Read our series of blog posts on by Mormon feminists across the spectrum of belief
women
Written by
44
Guest Post: What Would You Have Said?
by Emily U
My baby girl was recently blessed at home. It was a very small gathering, with just my family, our bishop, and our home teacher present. Our extended families listened in via Skype. After the blessing, my almost 4 year old son started crying. I asked what was wrong and he said he wanted to stand in the circle, too. He'd felt left out of what he sensed was an important event. Our bishop kindly told him that was a righteous desire, and some day he'd be able to.
Fast forward a few months, and my son still wants...
Written by
“Women’s Lives, Women’s Voices: Agency in the Lives of Mormon Women”...
Please join us for Claudia Bushman's CGU women's conference on Febrary 5 from 10am to 4pm. Aileen Clyde, former 2nd Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency, and her granddaughter Emily Clyde Curtis, co-editor of the Exponent II magazine (and blogger at The Exponent) will be our keynote speakers.
Other speakers include feminist Mormon theologians who will speak about agency and subjectivity in women's lives as well scholars who will examine themes and insights found in CGU's Mormon Women Oral History Project.
Conference is free and open to the public and if you register by January 23, a free catered lunch...
Written by
The Pregnant Body Politic
I'm a grad student in a public administration program and a term we often use is "the body politic", meaning a collective group of people organized under a governmental authority. I've been thinking about this concept in terms of what it means to be a pregnant individual and part of a society since I am currently pregnant with my third child.
Pregnancy is full of complexities, mostly personal in nature. But pregnancy is one of those times when the personal intersects with the public. Not only do you cease to consider yourself merely an individual due to the presence of...
Written by
Women Judges, Women’s Presence: How the Inclusion of Women Changes Things
A couple of days ago, I heard a fascinating story on NPR called, “How Women Changed the High Court...And Didn't,” sparked by Elena Kagan's nomination to be the next Supreme Court Justice.
There were a number of salient points, all worthy of discussion. For example, some have bemoaned the fact that Sotomayor and Kagan are unmarried and childless. But the story makes the point that power may be the ultimate aphrodisiac when men yield it, but when a woman is the solicitor general of the U.S., not too many men may be standing in line waiting to ask the...
Written by
In What Sense Do Women Hold Priesthood?: Possibilities and Distinctions
When the stake president interviewed me for my first temple recommend a few months before my marriage, he asked me a number of questions. The one I remember the most is this:
"In the temple, women will be administering sacred ordinances to you. Do you believe that women hold the priesthood?"
My response was a surprised "No," along with the speculation that these officiating women were probably using the priesthood of their husbands or the temple president or something.
He seemed quite satisfied with my response.
That was over 10 years ago. And I don't know how I would respond to that question now. As I've thought more and...
Written by
Sophia Gathering 2010
When I went to bed last night, my throat was really sore from talking too much. It occurred to me that I had done more talking in the last three days than I had in the last three weeks. That's what happens when women get together, isn't it?
This last weekend we had our 2nd annual Sophia Gathering. It was in Carlsbad, CA about 6 blocks from the beach. We had about 20 women, mostly Exponent bloggers, with some other Mormon feminist friends from AZ and CA.
In addition to the Exponent II publication staff retreat, we had sessions on feminist...
Written by
The Platinum Rule
by Alisa
"Do not do unto others as you would expect they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same." - George Bernard Shaw
"The golden rule is a good standard which is further improved by doing unto others, wherever reasonable, as they want to be done by." - Karl Popper
"If the cat were you, and you were the cat, would you like that to be smashed flat, flat as a mat by a great big cat? The Golden Rule says no!" - Carol Lynn Pearson, My Turn on Earth
Ever since I was a little girl singing along...
Written by
For Those Who Have Eyes to See
For Those Who Have Eyes to See
When my daughter was 10 she attended a summer camp in Ohio. The couple who ran the program – I’ll call them Mr. & Mrs. Greenjeans – weren’t Amish, but they kept a small farm and had business dealings with their Amish neighbors. In what seems to me a stroke of genius, they began a camp for kids and had them pay for the privilege of living on a working farm for a week or two, doing the chores and participating in all the realities of farm life.
It was a perfect situation for...
Written by
How You Can Help a Victim of Domestic Violence
by mraynes
Every month or so I'll get a call from a friend or acquaintance asking me for information to help a loved one involved in a violent relationship. We all know or will know a victim of domestic violence; the current statistics are one in three women will be abused in some manner during her lifetime. I have two younger sisters and it blows my mind that statistically, one of us will be in an abusive relationship.
Knowing this, it is vital that information on how best to support victims of violence be readily available. I have found, however, that...
Written by
Guest Post: Women Blessing and Healing
I am a single Mormon 21 year old in my last year of studies at Princeton University. From Monday to Saturday I am engrossed in my anthropology major and women's studies minor, and on Sundays I get to teach the coolest Senior Primary girls in the world. When I'm not studying or inculcating ideals of feminism and social justice into 10 year old girls, I enjoy playing the violin, singing, and acting.
I am in the middle of writing my senior thesis, an anthropological study of female spiritual rituals in Mormonism. As a long-time Exponent reader, it was only...
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.
