Ritual and the Trans Body in the Church of England

In this article, we argue that ritual in the Church of England is used to both affirm and police trans identities. The Church’s recent guidance accompanying renewal of baptismal vows as a liturgy of welcome for trans people, and the accompanying backlash, highlights the role of liturgy and ritual for trans belonging in the Church and the ways power over liturgical words and praxis is overtly wielded. By contrast, the marriage rite has established ontological meaning for trans bodies, but only on the condition that they support heterosexuality. Yet, there is a subversive access to meaning-making in both these ritual contexts. The lived experiences trans people of faith in the Church of England shared with us reveal the ways in which Church-sanctioned ritual ensures that trans bodies are used to reproduce fixed meanings around sexuality, sex and gender.