Reddit reviews Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact

If you have any interest in books (sorry--that's my jam), Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings is a fantastic collection of essays, sermons, some blog posts, and other writings by Mormon women about feminism. It has the benefit of being easily digested in small chunks that stand alone pretty well, so you can skip sections that don't interest you as much or jump to some areas that really speak to you.

I actually think the book Women at Church: Magnifying LDS Women's Local Impact might be another great option for what you're looking for. It's by a very believing Mormon woman who until a few years before writing the book had worked for the church (I think in PR if I remember right) and it basically has two halves: first, explaining to Mormon men (and many women) who don't see any problems with sexism in the church why faithful members feel that there really is (and they're not crazy); and second, laying out suggestions that could be implemented at the local level that wouldn't be against any church policies but which could alleviate some of the problematic aspects of Mormon culture w/r/t sexism.

A few other book options to consider: Mormon Women Have Their Say Essays from the Claremont Oral History Collection; Mormon Women: Portraits and Conversations (covers everyone from a Utah housewife who started a major charity to a woman who fought the Marcos regime as a communist guerrilla in the Philippines!); Educated: A Memoir (a memoir about growing up in a seriously dysfunctional Mormon family but going on to achieve awesome stuff); literally anything written by Chieko Okazaki (or even listen to some of her talks in General Conference to the worldwide church)--she is beloved by literally every Mormon woman I've ever met, liberal or conservative; and Carol Lynn Pearson has written some great stuff about women and Mormonism, like The Ghost of Eternal Polygamy: Haunting the Hearts and Heaven of Mormon Women and Men and (if you're into one-woman plays) Mother Wove the Morning. Many of these have Kindle editions if you don't like hard copies.

Anyway, hope some of that might sound interesting to you. Good luck!

As a man, I won't presume to speak authoritatively on this topic. I will say that when DW and I were TBM, our radical feminism was kept in check by the logic of Valerie Hudson Cassler, who is active LDS and a public feminist. My wife and I no longer buy VHC's arguments, but maybe reading her will give you insight into this mindset. I'd recommend her articles at squaretwo.org (such as this one), her book Women in Eternity, Women in Zion, and talks she's given at FAIR.

You might also consider reading and listening to Neylan McBaine (here, here, and here), Julie Smith (esp. her chapter in this book), Rosalynde Welch (here), Ashmae Hoiland (here), and Joanna Brooks et al. (here).

I know that's a lot, but I find feminism endlessly interesting. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you put in the work to better understand these complex issues.

>Neylan McBaine

Fixed it for you.

And yes, it was in the amazingly required reading of "Women at Church"