The second annual SatanCon will bring hundreds of Satanists to Boston’s Copley Square at the end of April. They’re not there to worship the devil, though.
With over 800 registered attendees, organizers anticipate it to be the biggest Satanist gathering ever. They also expect nationwide protests from Christian and conservative organizations.
Fox News and other conservative media outlets have covered the event extensively. Televangelist John Ramirez has joined others in protesting online. They claim the Satanic Temple, the group organizing the event, exists “so demons and spirits can work in the atmosphere… to truly cause damage to the people.”
But the church is frequently misunderstood, according to Dex Desjardins, an authorized minister of Satan and spokesperson for the Satanic Temple.
“The thing is we’re not theistic. We don’t have beliefs in a literal theistic Satan,” said Desjardins. “And I always like to point out to people that Christianity doesn’t have a monopoly on the name of Satan.”
Instead, the Salem-based Satanic Temple emphasizes the fundamental principles of humanity, intelligence, and individual liberty.
But, “the idea that we’re just a free speech political activist group is wrong. We are not just that,” Desjardins continued. “If we do any sort of activism, it’s in a very narrow band, basically aimed at protecting our equal rights under the First Amendment to religious liberty and to have equitable representation in the public square.”
“It’s a chance for our community to build friendships, to learn from each other,” said Desjardins. “It’s a chance for people who have known each other online — in some cases, for close to a decade — to actually get to meet and spend time together.”
Around a dozen presentations are expected to take place at the convention, which has been completely sold out for more than a month. The themes range from what it’s like to be a BIPOC Satanist to practicing Satanism in Appalachia. The temple’s after-hours activities include a Satanic Ball, a drag show, and a performance by temple co-founder Lucian Greaves’ band Satanic Planet,
A majority of the events are taking place at The Marriott in Copley Square. Is it one of the few hotels in the city, according to Desjardins, that was willing to host the temple.
“It’s very hard to find collaborators for anything we do sometimes because of the name, or superstition, or religious beliefs,” he said. “Other people that might otherwise work with us are afraid. They’re afraid of bomb threats. They’re afraid of physical attacks. They’re afraid of negative reviews.”
The fear isn’t unwarranted. According to temple manager Melissa Gurr, they get death threats every day. And an arsonist tried to burn down the organization’s Salem headquarters last year.
“We always just assume we’re in danger,” said Desjardins . “I’ve just assumed for years now that I’ll be just walking along and someone’s going to come and shoot me in the chest.”
Desjardins asserted that the risk was worthwhile in order to stand up for his convictions.
“We know that there are movements in this country right now that are trying to take away voting rights. They’re trying to restrict the kinds of relationships you can have, what you can read at school, what you can say as a teacher, and you have to push back. And it’s risky. It’s always risky to fight for civil rights.”
Desjardins claimed that as long as protests are nonviolent, the group supports the freedom to hold them.
“That’s their First Amendment right, just like we have the right to be here and hold our convention,” Desjardins said.
