First, there was the IG post, quoting Sister Dennis from the Worldwide Relief Society Broadcast. Then over 8,000 comments, mostly by women, flooded the post. When the comments disappeared, many believed the comments were deleted. Hours later, the comments were restored. By that time, the conversation had spread far beyond the comment section of that post. The debacle brought up a lot for Mormon women and gender minorities and they have been speaking to national news outlets, on podcasts, and writing across social media, blogs, and substacks. Here is a roundup of some highlights from the larger conversation. Think this list is missing something? Add it in the comments!

First, don’t miss the excellent coverage in the Salt Lake Tribune by Tamarra Kemsley:

“What LDS women are saying about priesthood—and how they supposedly have it—after a controversial sermon”

“LDS Church responds to firestorm over speech about women, points to a glitch for vanishing social media comments”

Also, this article in the New York Times by Ruth Graham challenges the church’s claim that it was a glitch that caused the comments to disappear (though I’ll add, many Instagram users report experiencing similar glitches on other pages): “Does the Mormon Church Empower Women? A Social Media Storm Answers”

Want to listen to women presiding over these conversations? Mormon stories had two excellent panels discussing the issue.

In the first, Julia Sanders converses with Celeste M. Davis, Samantha Shelley, and Alyssa Witbeck. They discuss the RS Broadcast, the IG firestorm, and much more around their experiences and research related to women’s power and authority in the LDS Church.

In the second, Amy McPhie Allebest leads a conversation with Chelsea Homer and Mindy Gledhill. I may have cried more than once listening to this one. They discuss their experiences and how patriarchy and misogyny are embedded in the structure of church.

In another meaningful discussion, At Last She Said It hosts Cynthia and Susan discuss the messages shared in the broadcast and the responses to those messages.

On RadioWest, Doug Fabrizio talks with Celeste M. Davis, Neylan McBain, and Jana Reiss. When McBain first heard the quote, she thought it was a joke because it was so out of line with her personal experience.

Want to see more on Instagram?

Check out Kate Toronto’s slides on “The Power & Authority I have.” Women are not part of essential decision-making bodies of the church and can’t control what the church does. What can they control?

Kate Mower at latterdaylez calls out the blind spots of Mormon feminism in this conversation. How can Mormon feminists learn from past waves of feminism and be more sensitive to race and gender?

Of course, don’t miss the excellent posts and guest posts on Exponent II’s Deleted Comments Department series page. We have had several posts from bloggers and guest writers.

Don’t see your favorite? Add it to the comments!

This post is part of a series related to the March 2024 debacle where 8,000+ comments, largely by women, responding to the LDS Church’s Instagram post quoting Sister J. Anette Dennis appeared to have been deleted for several hours. Though the comments were restored, Sister Dennis’ talk and the Instagram post have inspired significant thought and conversation.