Recently in Ritual Category

I wrote this for one of my classes, and a former classmate asked for a copy, so I cleaned it up and sent it to him.

As long as I was doing that work, I decided I might as well post it here, in case anyone else found it useful.

If you want it in .rtf format, let me know.

Notes:

• This is a ritual for a person who has chosen a new name, most often when transitioning between one public gender identification and another.

• This ritual is written for a person already well known to a community, who is maintaining a relationship with that community. As such, it is not necessary, nor helpful, to re-establish the old name or gender identification in order to celebrate the new one.

• Spaces are provided for the new name and for pronouns. It is important to ask the person, prior to this ritual, what name and pronouns are preferred. If the choices include less well known pronouns, such as Ze and Hir (see http://web.mit.edu/trans/GenderNeutralPronouns.pdf), the community may need to be educated regarding these prior to such a ritual.

• This ritual is not intended to educate people regarding gender transition. If this is a need in the community, it ought be addressed prior to this ritual.

• If the community has a certificate of membership, name tag, or other such document(s) with the person's name, this is a good opportunity to issue new ones.

• This ritual is a celebration of a person bringing more of himself, herself, or hirself to the relationship with the community. It is not one of nervous anticipation, but one of joy.

The parts marked Leader: are to be read by the pastor or other leader of the community.

The parts marked One: for the one choosing a new name.

The parts marked Community: are for the community at large.

The parts marked Recorder: are for the person who records the names, attendance, and other such information for the community.

[if you're not reading this on my actual blog, find the link to the original post to find the text of the ritual]