In 2025 the Rights Desk answered 318 requests for help from people who believed they had been treated unfairly because of their Pagan religion. That is the most in our twenty years, and 31 more than in 2024. This review describes what we saw.
All details that could identify a person, an employer, a school, or a place have been removed or changed. Nothing here is published without the consent of the person concerned.
The Numbers
- 318 requests answered, up from 287 in 2024
- 271 matters closed by the end of the year
- 72% of closed matters resolved informally
- 1 business day, the median time to a first reply
| Setting | Requests | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Workplace | 99 | 31% |
| Schools | 70 | 22% |
| Family court and custody | 54 | 17% |
| Hospitals, corrections, and military | 45 | 14% |
| Housing and public services | 29 | 9% |
| Other | 21 | 7% |
| Outcome | Matters | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Resolved informally, by information, a letter, or a meeting | 196 | 72% |
| Referred to an attorney or a government agency | 38 | 14% |
| Closed at the person's request, or without resolution | 37 | 14% |
Forty-seven matters remained open at the end of the year. No request waited more than three business days for a first reply.
What We Saw
Work: Holy Days, Again
More than half of the workplace requests concerned leave for a holy day, most often Samhain or Yule. In nearly every case the employer had not refused out of hostility. A supervisor had simply never heard of the day and assumed that the request was not serious. A written request that used the words "religious accommodation," together with a fact sheet, settled most of these within a week.
Schools: Symbols and Words
School requests divided almost evenly between dress code disputes over religious pendants and bullying of students by classmates. Districts responded well when parents wrote to the principal and named the policy. We were asked by eleven schools to brief their staff, and did so.
Family Court: Earlier Is Better
Requests from parents in custody disputes rose from 43 to 54. The parents who fared best were those who contacted us, and told their own attorneys about their religion, before the other side raised it. Our information packet for attorneys and evaluators was sent out 39 times.
Institutions: Access to Clergy
Most hospital and hospice requests came from families seeking a Pagan clergy visit for a dying relative. We were able to find a volunteer in 24 of 29 such cases. Requests from people in custody mainly concerned religious items and time for group worship.
A Growing Area: Housing
Housing requests have doubled in two years. Typical cases involve an outdoor shrine or a seasonal display that a landlord or a homeowners association allows for other religions and refuses for a Pagan resident. We are preparing a short guide on religious displays in rental and shared housing for release in 2027.
Three Examples
A warehouse worker was told that Samhain was "not a real holiday" and was denied an exchange of shifts that a coworker had already agreed to. We helped the worker write a four-sentence request to human resources and supplied a fact sheet. The exchange was approved two days later, and the company added a floating holiday to its policy the following quarter.
A middle school student was told to remove a pentacle necklace under a rule against "gang and occult symbols." The student's mother wrote to the principal, quoting the district's own policy on religious dress. The principal apologized, the rule was reworded, and the school invited a Speakers Bureau volunteer to its next staff day. Readers who know our history will understand why this one pleased us.
A father in a custody dispute learned that an evaluator's draft report described the family altar as "disturbing." With his consent, his attorney forwarded our information packet. The evaluator asked several careful questions, revised the report, and made no further mention of religion.
What We Could Not Fix
Thirty-seven matters closed without a resolution. Some people decided, reasonably, that a complaint was not worth the risk to a job or to peace in a family. In a few cases a deadline had passed before the person wrote to us. We say again what we say on every page: if a deadline is near, do not wait for us.
Thanks
The Rights Desk is the work of 22 volunteer advocates, who gave more than 3,100 hours in 2025, and of the attorneys of the Legal Advisory Panel, who review our guidance without charge. Six new advocates completed training during the year. If you have patience, discretion, and a few hours a month, we would be glad to hear from you. See Volunteer.
To ask for help, see The Rights Desk.
Dana Okonkwo-Hale
Rights Desk Coordinator