The Satanic Temple in New York City is home to an impressive number of LGBT people, according to Ash Blackwood.

 

Blackwood, who established the NY chapter, explained that, unlike organized religion, Satanism offers an “enthusiastically accepting atmosphere for LGBTQ people."

 

Satanic Temple founder Lucien Greaves said more than half of the congregation probably identifies as queer.

 

“It’s not a big deal, [as] we don’t have strict separations or definitions of our gay membership, our trans membership, or anybody else," he explained. 

 

Now, members of the Satanic Temple do not actually worship Lucifer; they are atheists who have adopted the name Satanist as a way to freak out Christians.

 

“To embrace the name Satan is to embrace rational inquiry removed from supernaturalism and archaic tradition-based superstitions," said the group. “The mission of The Satanic Temple is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people, reject tyrannical authority, advocate practical common sense and justice, and be directed by the human conscience to undertake noble pursuits guided by the individual will."