This powerful opening of the heart: how ritual affirms lesbian identity

This study was undertaken to examine the ways in which ritual helps affirm lesbian identity. The study explored two types of rituals commonly used among lesbians: commitment ceremonies and baby naming or child dedication ceremonies. Six in-depth interviews were conducted with lesbians who had participated in rituals which they perceived as affirming to their identities. The major findings showed that the respondents were in significant agreement that their rituals helped solidify lesbian identity through the confrontation of internalized and external homophobia. Subjects reported that this process subsequently fortified them in their daily battles against oppression. Of further significance, the respondents all specified that in several ways, their ritual helped provide balance and establish equilibrium between the many disparate experiences that result from living in a homophobic society. Implications will specify ways that therapists can use ritual as a tool in helping lesbian clients solidify and affirm their identities.