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Toxic Mormon Masculinity Series: Pressure to Provide

  As part of our Toxic Mormon Masculinity series, we are featuring guest posts from men who share their experiences of operating within the masculinity culture unique to Mormonism. (Introductory post here.) We are happy to accept new submissions of guest posts to this series and welcome any of our male-identifying readers to share their perspectives.    By Ziff  I grew up in a large family. I’m second of seven siblings, so I had a front-row seat as a new sibling was added every year or two. But I grew up in Utah Valley in the 1980s, so my family wasn’t at all unusual. The...
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Guest Post: Special Helper

by Alan Buys I once had a conversation with an elementary school librarian. She told me about the difficulties of getting some of the rowdier children to be quiet and respectful in the library and, when I questioned, explained a strategy that she had found effective in managing them. She had one little boy who was particularly rowdy, and in order to keep him from causing trouble, she told him that he was going to be her “special helper”. As part of this role he needed to sit by her desk quietly, so he could help her show the other...
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Toxic Mormon Masculinity: How Patriarchy Poisons our Men and Boys

Patriarchy in Mormonism negatively impacts men and boys by afflicting them with shame, anxiety, and unrealistic expectations. I term this “Toxic Mormon Masculinity.” When I’ve written about a particular effect that our patriarchal church system has on women, like breastfeeding in church or how we respond to a young woman’s outfit, readers are sometimes curious about my thoughts on how men can be affected as well. Today I’ll tackle that request by taking a closer look at the ways gender essentialism (the idea that our innate traits and attributes are due to our sex) and patriarchy (a gender-based hierarchy...
What is Exponent II?

Exponent II provides Mormon feminist forums for women and gender minorities across the Mormon spectrum to share their diverse life experiences in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance. Through these exchanges, we strive to create a community to better understand and support each other.

Exponent II was founded in 1974 by a group of Mormon women in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These women were inspired by the original periodical, “The Woman’s Exponent,” to create a forum “posed on the dual platforms of Mormonism and Feminism.”

For 50+ years, Exponent II has shared women’s voices in its quarterly magazine, and members of the community have convened at an annual retreat. Our reach has expanded as technology has advanced: the blog, founded in January 2006, has reached millions. As we look to the future, we are focused on growth and building a more inclusive community.