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Wiccan Says He was Barred from Doing Invocation

Huntsville City Council
huntsvilleal.gov
Huntsville City Council

A member of the Wiccan faith says he was set to give the opening invocation at a Huntsville City Council meeting until he was asked about his faith, then told he was no longer invited to do so.

Huntsville City Attorney Peter Joffrion said that when the agenda for Thursday's meeting was made public earlier this week, council members received community concerns about a Wiccan being invited to speak.

Blake Kirk tells WHNT-TV that his invitation was rescinded after he acknowledged that he is a Wiccan.

Huntsville's long-standing tradition of opening meetings with prayer came under fire by the Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation in 2012. The city then made an effort to include more faiths, but Blake says what happened to him isn't right.

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