are.
It’s funny that some people will ditch Christianity and then embrace something just as ridiculous, if not more so.
GayEGO
The Salem Witch Trial is an example of how far we have come, marriage equality is still the law of the land!
Den
An amusing article but ultimately silly. Obviously, Wicca, “Witchcraft” and the “Old Religions” are no less dogma and myth than the “modern religions”. And truth be told, Wicca is among the most modern of faiths, spreading in the mid 20th century and cobbled together from presumed beliefs of many different old European faiths. None produce results more reliably than chance, and none involve techniques or actions proven to actually do anything. Yes, some herbs have chemicals of use in ethnic pharmacopeias, but none will “draw tops or bottoms to you”, not even if you believe they will. That is going to be your charm (not occult charms) and physical assets.
As for “witches” being burned for their powers; they were overwhelmingly uppity women who resented oppressive roles and restrictions who became easy targets when crops failed or unusual things occurred. It was a good excuse to simply kill them to keep their influence from spreading to other women.