Interview With Openly Pagan Elected Official, Jessica Orsini
With all the buzz about Dan Halloran being hailed as the first openly Heathen elected official, I was fortunate to be granted an interview with another openly Pagan elected official, Jessica Orsini, who was elected to public office in April 2006, and re-elected in 2008, as Alderwoman, 3rd Ward, City of Centralia, Missouri. Jessica’s uniqueness does not end there, as she is also one of only two transgender elected officials in the country.
In the interview, Jessica describes her transition from a soft-polytheistic Wiccan to a hard-polytheistic Hellenic Reconstructionist. For those unfamiliar with the practice of Hellenic Reconstructionism, also known as Hellenismos, the interview provides a fascinating insight into just how ancient Greek religion can be practiced in a manner that is vibrant and relevant to today’s world.
The interview appears in its entirety on The Witches’ Voice, better known as WitchVox. I have included copious footnotes so as to make it as accessible as possible.
There are a couple of notable references to the Jessica Orsini interview:
Fellow Cherry Hill Seminary board member, Jason Pitzl-Waters, has some interesting things to say in his Wild Hunt blog:
http://wildhunt.org/blog/2009/11/make-that-two-openly-pagan-elected-officials.html
Graeco-Egyptian reconstructionist, Sannion, has mentioned it in his Live Journal:
http://sannion.livejournal.com/855972.html
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