Recognizing ourselves
Subtitle: ceremonies of lesbian and gay commitment
By: Ellen Lewin.
Series: Between men--between women
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 288
Subjects: Gay couples -- United States.; Same-sex marriage -- United States.; Marriage customs and rites -- United States.
Description: Ellen Lewin, who has consecrated her own lesbian relationship with a commitment ceremony, decided to explore the myriad ways in which lesbians and gay men create meaningful ceremonies for themselves. She offers the first comprehensive account of lesbian and gay weddings in modern America.

A series of richly detailed profiles - the result of extensive interviews and participation in the planning and realization of many of these commitment rituals - is woven together to show how new traditions, and ultimately new families, are emerging within contemporary America. Lewin explores the ceremonies themselves, which range from traditional church weddings to Wicca rituals in the countryside, with portraits of the planning, the joys, and the anxieties that led up to the weddings.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-278) and index.