My speech on the Heathen Visibility Project was a great success! A lot of people were in the group photo, including Selena Fox. (One does not have to be a heathen to be in a group photo with heathens for the Heathen Visibility Project.) She even got everyone to shout “Hail to the heathens” together for her Instagram.

Many people also took individual photos with the Heathen Visibility Project hashtag sign, including Oberon Zell. I’ve posted tons of pics on my social media.

After hearing my speech and being in the group photo, Selena asked me to be in main ritual, which she was leading. She was going to have representatives of several different faith groups come forward and bless the community. Because this was Veterans’ Day weekend, her ritual was focused on veterans. At the start of her ritual, she called the veterans present to come forward for special honoring and to be given the Pagan Service Ribbon. I blessed the veterans in the names of the war gods Freya and Odin, and the caregivers who used warrior virtues like perseverance and strength to ensure they could participate in the community, I blessed in the name of the goddess of caregiving, Sigyn.

Pagan Pride Day wasn’t all serious, though! There was a ton of entertainment, including drumming and belly dancing and stage magic, and a lot of vendors too including diverse food trucks. Getting major speakers and moving the location from the UU church to a centrally located public park made a big difference. This year’s PPD was bigger and better than ever!

Image: the Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day 2019 Heathen Visibility Project Group Photo