ALEISTER CROWLEY, English occultist and author born (d. 1947) British occultist, writer, philosopher and mystic. He is best known today for his occult writings, especially The Book of The Law, the central sacred text of Thelema an initially fictional philosophy of life first described by Francois Rabelais (16^thcentury) in his famous books, Gargantua and Pantagruel. Other interests and accomplishments were wide-ranging — he was a chess player, mountain climber, poet, painter, astrologer, hedonist, drug experimenter, and social critic. Crowley was a highly prolific writer, not only on the topic of Thelema and magick, but on philosophy, politics, and culture. He left behind a countless number of personal letters and daily journal entries. He self-published many of his books, expending the majority of his inheritance to disseminate his views.

Within the subject of occultism Crowley wrote widely, penning commentaries on magick, the Tarot, Yoga, Qabalah, astrology, and numerous other subjects. He also wrote a Thelemic interpolation of the Tao Te Ching, based on earlier English translations since he knew little or no Chinese. Like the Golden Dawn mystics before him, Crowley evidently sought to comprehend the entire human religious and mystical experience in a single philosophy.

Crowley gained wide notoriety during his lifetime, and was infamously dubbed "The Wickedest Man In the World." There is little wiggle room with Crowley. Either you consider him to be nuts, bonkers, loony, albeit brilliant, fascinating and perhaps a touch of con-man – or you are completely in his thrall. Much depends on how you feel about his central thesis: Do whatever you wish. No wonder he was so popular in the 1960s. Crowley also wrote fiction, including plays and later novels, most of which have not received significant notice outside of occult circles. In his The Book of Lies, the title to chapter 69 is given as "The Way to Succeed - and the Way to Suck Eggs!" a pun, as the chapter concerns the "69" sex position as a mystical act.

Largely despicable, and larger than life, the hashish-smoking, yoga-practicing, occult-preaching, self-described religious prophet probably would do even better today. The man knew how to cause a stir. To say he slept around is to practice understatement that borders on the naive. He was an outspoken racist an anti-Semite and sexist. To give the reader a sense of his contradictory and maddening character, Crowley, according to his biographer, Lawrence Sutin, used racial epithets and brutal verbal attacks to bully his Jewish lover Victor Neuburg. And while he slept with men, women, and virtually anything that moved, his background was distinctly pederastic. His writings reveal this nature with, for example, a poem beginning “I was bumming a boy in the black-out...” Known his whole life for a cutting wit, once, when a woman asked him which American college would be most suitable for her daughter he replied “Radclyffe Hall.”

Gay activist, philosopher and author ARTHUR EVANS was born on this day (d: 2011) Arthur was a founding member of the Gay Activist Alliance and was the author of numerous books including the seminal Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture and Critique of Patriarchal Reason. White Crane Books has published a new volume that includes both Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture and the remaining material from the original lecture series upon which the original book was based that Arthur titled Moon Lady Rising. The new book is The Evans Symposium and is available in hardcover and paperback at www.gaywisdom.org .

DEBRA CHASNOFF, who was born on this date (d: 2017), was an Academy award-winning documentary filmmaker and activist whose films address progressive social justice issues. Her production company GroundSpark produces and distributes films, educational resources and campaigns on issues ranging from environmental concerns to affordable housing to preventing prejudice.

Chasnoff directed and/or produced twelve films in the United States since her film-making career began in 1984. She directed and co-produced Choosing Children in 1984 with her partner at the time Kim Klausner, exploring same-sex parenting and helping to launch a profound cultural shift regarding parenting in the LGBTQ community. Choosing Children showcased six families composed of same-sex parents and children brought into the family through adoption, donor insemination, foster parenting, and through previous relationships 

In 1991 Chasnoff directed and produced Deadly Deception: General Electric, Nuclear Weapons and Our Environment. The film targetedGeneral Electric (GE), the multinational military corporation, proprietor of the NBC, RCA, and a producer of components for nuclear weapons. In 1992 Chasnoff won an Academy Award for Deadly Deception and thanked Kim Klausner in her acceptance speech, and by doing so she “came out” to the public as a Lesbian 

Chasnoff said each of her films was meant to be a catalyst for discussion in age-appropriate curricula. "Our approach in making the film is giving young people a chance to know what's going on in their lives. There are some things that all loving families share."

But her film, "That's A Family", about households headed by single mothers, multi-racial families and same-sex couples, provoked a backlash from conservative groups and parents who considered the subject matter unfit for younger children.

A New Jersey school district banned the film from its third grade classrooms. A district in Marin County, California gave parents the option of withholding consent for their fifth graders to view it.

Chasnoff died in 2017 of breast cancer. She is survived by her wife, artist Nancy Otto.

CALUM SCOTT  is a British singer and songwriter born on this date. In 2013, he won a talent competition put on by his local newspaper. In 2015, he became known worldwide after competing on the popular television show Britain's Got Talent. He subsequently released his version of the hit "Dancing on My Own" as a single, which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and became the best-selling song that summer in the UK. In 2018, he collaborated with Leona Lewis on the single "You Are the Reason."

Scott is out Gay. He is said to have had issues with his sexuality when growing up, but since becoming an adult, he is confident about it. In March 2018, he told Gay Times that he wants to be a positive example for the LGBT community and use his personality to promote acceptance.

In August 2013, Scott won the talent competition Mail's Star Search, organized by Hull Daily Mail. He then joined a Maroon 5 tribute band, Maroon 4, and toured around the United Kingdom. In 2014 he formed the electronic duo, The Experiment with John McIntyre. 

In April 2015, Scott's audition for the ninth series of Britain's Got Talent was broadcast on ITV. Just before his audition, his sister Jade also auditioned, but was stopped early on both of her songs by Simon Cowell. Jade received three "No" votes from Amanda, David, and Simon (Aleisha's vote was unannounced as it was not needed). Despite obvious nerves at seeing his sister get rejected, Calum performed a cover of Robyn's "Dancing on My Own", which he had heard Kings of Leon performing on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2013. Following a standing ovation from the judging panel, Simon Cowell pressed the Golden Buzzer giving Scott an automatic place in the live shows. Explaining his decision to send Scott straight to the semi-finals, Cowell said: "I've never ever in all the years I've done this show heard a guy with the talent you've got. Seriously. And the version was sensational, and that shows to me that you're more than a singer, you're an artist and that's why you got that (the buzzer)."

In October 2018, Scott released a new single titled "No Matter What". Upon release Scott said “"No Matter What" is without question the most personal song I have ever written and the one I am most proud of. It's a song born from loneliness, acceptance and the heartbreaking but liberating tale of my coming out experience. What I love about this song is that it isn't just limited to a story of sexual identity, but about the relationship between parent and child and acceptance as a whole. This song didn't make my debut album because I simply wasn't ready at that time to give it to the world.

MATTHEW SHEPARD, American murder victim died (b. 1976) a Gay American student at the University of Wyoming who was fatally attacked near Laramie, on the night of October 6 – October 7, 1998 in what was widely reported by international news media as a savage beating because of his sexuality. Shepard died from severe head injuries at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado, on October 12, 1998. His murder brought national attention to the issue of hate crime legislation at the state and federal levels. His two assailants were convicted of the crime and imprisoned One is currently serving two consecutive life sentences and the other is serving the same but without the possibility of parole.

On October 26, 2018, Mr. Shepard was interred at the Washington National Cathedral, the neo-Gothic, Episcopal house of worship that is a fixture of American politics and religion. The ceremony was a public service in the morning, and then his ashes were interred privately.  Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde presided over the service alongside the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, who became the first out gay bishop in the Episcopal Church in 2003. 

A London woman is publicly flogged for the crime of "involving herself in politics"