The rise of Mormon feminist bloggers

Published: Monday, March 19, 2012

Women are using social media to challenge the patriarchy of the Mormon church

On her 30th birthday, which she celebrated in New York City, D'Arcy Benincosa did the wildest thing she could think of: she ordered a cup of coffee. The friend who was with her freaked out. They were Mormons, and coffee is forbidden; but both were on the brink of leaving the church. Later that day, Benincosa sampled a cocktail, and within a few months she had sex for the first time. "On my 30th birthday, I made the decision," Benincosa, now 34, tells me over the phone. "I'm done."

A teacher and photographer who lives in Salt Lake City, she is no longer active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She describes herself as culturally Mormon and is one of more than 20 women who write for the Mormon feminist blog, the Exponent. Some of its contributors are still in the church, and it is part of a growing trend of Mormon feminist expression online.

Along with the Exponent, there are Feminist Mormon Housewives, Women Advocating for Voice and Equality (Wave), and a literary group called Segullah. In the past it was hard for Mormon women who struggled with the status quo to locate kindred spirits, but the internet allows them to find each other. When Benincosa came across the Exponent, she stayed up all night reading post after post. "I just cried because I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm not alone.'"

Click here to read the full article from the Guardian.....