Gordon B. Hinckley on Feminism

We sometimes get a "bad rap" from feminist groups because of our "anti-feminism." Sure, we've had our share--maybe more than that--of anti-feminists and chauvinists. That's undeniable. But that's not the doctrine of the church and that's definitely not what I believe.

I have a friend--a member of the church--who told me once that a woman could never be President of the United States. What she cited as evidence was not only wrong but pretty silly. She said that because Hillary should have divorced Bill and requirements for female fire-fighters are less than for men, women therefore do not have the reasoning and leadership capabilities to run a country. It's one of those arguments that's so off the wall that you can't argue with it. And it's contrary to what the LDS church teaches. Sure, you could pull a whole lot of caboodle out of the archives of history about anti-feminist teaches. But we also believe that the words of the prophets now trump the words of the prophets then.

Here's a quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley, the last president of the church before Monson.

The whole gamut of human endeavor is now open to women. There is not anything that you cannot do if you will set your mind to it. You can include in the dream of the woman you would like to be a picture of one qualified to serve society and make a significant contribution to world of which she will be a part.

 What about become the President of the United States? Is that included in the "not anything" that women "cannot do?" Worth a thought. By the way, "serve society" does not mean "serve men." Men are also expected to serve society, equally to women.

Like I said, there's a whole lot of "evidence" that could be used to convict us as anti-feminists. If you want a full discussion of why we aren't, you're going to have to talk to me individually because--like I've always said--there are some things that are too sacred to be shared in a public forum and we would undoubtedly drift into that area.