Toronto, Canada - Toronto pagans are mobilizing against a beauty pageant being held Saturday night, after one of the judges was rejected because she is a fan of the occult.
They plan to picket the Waterfront Radisson Admiral, where the Miss Toronto Tourism pageant will be held, saying organizers have violated Stephanie Conover’s human rights.
“We’re going to have people from different religious organizations — Christians, Muslims and Hindus — as well as Wiccan groups,’’ said Tracey Hayes, a practising Wiccan and protest organizer. ‘‘We’re also mobilizing the gay community because we believe two of the organizers are members of an anti-gay organization. We’re getting support from right across the country. This is a human rights violation.”
Miss Toronto Tourism officials had invited Ms. Conover, the current reigning Miss Canada Plus, to act as a pageant judge, but withdrew their offer about two weeks ago after taking a closer look at her biographical information.
“They sent me a letter saying I wasn’t an upstanding person and wouldn’t feel comfortable introducing me to the crowd because I practice Reiki (a technique of laying on of hands that channels healing energy) and Tarot card reading. They said both were practices of the occult and that I was using them to commune with the dark forces and should repent. That’s ridiculous. Tarot cards are part of pop culture these days. They have nothing to do with the occult,” Ms. Conover (pictured above) said yesterday.
Said Michael Makaid, an organizer of the Toronto Pagan Conference: “We were shocked that a non religious beauty pageant that supports multiculturalism would do this. As a Torontonian that enrages me. It’s about discrimination not paganism. We have loads of people who are pagan and non pagan who are upset about this.”
Pageant officials did not respond to inquiries today, but pageant director Karen Murray explained her actions in a letter to Glenora Joseph of the Miss Canada Plus pageant last week. “We need a Judge who as an upright reputation and we would be proud to introduce to the audience. Tarot Card reading and Reiki are the occult and not acceptable by God, Jews, Muslims or Christians. Tarot card reading is witchcraft and is used by Witches, Spiritists and Mediums to consult the dark world.”
A number of Facebook groups have sprung up in support of Ms. Conover, a practising Wiccan, or witch.
Ralph Hamelmann, who runs The Psychic Brunch, said 16 of 18 sponsors have withdrawn their sponsorship of the pageant. Of the two remaining, Alfredo DiGenova, general manager of Adrenalin Fitness, has no plans now to withdraw despite pressure. “I’ve received seven e-mails since Tuesday asking me to drop my sponsorship. I think the whole thing is blown out of proportion. It’s their pageant so they can have whoever they want.”
Toronto’s tourism community is treating the controversy with kid gloves.
Says Andrew Weir, vice president of Tourism Toronto, whose Web site www.torontotourism.com shares nearly the same name as the pageant: “It’s caused some confusion but it has nothing to do with us and we have nothing to do with them. All I can say is that’s not how we market the city.”