Here is an exercise: Think of a Mormon woman you respect. Go ahead….Picture her in your head and ask yourself, if she were a man, what calling would she be great at?

Would she be a dynamite Sunday School President?

A successful Ward Mission Leader?

Would she make an excellent Executive Secretary?

A fantastic, loving Bishop?

The list could go on and on and on; the list of callings she will NEVER be allowed to hold. And that list is dependent on one thing, and one thing only: her gender. (Some have argued that this is fair because there are presidencies that men cannot be called to such as Relief Society, Primary and Young Women. I would counter that the only presidencies women are called to are: a. over groups of only women or children, and never men; and, b. auxiliaries with not independent authority.
Also, you can do this same exercise for a man who will never serve as a Primary President. Sad, right?)

Mormon feminism says we can do better. Better for all of our members. We can do better at honoring the unique individuality we have each been blessed with. Just like in Matthew 25, we can honor the talents our Master has given us by using them, without limiting them based on our gender. We can do better at practicing in our organization what we already know: we are all equal.

Inherently we feel it, and in our doctrine we are told that “none of these iniquities come of the Lord… and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth non that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female… and all are alike unto God.” But our cultural and organizational practices do not currently demonstrate that equality.

My Mormon feminism is based on one thing: my children. When my daughters—who every day announce their desire to be a doctor, an astronaut, an athlete, a scientist, and more—ask me why they can’t pass the sacrament… I have no satisfactory answer. When my son hears in justifications for a gendered priesthood that he is at the mercy of his hormones or lazy or less spiritual than his sisters… my heart breaks a little. And every time I was not allowed to participate in a blessing or ordinance for one of my children or my husband… I cried.

I understand that my experiences are not every Mormon woman’s experience. I understand that my desires are not every Mormon woman’s desires. I respect that. But I also know that I am not alone. I know that there are women who have left, and those who struggle to stay but are in pain. I see them mourn, and I will mourn with them. For even here, we can do better—at being inclusive and Christlike and loving—fulfilling Jesus’ new and greatest commandment to “love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

And so it is my responsibility, as a loving mother, devoted wife, faithful daughter, and loyal sister, to act. My participation in the Ordain Women movement is a combination of my trust in the teachings of James that “faith without works is dead” and the promise of Matthew to “ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

I will stand in line for entrance to Priesthood Session to demonstrate my willingness to dedicate “my whole labor in Zion, with all my soul” and my desire to be ordained. I truly believe that our leaders love and hear us. I believe that they when they see us at the door, they will see daughters of God who are ready and anxious to share in the real and transformative power of the priesthood. And because I believe that “God will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God,” I believe that they can and will seek continuing revelation on this topic.

I can see a day, not too far off, where those who feel called—both men and women—will participate side by side in all areas of church leadership. And I have faith that one day I will stand next to my husband as we use the priesthood to bless our family and our community.

~Debra