Confirmed by my informant, and some of my sources, there are many more witches than are plainly apparent. Many of them would like to keep this part of their life secret because of the misunderstandings of the populous culture and the resulting harassment. There was an incident of a woman losing her job as a hairstylist because she was wearing a pentagram to work. Another was not allowed to put down ``Wicca'' as a religion in an admitting form at a hospital: the clerk left the line blank instead.
Very much like a homosexual would keep his sexuality a private part of his life, the Witch must do the same. As Carol recounts:
It's not something you wear on your sleeve [pause] like, you tell people that you are Wiccan, and they just look at you. Sometimes they smile or chuckle uncomfortably, you know ... But, like, they quickly change the subject ... it's the difference between tolerance and acceptance ... really
With all of this secrecy involved in the Wiccan religion it's no wonder that the popular culture does not get more informed of the actual practises, rites, and ideologies of this sub-culture.