Pt. 2 — The Devil’s in the Details: A Response to Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple
A Satanic Hysterics Panic
Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple elegantly displayed his gaslighting skills in his recent recounting of Mary Doe, his own plaintiff from the Temple’s Missouri religious reproductive rights cases. Greaves employed his typical stance to former members criticisms as he once again pled the “hysterical women” defense in ‘The Savage Saga of Mary Doe’, shaming and demonizing womankind to substantiate his innocence. With his latest missive Greaves didn’t just take a jab at his former plaintiff Mary or his former National Council member and St. Louis Chapter heads, he’s also taken a swipe at those who’ve been disenfranchised and suffered abuse as a result of marginalization. As if demonizing women who rejected his poor and arbitrary leadership (and subsequent silencing) wasn’t enough for him. His responses to criticisms?
The oldest play from the Ancient Book of Gaslighting Women: Hysteria!
Despite Greaves serious angst over Dame Sister Nikki’s suggested hysterics, he left her as some form of editor on his Lucien Greaves Facebook fan page all this time. She was left in a position that could easily be abused. This would seem rather risky to most people. It would go against common sense, especially under such unsettling conditions. Greaves may have accidentally overlooked this risky error, or could be lacking in common sense; regardless, we suggest he change this setting and remove her from his fan page. Not that our Dame Sister would ever attempt to abuse this. We of course, can’t speak for others.
In addition to Greaves fan page account being yet accessible by Dame Sister Nikki, both she and Dame Sister Gwen were left with full access to the former Saint Louis Chapter’s page as well. They could easily have made a mockery of the Temple to pettiness, instead bothering neither page.
Besides… have you seen Missouri lately? Who has time?
Being that the women mentioned in Greaves attack represented the populations whose issues they’d chosen to address, their silencing is especially concerning, as if:
• They were undeserving to speak to reproductive rights in their own state.
• They were undeserving to speak to the effect of hate on the LGBTQ community in Missouri. (Even though Greaves is fine with using their experiences on “This is Life” by Lisa Ling or elsewhere.)
• They were undeserving of Greaves genuine concern when confronted with bizarre, worrying videos that were accompanied by plain text threats under the pseudonym Kiera Byrne. (The videos are still up on her “Dots” YouTube Channel)
• They were undeserving of ethics policies between National Council and Executive Ministry, that realistically should’ve been in place from the council’s inception.
If these women were so undeserving to speak to their own experiences, why would Greaves keep these hysterical women around at all; if not to be of some “use” to Greaves and his agenda? Whatever that agenda is, exactly, remains debatable.
The Christians feeding on Greaves current loss deserve his attentions more than we in Missouri who are currently under assault and simply fighting for what we hold sacred, our autonomy, and to be given voice. Mr. Greaves is just another in the long line of many men who have attempted to silence us. A lifetime’s worth. What does he have that they don’t? He’s a media darling, as the press seems to care more about “trolling Christians for fun” than the people The Satanic Temple have left damaged in their wake, good people. People who deserved better.
Greaves now joins the ranks of Missouri’s sweatiest evangelicals in his fearsome brow wiping spit-talking persuasions. What woman wouldn’t want to scream, and scream from the rooftops the moment their gag was removed? Mary’s story represents so many women in Missouri, where egocentric males looking for self-validation with a smidgeon of power-gone-wild, refuse her word, deny her voice, and attempt to dismiss and invalidate her. Mary should never be the recipient of Temple social media harassment, trolling, and abuse, as too many others have gone through this as a part of their exceedingly non-benevolent Satanic religious experience with the Temple. Similar experiences and recountings are still being denied by The Satanic Temple, having written off former member descriptions as simply hysterical people with axes to grind.
Attempting to explain to Temple members that Greaves might not be the awesome Satanic good-times trolling dude they think he is, is akin to attempting to explain to Christians and other devout theists that perhaps their deity isn’t so great after all. It’s the same sort of logic-wall exasperating process one would frankly, just rather avoid… if it wasn’t potentially harmful. At the point when healthy skepticism appears absent, one must certainly give pause. The OSS favors no one agency over the other, thus the harmful aspects of the Left Hand Path must also be witnessed, measured, and pronounced as part of our religious duty.
Mary is entitled to have her say, whether or not Greaves is personally strong enough to handle it is another question. His First Amendment Rights are no more precious than Mary’s, ours, or anyone else’s. Mr. Greaves mudslinging and character assassinations in his recent diatribe help substantiate the prior claims of others regarding his own character.
The OSS has three members in our Tribunal Council, one of which is a male… and shockingly, a feminist. One of our first appointments was an ethicist. If after reading our experiences, you still wonder why we bothered to create our own private Left Hand Path religious sorority… tsk tsk.
While Greaves article might be seen as having a lot to unpack, there are many things which don’t deserve to be dignified with a response. As we’ve said, the article is a masterpiece of gaslighting and is intended to be a hydra for us to face; to force us to spend our energy in every direction. Our vindication doesn’t lie in disproving every detail of Greaves’ piece. Our vindication lies with those who have already experienced the same treatment — who know what we’ve asserted is true. It isn’t worth the time to attempt to convince his followers. This will eventually happen when they experience it for themselves.
Of Emails and Phones
Mary used the same email address to correspond with Dame Sister Nikki years after the fact, when Mary emailed Nikki the document from the Temple’s attorney. This was the same email Mary used while corresponding with Greaves, TST in general, and their attorney at that time. Mary reported she was afraid to contact our Dame Sister after receiving the document, as she could not afford to incur a $1,500 fee. She contacted Nikki once she learned of her departure from the organization almost two years later. As our Dame Sister was no longer a Temple member, Mary was allowed to speak to her again without being in violation of her agreement with the Temple. As to the document itself, Nikki states she requested Greaves have the Temple attorney communicate anything case related to Mary directly, to avoid confusion over case status, as Mary already had a full plate, and understandably, wanted clearer answers from the Temple. Dame Sister Nikki never imagined the Temple would consider actually shunning Mary in such a manner.
It’s pretty normal to change phone numbers when one’s income or home situation is compromised. If you’re marginalized and low-income, one is especially vulnerable to oppression via obstruction of life’s pursuits and abuse, etc. Something perhaps Greaves or their attorney may lack any life experience or perspective on, coming from a place of privilege when compared to Mary; who has suffered a lifetime of true emotional hardship and loss, all the while seeking honest financial stability and appropriate support systems from advocates who are without judgment.
Mary’s Choice
Dame Sister Nikki reports she expressed to Mary that she could leave the cases behind at any time she decided to, should they become a burden or hazardous to her, or for whatever reason Mary deemed appropriate. Mary was taking on much as it was, why aggravate her life further? Choice. Mary’s choice. Nikki’s primary concern was for a low-income single mother, her child, and assisting them in finding appropriate relief to their situation. Dame Sister Nikki had similar experiences to Mary’s as a once low-income single mother herself, and she wasn’t the entity who dubbed Mary’s situation a “flight risk.” Mary was already at risk, like too many Missouri women. What a shame Greaves failed to realize this or exercise any further concern for her once Mary completed her deposition. He tossed her aside like she was disposable. The lives and livelihoods of those so precariously implemented seemed to only be game-pieces to Greaves.
It would appear Greaves wants to speak for his Missouri Doe’s, he just doesn’t want to speak to them.
Poison Apples & Attack on Grieving Parent
The member Greaves cites whose words he mischaracterizes as simply being unfortunate in nature were more venomous than he cares to reveal:
For Greaves to imply our Dame Sister uses her deceased child to promote herself, whether he’s attempting to “ascertain context” or not, is deplorable and inexcusable. We know he knows better. He once shocked Dame Sister Nikki by stating her voice was hard to attack as a grieving mother. She and her deceased child are not cards to be played by Greaves or his Temple, not then and not now. That he was using this reference in supposed context to excuse the poor character of his own National Council member, one who was expressing anti-LGBTQ sentiments to a Missouri chapter head, makes these words in his missive especially concerning.
Greaves’ Satanic Hysteria Panic
Somehow, Dame Sister Nikki managed to avoid becoming a hysterical woman after her child was bullied to death for being gay. Somehow, she managed to keep her life, family, and business together, all while helping Greaves build his Big Satanic Dream. Somehow, Nikki pushed Greaves into “yielding” the STL chapter after Damien Baal’s exit, even though the Temple really needed to maintain the chapter as a Missouri presence to help establish the cases. Was it just some unimaginable alchemy influencing the “powerful Greaves” to choose Dame Sister Nikki for the National Council? Greaves stated it would be his honor in his request, though it was one likely cut and pasted to each new council member recipient. We in the OSS would rather avoid choosing those we consider manipulative to administer our organization.
It seems Dame Sister Nikki, who was reliable and practically a Satanic Saint by Greaves over-dramatized account of events, crossed over into hysterical womanhood when pointing out the need for ethics policies. Who balks at standard, boilerplate proposals for board ethics? Don’t be fooled into believing a woman simply changes her character the second a man like Greaves finds no use in them. That says more about Mr. Greaves than about any woman he is speaking down to.
Trans Activism & Outings
Dame Sister Gwen has said frequently that she is not very involved in the trans community. She has only ever pursued the rights of trans women as they intersect with the rights of cis women; knowing that one cannot exist without the other. She has never claimed to speak for the entire trans community, nor does she focus her efforts solely on the same. Perhaps Greaves is referring to the event known as “Byrne Westboro”, the former St. Louis Temple chapter’s response to the Westboro Baptist Church’s “God Hates Trannies” campaign. Greaves attempted to erase this event from TST St. Louis’ history until one day when a news article on him and the Temple seemed a little thin. He resurrected the event and renamed it “Transgender Dance Party”, a gross misrepresentation of the event and its purpose of fundraising for Planting Peace. And while Gwen is “out and proud” about being a trans woman, it is her prerogative as to how that information is disseminated. It is not for Greaves to trumpet and crow as he attempts to obfuscate the truth of his own nature.
Greaves Insinuation of “Stolen Valor”, Bizarre Videos & More Hysterical Women
Dame Sister Gwen served in the United States Air Force for 5.5 years as a meteorologist of some distinction. She was promoted early to Senior Airman and was awarded the rank of Staff Sergeant on her first testing; a difficult feat to accomplish. She has also been extremely candid on her career and departure from the Air Force. She never claimed to be an expert on coding but was able to easily determine one of the codes used in the “Dots” videos to be Morse Code. The fact that no one looked closely enough to even determine that the series of dashes and dots was an easily distinguishable cypher, should have told Gwen that TST’s Executive Ministry was hardly taking any of these bizarre and threatening videos remotely seriously.
Gwen was mentored in the study of religion and the occult by a professor from a prestigious Catholic University over the course of many years of friendship and had attempted to apply some of this knowledge to the strange coded videos produced by the so called “Dots”. She is not speaking from a place of ignorance but has had to draw certain conclusions about these videos while going on very little.
Some of the codes on the concerning series of videos were unbreakable or false codes. Some decryptions named specific Missouri Satanic Temple members (at the time). We’re glad Greaves mentioned the videos, as we’d appreciate actual assistance in eventually decrypting all of them. It would’ve been logical to be concerned and desire an evaluation of whether the strange videos represented credible threats at the time. Now that significant time has passed and the threat has also likely passed, we’d still yet love to see the riddle resolved.
Regardless, Greaves was obviously entirely nonplussed with the odd videos. He couldn’t be bothered, perhaps because neither he or his co-founder’s names had been uncovered during decryption. We knew we weren’t being taken seriously then, and Greaves’ recounting has only confirmed our prior suspicions of being dismissed as Hysterical Women at the time. Our safety was apparently none of his concern.
Though the Dame Sisters had always predicted the videos were someone’s idea of a bad joke, Temple co-founders demonstrated a lack of care for others when a potentially hazardous situation presented itself deserving of the Temple’s attention. Perhaps Greaves is unaware that living as an out Satanist (sans pseudonym) in the Bible Belt is likely a little different than living as one (under pseudonym) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
His efforts, however nobly perceived, create potentially dangerous situations for members in states like Missouri and Arkansas. After drumming up press, Greaves has the luxury of returning to his Northern Front to drink tea as he watches the fire he created. Once returned to the comfort of his keep, he speaks nobly of his fears for himself and his personal job hazards on Twitter, while front-line chapters often found themselves facing their job hazards alone.
Springfield Satellite Chapter Head Frightened Away by Nikki’s Dots Video Paranoia
The Springfield Satellite Chapter leader left because his wife ended their relationship and he had to move to another state. All of TST St. Louis membership hoped Springfield would keep their fledgling chapter alive and receive full chapter status soon. If this former Springfield chapter leader was so unduly aggravated by Dame Sister Nikki’s “Hysterical Dot’s Video Paranoia” that he left his wife to move to another state, why would he remain on good terms, visit her in that state some months later, and have drinks at her host’s home? Blame the witch. Frightening!
ASSC Woes & Temple Mods Gone Wild
We would rather ignore the Big Satanic Vegan Forum Dispute. It turned into a modern day social-media witch hunt leading to an active member being driven off. That being said…
Dame Sister Nikki’s concerns were simple. She reports Temple Facebook forum moderators had been engaging in negative behaviors, and complaints had been rolling into the council for a few months. Other National Council members were voicing the same concerns regarding the mods troubling juvenile herding behaviors and unnecessary power-flex displays. One of these forum moderators was also a National Council member, the same who doesn’t “give a shit about dead gay kids, Trans folk, or fiefdoms.” Another was Greaves girlfriend at the time. The third was a New York Chapter head and Salem house contributor. Interestingly, these mods were the same Temple members Nikki had trouble with, who played a vital role in the St. Louis chapter’s eventual decision to dissolve. Coincidentally, these are the same Temple members who joined in Nikki’s character assassination during the formation of a replacement Springfield Chapter, one and half years after she’d departed from the Temple.
Most of the council were unhappy with the moderator’s forum behaviors, but Greaves was perplexed over how to address his out-of-line buddies and girlfriend. The dispute was a “forum hot topic,” and mods were to cautiously avoid directly addressing these problems due to their divisive nature. Instead of deleting the post or closing comments to the thread, as per forum policy, it was Temple mods who engaged in the Veganism/Satanism hot topic dispute most voraciously. What started in the Temple forum prompted the moderators own independent investigation to look for something, for anything, to use against the Springfield member that dared to have a different opinion. There was plenty of negative prior history between the vegan Springfield member and at least two of the forum mod inquisitors, and their former chapter leader who’d supposedly left Missouri “due to Nikki’s Dot’s video paranoia”. It was worse than a bunch of hens. When Springfield decided the Satanic Vegan would be an acceptable After School Satan Club instructor, the forum moderators took it upon themselves to destroy him. If the mods were truly concerned about his potential bigotry, they would have brought evidence to the Executive Ministry’s attention prior to any ASSC appointments or continuing forum squabbles. What they actually killed was the Springfield ASSC program itself, which never got off the ground after running this member off. Our Sister was busy elsewhere, ironically, trying to save the ASSC program from internal collapse by collaborating with professionals across the nation at the request of Greaves.
The Springfield instructor removed himself from the ASSC position and the temple during the dispute itself, wanting nothing more to do with the moderators or their harassment — before TST had lobbed any allegations at him. Greaves himself had sat personally with Sisters Nikki and Gwen for a week in Kansas City in October of 2016, while they completed ironing out ASSC plans, signing documents with Springfield leadership, including finalizing plans with Malcolm Jarry over the telephone, and preparing to “Byrne Westboro”. None at this time expressed concerns over Springfield’s selection for ASSC instructor, or over the alleged irrational, hysterical, paranoid behaviors of Nikki or Gwen, which would have been a convenient setting to do so. With the “Good News Club” being the proponent of after-school Christian clubs across the nation, and with their headquarters located in none other than Missouri, the Temple founders only seemed eager to get Missouri’s ASSC entry on board. They also hoped Greaves could get in some good interviews after delivering a lecture while in KC.
These questionable forum operators instigated a heated conversation, despite the policy of removing such content from the feed. Dame Sister Nikki had credible reason to hold the allegations suspect until further clarification could be provided by an independent ethics committee, but the Temple had none, having failed to create one. What her own husband and family have experienced as people of color is not for Greaves to sully with his suggestive, offensive contrivances. Being that racism is unfortunately alive and well in Missouri, false claims of such do nothing to end racial oppression or help her family and child. Missouri remains under an NAACP travel warning for a reason. Our Dame Sister is admirably fair, and she would rather have had an independent ethics committee review such accusations and any conclusive evidence. Trial by forum moderators with a potential grudge didn’t seem right. She would be the last person to leave a confirmed racist in a position around children, in her life, or around her comrades. Such implications are below even Greaves.
“Who does the leaving?”
Greaves consistently maintains that this person, that person, or chapters themselves were “terminated”. It’s as if he wants people to believe no member, and no chapter leave the Temple of their own volition. There’s a sense of ego here that cannot be ignored.
Repetitiveness, or Selective Hearing Problems?
If someone has to keep repeating themselves to Greaves, this could indicate he has trouble listening. Dame Sister Nikki has not had this issue with any other boards she’s been a member of. Does selective hearing equate to silencing? It’s possible. No wonder Dame Sister Nikki had to repeat herself. No wonder Mary had to keep calling, keep trying. Mary’s desperation arose from Greaves casting her aside like yesterday’s news. Only after she’d dutifully delivered him an excellent deposition, he shut Mary out, expecting or hoping she’d go quietly.
Pro-Bono Blues
Over the years, only armchair attorneys thought the Temple’s Missouri repro cases had a snowballs chance in hell. Perhaps that’s why Greaves couldn’t get pro-bono resources here. Maybe it’s not hysterical women or bungling chapter heads who mess everything up. If not them, who?
Satanic Repro Rights “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!”
We attended every hearing; first as the Saint Louis chapter, and then later as the OSS. We were the Missouri women for whom this case meant so much. Our Knighted-Brothers sat by our side as we watched the arguments play out in the courtroom. Imagine our surprise when it came out that neither counsel for the defense, nor TST’s attorney had any notion of what a trans-vaginal ultrasound entailed. When we informed counsel post-hearing the procedure required the patient to be vaginally penetrated, they appeared somewhat horrified and very uncomfortable. This also meant that neither side was arguing from a place of knowledge. We left the hearing dismayed and angry that day. Men without all the facts were once again deciding the fates of women.
Temple repro wins? The fact the state’s counsel and the Temple attorney were both equally ignorant on the states actual ultrasound requirements hardly constitutes a win. It does however, constitute the ignorance of men, balefully arguing a subject they themselves don’t fully comprehend. For all we know, the terms “vagina” or “yeast infection” forces them to cringe internally. Nothing in Missouri has changed regarding ultrasound requirements. We do however, have a load of anti-choice and harmful anti-uterus bearer legislation to contend with in the coming 2019 session, which could cost Missouri citizens 8 billion in Medicaid. We’d rather not hang up any Mission Accomplished banners in Missouri until we have a reason to. We’re not picky. We’ll revel in any win, no matter how insignificant it may seem in the larger context of Missouri’s reproductive rights issues or to those on better repro grounds.
The End. Finally. We Hope.
Everything else has been addressed here, and in Gwen’s recounting here. Dame Sister Nikki’s is a volume for a reason. She wanted to be done with it in one step. Greaves can beg your affections across the internet, but there will always be those who know better. As he casts his hysteria stones, it’s worth your consideration as to whether it is Greaves who suffers from paranoia, hysterics, or delusions.
We have a religious duty to practice, and we cannot, we will not, be strayed from our mission. Not even by Greaves and his infamous social media pissing matches. We find him lacking and unworthy of further attentions. We hope you can understand.
This is to those who…
Hold the act of rebellion as sacred as protecting autonomy.
Maybe they fell, but they are still getting up.
They believe science and reason should always triumph over myth and superstition.
They are suffering from the oppression of another religion, body, or system,
and
To all the Mary’s out there:
Please keep fighting these battles over your own “souls,” bodies, and minds in your states, counties, cities, town halls.
Keep marching. Keep talking. Keep intersecting. Listen to each other.
Be local, loud, and proud.
Let no one deny your voice, your story, your experience…
These are your truths and they matter.
Give ’em Hel.
Ave Lilitu.
OSS
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Want to make a difference? Donate directly to Missouri Reproductive Rights efforts, click to link:
Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri
Planned Parenthood Great Plains (MO, AR, KS, OK)
