thorswitch Pointed out a story on Asatru done here in Chicago. The link to her post is here. I’m so fucking furious… just furious. I wish I’d seen this live otherwise I’d have called in then and there.

I’m so sick of Asatru being misrepresented as a religion of racists, white supremicists and criminals.

Video clip is here

“My response to Fox news” I’m a Chicagoan who practices Asatru, and I am deeply offended that you chose such a malicious, well known bigot Tom Metzger as a representative of the faith on Fox News.

Not only did you misrepresent the faith as that of one practiced by criminals, racists and white supremecists; you chose the one of the worst combinations of three to represent the faith to viewers.

For your information not all practicers of Asatru are white neo-nazi’s, nor do they use the “Viking Faith” as a shield for heinous acts. I’m a black Chicagoan who practices Asatru who hasn’t gone to jail, don’t go around lynching people nor use my faith as an excuse for immoral and illegal acts.

Next time, get your facts straight Fox and for the Gods sake get someone who knows what they are talking about before you hold them up as an example of something. In closing I will borrow from a friend who already has emailed you:

“In the segment of his interview you aired, did you notice that he said nothing about having had a religious experience or spiritual breakthrough that led him to abandon Christianity and adopting Asatru. He said that he could not get the kind of power he needed using Christian ethics, so he’s now using Asatru. Hardly the words of a true believer. But exactly the way someone who is trying to manipulate people would strategize.

I hope that you will do the honourable thing and speak to member of a group such as The Troth, one of the largest Asatru/Norse Spirituality groups in America (http://www.thetroth.org) to get their side of the story, rather than just placing the burden on two lone individuals. People need to know that there are far more non-racist, non-hateful Asatruers than there are people trying to bastardize our faith to justify their own hatred.

Published by cypheroftyr

Tanya DePass is the founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago, which is dedicated to better diversification of all aspects of gaming. I Need Diverse Games serves the community by supporting marginalized developers, attendance at the Game Developer Conference by participating in the GDC Scholarship program, helps assist attendance at other industry events, and is seeking partnership with organizations and initiatives. Tanya is a lifelong Chicagoan who loves everything about gaming, #INeedDiverseGames spawn point, and wants to make the industry better and more inclusive for everyone. She’s part of the Rivals of Waterdeep actual play stream on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep, a partnered Twitch variety broadcaster; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics online, at conventions and as a public speaker.. She’s also contributed to publications at Green Ronin, Paizo and Monte Cook Games and is the co-developer for the Fifth Season RPG based on N.K. Jemisin’s three time Hugo award winning Broken Earth trilogy. She’s the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a Twitch supported RPG and Actual Play stream, airing weekly on her channel, twitch.tv/cypheroftyr. Additionally, she is a Senior Annenberg labs Civic Media Fellow at USC. She’s also the creator and Creative Director of Into the Mother Lands, a new sci fi afro-futurist RPG developed with a team of all POC and Black creators; live streamed on her twitch channel, /cypheroftyr. She’s named as one of The Game Awards Future Class 2020, a diverse group of builders, thinkers and dreamers whose voices elevate and diversify our artform. It recognizes individuals around the world who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future for video games. She was also named as one of Gamers of the Year 2020 by Kotaku along with three of her contemporaries. She was also invited to the Xbox MVP program in February 2021. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021. Tanya is the programming & diversity coordinator for OrcaCon and GaymerX. She also serves on the Board of Directors for OrcaCon and was named the Chair for Take This in January 2023. She often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. Her writing about games and games critique appears in Uncanny Magazine, Polygon, Wiscon Chronicles, Vice Gaming, Paste Games, Mic, and other publications. She’s the editor of Game Devs and Others: Tales from the Margins (2018, CRC Press) and contributed to The Advanced Game Narrative Toolbox. (2019, CRC Press) Writer Bio for pubs: Tanya is the Founder and Director of I Need Diverse Games, a not-for-profit organization based in Chicago. She’s part of Rivals of Waterdeep, an actual play D&D show on twitch.tv/rivalsofwaterdeep; the programming coordinator for OrcaCon & GaymerX; and often speaks on issues of diversity, feminism, race, intersectionality & other topics at conventions. She’s on the Board of Take This as well as a Stream Ambassador, and was part of the inaugural cohort of The Game Awards Future Class. Her work to make the industry more inclusive has been highlighted in Game Changer, Directed by Tina Charles, WNBA star & olympian as well as filmmaker. The short documentary premiered at Tribeca 2021, as part of the Queen Collective; an initiative started by Queen Latifah, supported by Proctor & Gamble in an effort to get more Black women into film making. Game Changer was also featured as part of BETHer’s 2021 Juneteenth Programming on 19 June 2021.