First, I want you to know that I respect your decision to call yourself something other than “Mormon.” Did I snicker a bit when the group formerly known as Mormon Women Stand immediately (like, within a couple hours of the press release) changed their group name to Latter-day Saint Women Stand? Yeah, I snickered, and it wasn’t very charitable of me. I was wrong, and I’m sorry for reacting that way.* And I get some of the reasons why you... Read more

After the Kavanaugh hearing last Thursday, an image went viral that depicted a row of women sitting behind him, all with disgusted expressions. It seemed like a direct expression of how most women felt while they listened to the rantings of an entitled, partisan brat. As it turns out, most of those women were actually there to support him. Those looks of anger and contempt were most likely directed toward his accusers. Are those women accomplices who know for a... Read more

  In response to multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh, Christian politicians have largely responded by either implying the alleged victims are lying or dismissing the alleged incident as “boys will be boys.” Personally, I don’t even know how to respond to the second point, because it should go without saying that pinning a girl to a bed and covering her mouth so she can’t scream while attempting to grope and strip her, or exposing one’s genitals to... Read more

Like many progressive Mormons, I’ve enjoyed Robert Kirby’s self-deprecating humor ever since a friend introduced me to his column. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call him a hero, he was certainly someone whose writing I admired. When he published a bizarre defense of the men who manhandled Denson, I was confused. What was the point of that piece? Unlike his usual stuff, it wasn’t funny, and it’s also not like those men were in need of defending.... Read more

To the men who grabbed McKenna Denson without her consent and dragged her away from the pulpit: Let me tell you a story. It’s a story I’ve experienced a few hundred times: I’m standing in a room full of people. Maybe a classroom where I’ve just finished teaching a college writing course or the Relief Society room at my local chapel, where I’ve just finished teaching Sunday School. A man walks up, friendly, intending to open a conversation with me.... Read more

  Back in April I wrote about my experience with software systems and institutions that automatically treat my husband’s last name as the default for our family. While most readers expressed understanding, there were a few critical responses: It’s telling that Miss Nielsen put “own” in quotation marks, apparently unconvinced that I have a right to decide what people should call me. It’s also telling that Miss Nielsen assumed I owed her an explanation. How many men has she asked... Read more

Here’s hoping Lindsey releases a new, revised video: I’m a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a songwriter, and a violinist. See? Rolls right off the tongue. In case you haven’t heard yet, on Thursday President Nelson made good on something he’s probably wanted to do for ages: despite a decade of reclaiming the term “Mormon” with the “I’m a Mormon” campaign, official urls (Mormonnewsroom.org, mormon.org, mormonandgay.org), etc., we members of the Church of Jesus Christ of... Read more

  Image obtained through creative commons. I was 28 years old when I got married – an old maid by Mormon cultural standards. But in all the dates I went on before meeting my husband, all the relationships I was in, no date ever tried to pressure me to have sex. No date tried to put his hand up my shirt or grab my butt or pressure me into performing oral sex. In fact, most of the guys I dated respected my... Read more