Official statement on GCPP 2025 – Revolutionary Reflections
On Sunday, September 28th, 2025, Greater Chicagoland Pagan Pride held its annual event at Jacob Riis Park, in Chicago, IL. With 20+ vendors, 10 workshops, musical entertainment, and live theater, we were prepared for an amazing day of community, education, and support. There were nearly 500 people in attendance throughout the day, and we collected 650 pounds of non-perishable goods for Nourishing Hope, our long-time food pantry partner. By all accounts, it was a very successful event. There were challenges, but I’d like to highlight the blessings first.
Our sacred space was opened by Wild Onion Grove, ADF, with a ritual honoring The Morrigan, and asking for her guidance, protection, and empowerment. The gathering of approximately 50 people raised the energy and set the tone for the day. We stand proud in who we are, as individuals and as a community. This year’s theme was “Revolutionary Reflections”, and we asked our workshop leaders to focus on ways that paganism and magic can be revolutionary, and to look back at how our ancestors used their faith and practices to weather the turbulent times that they lived in. Our deities, spirits, and forebearers have seen this all before and have wisdom to share.
The workshop schedule featured a diverse group of teachers from several paths and from as far away as Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Catherine Carr and Storm Dolente presented workshops highlighting the gender spectrum, as seen through history and present day with their workshops, “Gender Before Abraham” and “Creating Gender Affirming Rituals”, respectively. Heathens Against Hate gave insight into a productive path forward for the pagan community through their workshops “Frith and Social Responsibility in Hostile Times” and “Heathens Against Hate in Hostile Times.” We were also blessed with presentations of “Revolutionary Magic: The Kitchen Witch Way” with Second City Conjure, “Demystifying and De-Scarifying the Tarot” with Tina McDonald, and “The Universe Within” with Estrellia.
The families with young children in attendance were gifted with an empowering activity focused on releasing grudges and dispelling anger, led by Spiritual Playdate. Gerber-Hart Library brought a selection of resources highlighting their work to “collect, preserve, and make accessible the history and culture of the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago and the Midwest.” Toni Frazier, from Edward Jones, joined us to help offer financial advice and guidance, while also building a network of Pagan professionals to help the community thrive.
There were so many reasons to be proud of our community, the organizing staff, volunteers, vendors, and attendees. Our strength and cohesion were never more on display than when the shouting began. From a block or so away, we could hear a group of people chanting. As they approached the event, it became apparent that the local evangelical church was headed our way. Several dozen people, carrying signs, posters, and a replica cross, marched through the event chanting the name “Jesus”, and making a significant disruption. The group proceeded through the festival grounds, gathered in the open field, and held a brief revival session where they denounced our actions, our faith, and even our presence in the city. Following this spectacle, they marched back to the church, and we resumed activities. Several of our vendors and attendees were ill at ease following the disruption, and voiced their frustration, dissatisfaction, and anger with the audacity of the church’s behavior. There were hugs, there was consolation, there was support, and there was peace. When the second, more insidious wave came, it was in the form of small groups returning in an attempt to minister to us. Approximately a dozen individuals made their way through the crowd, vilifying us for our choices and telling us the same, tired, monotheistic story of there being only one path and one truth.
As organizers, we tried to engage them in conversation and even opened the opportunity for them to host a workshop or information booth next year. As they offered prayers for us, we offered prayers in return. Sadly, but not surprisingly, the prayers we offered were flatly refused. Their deity was the only source of peace for them, and all other blessings were false promises. In 1700 years, the tactics for their mission work have not changed. Walk in, cause a disruption, then offer peace by explicitly conforming to their expectations. I am so very proud of our community for not taking the bait or escalating the situation.
While I am disappointed that our attendees and vendors had to experience this, I do feel that it has made us stronger. Members of the community that have been marginalized, injured, or demeaned by the church hopefully saw that there is a welcoming and protective community surrounding them. While this is the first disruption of its kind for Greater Chicagoland Pagan Pride, I do not expect it to be the last. I also recognize the efforts and the struggles of Pagan Pride and other Pagan festival organizers who are in significantly less hospitable areas than our deep blue city of Chicago. Your work, your community, and your danger are not unnoticed, and you have our support in whatever way we can offer it. Part of the draw to this path is freedom from orthodoxy and the empowerment of the self. Yet, this self-empowerment can also find us walking very lonely roads. With the surge in Christian Nationalism, fascism, and far-right ideology, our place in community is needed more than ever. Not only for us, but for those who are lost in the chaos and looking for safe haven.
While we all have differing paths, I’d like to believe that we are all walking to the same place. A place of love, inclusion, respect, and harmony with the world around us. The spiral of life continues to spin, and all these energies have come and gone before. With reflection on how our ancestors handled these challenges in the past, and guidance from our spirits and deities, we can be the revolution that is needed.
Matt Williams
Lead Coordinator
Greater Chicagoland Pagan Pride
