Exponent II
A feminist forum for Mormon women and gender minority voices
I wanted nothing to do with Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family’s endless prairies and roughshod log cabin and rickety covered wagon. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
A hush between light walls, And quiet rooms separated by Dark paneled doors, The brass knobs curling Like friendly fingers Reaching out to welcome me in. Worn books near where we wait, Well-used, well-loved, Like the people who thumb through them Searching out Christ. Outside, I …
She believed and she questioned, and I hadn’t seen that before. That gave me permission to question, too. The full content of this post is available to subscribers. Subscribe now or log in!
When I first read the Harry Potter series, I was at a new school with no friends. I felt extremely lonely. No one really wanted to talk to me. I was looking for a place that was not my everyday life, so reading was an escape. With Harry Potter, I was really there inside the books…
The following are excerpts from the Contemplating Heavenly Mother series on the Exponent II blog. Visit exponentii.org for the full posts and more from our bloggers and guest writers. Mormon Fundamentalist Women Know Heavenly MotherGuest post by Dr. Cristina Rosetti | May 5, 2022…
I grew up believing that to love meant to submit, and that to submit meant giving up everything I thought, felt, or cared about that the he’s in my life did not. While I hope this was not how my teachers intended lessons to come across, what I assumed to be ‘gospel’ shaped my per…
Eve Choices
I struggle with decisions. When I say that, I don’t mean “it takes me five minutes to order a sandwich” (though that is true). I mean that decision making, especially when it comes to big life choices, sends me into debilitating, life-disruptive anxiety that is so painful, so acu…
The mountains are far away. The mountains are close by. The mountains surround you like a fortress — or a cage. They are at a fixed distance from your window. Are they closer today than they were yesterday? You lower your eyes: you know not to look too long with anything besides …
Young Aunt Carol saw you cradling the eggs from the henhouse in your apron caressing the creamy shells under the slow stream of tap water. This devoted attention, soft acts that spoke of love, were the first Carol had seen. As for me, Grandma, When I heard this story, my aching t…
“I don’t want to go to church anymore.” I can’t remember where I was when my husband said this to me, but I remember what I thought: You’re giving up? It’s difficult to explain how loaded that sentence was to someone who isn’t Mormon, but trust me when I say that those eight word…
They offered me a paradise If I followed down the road. A choice if I would pay the price And sacrifice my home. I fell into their trap And for a time, I was confused. I tried living by their map, But it left me scarred and bruised. Now the chains have lifted And I am lifted from…