Gender and paganism the subject of ISU presentation

Claudia McCoy, assistant director of the Idaho State University Women’s Studies Program, will deliver a presentation titled “Celebrating the Goddess and Her Consort: How Paganism Embraces Partnership, Duality and Reverence For All Things,” on Oct. 31 at noon in the Clearwater Room of the ISU Pond Student Union Building. 

McCoy’s lecture is part of the sixth annual Every Other Thursday Brown Bag Lecture Series: Gender and Religion, hosted by the Janet C. Anderson Gender Resource Center, and is the only talk in the series scheduled for Wednesday.

McCoy is the mother of four spiritually eclectic children and is married to a lapsed Catholic. McCoy’s pagan roots reach back to her great-grandmother who was an Irish Catholic with strong pagan overtones. She considers herself to be an eclectic pagan, gleaning her spirituality from several areas, including Buddhist philosophy, Wicca and atheism. Since this presentation is scheduled to take place on Halloween, Claudia encourages attendees to come in costume.

The Every Other Thursday series spotlights gender-related research conducted by ISU faculty, staff, students and, occasionally, Pocatello community members. The lectures are an opportunity for ISU and Pocatello community members to join the ongoing dialogue on a variety of gender issues.

The last scheduled presentation in the series will be “Gender and Jehovah’s Witnesses” presented by Dee Adair on Nov. 15 in the Heritage Room of the PSUB.

Attendees are encouraged to bring lunches. All lectures are open to the public and free of charge. For more information on the lecture series contact the Anderson Center at (208) 282-2805.