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1998
Surprisingly my experience coming out of the broom closet has not been overly difficult. If you are Wiccan and have attempted to come out, or will attempt to, you might have experiences similar to those that I had. The reason I say I didn't encounter many problems is because all of my friends not only took it well, but hold a certain amount of interest in the subject, asking questions and sometimes even helping me in my research and my craft. The person in this world who I am closest to, not only found an interest in it, but is now a Wiccan Apprentice and learning more every day.
I did, however, encounter some difficulty when telling my family. My family, though they are not "religious freaks," are part of the majority of people who have completely backward views on Witchcraft. They were both raised in Christian or Catholic homes, but they do not attend church every Sunday or hold a Bible by their side all day. Because of television, movies, and media today, so many people, like my parents, don't except that which they don't understand. They believe only what they see in such media, not what they are told by those who actually have experience in the craft hands on. I believe that if you are one who is currently a study of Wicca, or any other "alternative religion" for that matter, you should remember that sometimes you just don't tell everyone.
"The decision of whether to inform others of your Wiccanhood must be a personal one. However, I'll give you a warning: many people simply don't care what you believe or who you invoke. They have no interest in the subject. Some Wiccans decide to tell the world that they're Wiccans (or Witches) purely for shock value, to attract attention, make money and to gratify their egos. This is the worst reason for revealing your religion to others." - Scott Cunningham "Living Wicca"
I was very worried when I made this recent move down to Birmingham, Alabama. My first thoughts were that I was not moving to the "Bible Belt" but rather the "Bible Buckle." How would I be able let my new friends know about my beliefs without being chastised for them? Well I'll tell you something. Since I have gotten down here, the people I have told not only accept it, but many of them are familiar with Wicca and are excited to know someone who practices the craft. They show such a great interest in the subject that I find myself lending out books and such so they can learn even more.
This shows that you shouldn't always stereotype an area such as I did because it is just as bad as the stereotyping that is done on us. It is also possible that there are people who have been interested in the craft but never had any one to ask about it. You could be doing them a disservice by not sharing when they ask. The moral of the story is that you should "feel out" the people you are going to tell before you tell them.
2001
I wanted to update my coming out of the broom closet experience while updating my pages but felt that by leaving the above text in place, from 1998, I would do a far better job of describing my experiences coming out of the broom closet.
Since 1998 I have moved to Alabama where I thought I would have a much harder coming out of the broom closet experience. At first I was careful to not tell anyone, but I slowly found people to confide in. To my surprise, I have met more practitioners of the Wiccan faith here in Alabama then I ever did in Buffalo, NY.
Still, in my growing and maturing I have learned that sharing your faith/religion/beliefs with those you work with can always be a dangerous and/or uncomfortable thing. I am in a management profession now and know that I could lose the respect of not only my employees but my peers and colleagues as well. It just goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
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