Roles of rituals and ceremonies in the lives of lesbians in developing a positive self identity and community connectedness

This qualitative study explored the role of rituals and ceremonies in the lives of lesbians in supporting the development of a positive self-identity and in facilitating community connectedness. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten lesbians. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. Holidays or annual celebrations, cyclical gatherings, partner union ceremony, other major one-time life events, daily or weekly constitutions, gay symbols rituals, and the sharing of coming out stories were the major types of rituals identified from the analysis. The participants indicated that their rituals have had an impact on their identities by allowing them to share feelings and experiences giving them affirmation, support and acceptance for who they are. They also used rituals to shape or change identities that were wrapped up in negative energy, masked or hidden. All of the participants found their rituals a powerful means to connect them to their communities of friends or family. Rituals and ceremonies brought them closer to their positive communities by deliberately setting aside time to be with others to share important parts of their lives. They were able to link to others and broaden their positive connections. Included are recommendations for further research and action implications.