Recently, I was honored to assist the Wiccan tradition of which I’m a member, the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel (ASW), in updating its policies to be more gender-inclusive in coven leadership structures.
Historically, Assembly covens were to have two leaders each: one High Priest and one High Priestess. When I, a feminine-presenting nonbinary person, was called to leadership, to serve in the place of the departing High Priest of my coven, that policy came under scrutiny.
In a fantastic example of examining our traditions to determine whether they serve the betterment of the organization and its members, Assembly leadership unanimously voted to change the existing policy, and now two people of any combination of genders can lead a coven. They also added the titles of Priestx and High Priestx to the charter, for use by those who prefer them.
“Some of our founders are LGBTQ people and our rituals and ritual roles have not been constrained by gender binaries for quite some time,” Assembly leadership said in a statement on Facebook. “We count several non-binary people among our membership. In reflection of our growing understanding of gender, we have recently changed how coven leadership is defined. …These changes are reflected in our Charter, and are one more step we can take to ensure people outside the gender binary feel welcome and affirmed in our rituals and covens.”
I’m so proud to be a member of this tradition, and prouder still to have been part of catalyzing this change.
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