Jex Blackmore (they/them) is best known for their performances in civic spaces. Their work, which is focused on the relationship between moral religious rhetoric, sexuality, and political policy, takes aim at institutions of social and sexual oppression. They have been featured in numerous publications such as TIME, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, NPR, Cosmopolitan, and Salon. In 2015, they organized the largest Satanic gathering in history to unveil The Satanic Temple’s Baphomet monument in Detroit, which was featured on CNN’s “This is Life with Lisa Ling.”  From 2017-2018 they were a columnist at VICE Magazine covering reproductive legislation. Their reproductive healthcare advocacy has ranged from filmmaking, performance, writing about their personal abortion experience in the viral blog entitled “Unmother,” and debating the Westboro Baptist Church. Their work is featured in the Magnolia Pictures documentary, "Hail Satan?", which was an official selection at Sundance 2019. Jex’s first installation "Sex Militant," held at Chicago's Co-Prosperity Sphere, was listed as one of the best art exhibitions of 2019 by the Chicago Reader and was duly protested by the Catholic Church. In 2020, their experimental endurance film "An Undue Burden," premiered at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the oldest experimental film festival in the United States. In 2022, they took an abortion pill on live TV to spread the word about the availability of mail order abortion.

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FAQ: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A SATANIST?
A note from Jex
Much of my work involves revolves around the concept of “Satan,” which might make some folks uncomfortable. Understandably, pop-culture and religious hysteria serve as common reference when it comes to Lucifer, inspiring thoughts of sacrificial rituals or devil worship. I assure you that I worship no such demon. During the Enlightenment, the Devil was seen as a revolutionary, tragic hero who struggled against injustice and served as a source of human liberation (think the Biblical story of “tempting” Eve with the fruit of knowledge, or John Milton’s Paradise Lost). Today, conservative fear-mongers, many of whom hold positions of power (the President, senators, civic leaders) use the term “Satanic” or “evil” to manipulate points of social and cultural transformation (same sex-marriage, abortion, LGBTQ rights, divorce, etc.). If you are a freethinking, godless individual, many of these people who represent you in your local government would consider you too, a Satanist. Despite common misunderstandings, I do not fight against this terminology or allow this descriptor to control who I am. Instead, I embrace the concept of Satan to challenge these superstitious notions and comfortably place myself in solidarity with those outsiders who have suffered under the yoke of such terms (women, queer folks, healers, etc.). You may ask, why identify in such a way when many find it off-putting? Simply, because I do not intend to change who I am and what I believe to benefit the comfort of superstitious people, nor will indulge in the fantasies of religious alarmists. I encourage you to read any of the articles where I discuss my practice and beliefs as listed on this website, or you can pick up the book Witches, Sluts, Feminists by Kristen J. Sollee where I go into further detail, or, lastly you can watch a full-length documentary (found on Hulu, or most streaming services) on the topic called Hail Satan?.

“But here steps in Satan, the eternal rebel, the first freethinker and the emancipator of worlds. He makes man ashamed of his bestial ignorance and obedience; he emancipates him, stamps upon his brow the seal of liberty and humanity, in urging him to disobey and eat of the fruit of knowledge.”
― Mikhail Bakunin, “God and State,” 1882 (Editor of the 20th century US anarchist/sexual liberation periodical entitled “Lucifer, the Light Bearer”)

past

05.17.22 Virtual fundraiser for the New York Abortion Access Fund

03.27.22 Spoken word performance w/ Lydia Lunch and Joseph Keckler, UFO Factory, Detroit

10.28.21 Self Possession Ritual, Detroit

10.08-11.05.21 MONOLITH @ Red Bull Arts Detroit

03.24-3.29.21 Ann Arbor Film Fest 2021, “An Undue Burden” Installation

03.25.20 Film Art Forum, Ann Arbor 3:00-5:00 PM

10.30.19 DJ - “Night of 1,000 Devils” @ Anchored Inn, Brooklyn

09.06.19 SEX MILITANT exhibition performance @ Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicago

09.07.19 SEX MILITANT ritual performance @ Co-Prosperity Sphere, Chicago

05.24.19 Hail Satan? film Q+A @ State Theater, Ann Arbor, MI

04.12.19 Hail Satan? film premiere and Q+A. Detroit Free Press Film Festival @ Cinema Detroit

04.14.19 Hail Satan? film showing and Q+A. Detroit Free Press Film Festival @ Ant Hall

03.01.19 Talk - “Exploiting the Spectacle for Subversive Means” @ Katacombes Coop, Montreal

12.09.18 “Exploring practical magic for artists and creatives.” Moderated by Kristen Sollee. BUST’S School for Creative Living: Talks - Brooklyn Brooklyn Expo Center

12.07.18 Public Rights/Private Conscience Project at Columbia University

11.26.18 Public debate with evangelical street preacher at Central Michigan University

10.31.18 Ritual Performance - “The Mask” @ Brooklyn Bizarre, NYC with SADIST

10.30.18 DJ - “S.ons A.nd D.aughters I.n S.atan’s T.riumph” Devil’s Night @ Lone Wolf, Brooklyn

10.20.18 Invasive Property Inversion Site-specific installation @ Undisclosed location, Detroit

06.22.18 DJ - “Loud & Dark: Summer Goths” @ City Club, Detroit

04.23.18 Debate with the Westboro Baptist Church at Central Michigan University

04.21.18 DJ - “Church of No Return” @ City Club, Detroit

02.23.18 DJ - '“Church of No Return” @ City Club, Detroit

02.10.18     Ritual Performance - "Subversive Autonomous" @ Undisclosed location, Detroit

01.18.18      DJ - "Church of No Return"  @ City Club, Detroit

11.02.17       Talk - "Inciting Subversion of State Power using Technology" @ Steemfest, Lisbon

The types of media prevalent during different points in history incentivize comparable forms of public spectacle and radical action.  However, the culture of resistance often struggles to catch-up with innovations in digital technology,  experimenting with forms of interaction for maximum impact with varying degrees of success. While the ways in which we communicate, listen, and organize both online and off, are rapidly changing the greatest innovators are often in marketing - not as . Social relationships are now objectified through digital commodities, communicative capitalism undermines traditional political strategies and all of this presents an opportunity for exploitation.  From a practical standpoint, what are the relationships between technology, civic associations, and power?  What are the limitations of emerging technological platforms, and what advantages do these deficiencies present? Delving into actions by The Satanic Temple and other political actors, Blackmore will explore the ways in which we can leverage, innovate, adapt and distort states of reality in the digital era as a means of subversion.     

06.22.17       Talk - "Ritualized Resistance" @ The Satanic Temple Headquarters, Salem, MA

At it’s core, non-theistic Satanism celebrates the individual, while the Satanic figure serves as a model of agency in opposition to arbitrary authority. In this way, socio-political resistance can be practiced as a form of Satanic worship: one which both exemplifies reverence of the Satanic ideal and empowers individual participants, creating a transformative, psychological event. We will discuss the nature of ritual and Satanic ritual practice within the context of this contemporary moment.

04.28.17       Guest Speaker @ Flambeau Noir International Left Hand Path Conference, Ottawa, ON

04.22.16         Talk - "Satanic Feminism as Activism" @ Catland Books, Brooklyn

The feminine has endured as a subversive force within the Satanic narrative for a millenia.  The complexities of the female figure, her sexuality, intelligence and power have been co-opted by the church to control and fabricate a gendered discourse which demonizes autonomous womanhood. Despite this history, modern Satanism has been primarily associated with strength, masculinity and power.  Reinforcing chauvinistic conceptions of the abilities of women, with a particular focus on male sexuality, modern Satanism has continued to emphasize traditional gender roles.  The Satanic Temple represents an evolution in Satanic philosophy which aims to dismantle archaic sexual paradigms and give voice to those who have suffered under the yoke of Satanism as a pejorative. We will explore the concept of Satanic Feminism in relation to contemporary non-theistic Satanism and discuss how this can be utilized as a catalyst for political change.

02.12.16        Ritual Performance - "Convoke: Sabbat Cycle" @ Sidewinder, Austin, TX

02.12.16        Ritual Performance - "Rebel: Sabbat Cycle" @ The Art Church, Hollywood, LA

02.10.16        Ritual Performance - "Awaken: Sabbat Cycle" @ The Jane Hotel Ballroom, New York City, NY