I May Be Excommunicated From My Church for Asking for Equal Rights
On Sunday, I will be tried in absentia for apostasy by the leaders of my former congregation in the Mormon church. I face potential excommunication for the simple act of opening my mouth and starting a conversation about gender equality in the church and the deep roots of this institutional inequality.
My grave situation is another example of how silencing women has long been a top communications priority for patriarchical institutions, both literally and figuratively.
In the Mormon church, all positions of authority and leadership require ordination to the priesthood - and no women can be ordained, though the vast majority of male members, age 12 and up, are. This means that no women can lead any official rites and ceremonies, despite the fact that there is no specific Mormon church doctrine explaining why women are not ordained.
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