Witch claims discrimination at LA doctor's office
LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - A local woman who identifies herself as a witch claims she was discriminated against in a Lake Charles doctor's office because of her religious beliefs. A practicing witch for more than 15 years, Kristin Menard said she is proud of her religion even though it's often times misunderstood.
"Most people see witches as being evil and most of us are not. It's a nature based religion. Instead of praying we do basically the same thing - we light candles and we focus our energy to help other people," explained Menard.
You will rarely find Menard not wearing her pentagram.
"I wear it every day. It's a symbol of protection and each point represents something different. This one is spirit, air, fire, earth and water," said Menard.
http://www.kltv.com/story/19572217/witch-claims-discrimination-at-local-doctors-office#.UFpqwmEG1UQ.facebook
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Has anybody ever experienced being denied services because of wearing of a pentagram? That has never happened to me. There was one time when I was (in my goth years, 1992) I was wearing a pent and was about to perform at an open mic (I play guitar/ singer/songwriter) and one of the other performers pointed at the pent and asked me what it meant. I told him that it was a symbol of the body of the goddess. He said that that was a good answer for him because HE KNOWS that that symbol means "something very different". I went on to play and he went on to play and we both liked each others' music. There was another day when Mormons came to my house to try and convert me. They walked past my 1960 hearse parked in the driveway, fended off my six foot six inch boyfriend with his head shaved like a Hari Krishna wanting to sell them a pencil, and stood at my doorway talking to me while I was wearing my pent. I had to ask them if they were blind or something. That was in 1989. Of course, being a goth witch back in those days had advantages and disadvantages... people will cross the street to avoid walking past you when walking down Midwestern downtown roads in the late eighties! On the flip side, I scared the hell out of some newbies at a Druid Grove gathering by my appearance alone! The lesson to learn here is to develop discretion and use your good judgement in these types of situations. If I should find myself in a doctors office that has crucifixes hanging on the walls I am going to think that maybe that is not the doctor for me. Likewise, I recently has eye surgery to have a cataract removed and the doctor asked me if it was okay for him to pray over me before the operation. I thanked him for asking me first and gave him my blessings. After all he was praying for his hand to be steady while operating on my eye!
