Wear Purple to the General Women’s Meeting
Ordain Women supporters plan to wear purple as we join other Mormon women in attending the General Women’s Meeting on Saturday, March 29, in the Conference Center and other buildings around the world. By wearing purple, we want to show that we both love and support the church in its recent initiatives to make women more visible within our faith community and hope for a continued discussion about gender equality, including women’s ordination.
Last year, the church announced that the General Women’s Meeting, previously held once each year a week prior to the church’s semi-annual General Conference in the fall, will now also be held a week before the spring conference. In addition to providing another opportunity each year for women to hear from their female leaders, the church has also made other changes to give women more voice and visibility, including an emphasis on collaborative, gender-inclusive councils, greater encouragement for women to serve missions, and the opportunity for women to both pray and speak in General Conference.
Ordain Women supporters are active, engaged members of the church and we appreciate these initiatives. We pray leaders will continue to respond thoughtfully and positively to all those who share their belief in the possibility of a more equitable religious community.
Ordain Women Medallion
Ordain Women medallions are not currently available. If you are interested in getting on in the future, please contact Suzette Smith.
Ordain Women Priesthood Session Event Information
[Ed. Last night, we held a training meeting for those participating in tonight’s event. The information below was given out at that meeting and is posted here for those who couldn’t attend or who need a review. More about the schedule, including maps and transportation information, is available in our earlier post.]
SCHEDULE
Opening Exercises: 4:00 pm at City Creek Park (110 N State Street Salt Lake City, Utah)
We’ll have a welcome message, prayer, and hymn before walking together to the Conference Center. City Creek Park is located one block East of the Conference Center, at the Northeast intersection of North Temple and State Street.
Standby Line: 4:30 pm at Conference Center, Temple Square
We will walk to the Conference Center and wait in the standby ticket line (located near the North gate of Temple Square) for admittance to the Priesthood Session. If allowed in, we will respectfully attend the session, then return to City Creek Park. If turned away, we will return to City Creek Park, directly. Ordain Women organizers and coordinators will help everyone stay in the loop while waiting. If admitted, we will sit close together in the section that the ushers lead us to.
Thank You & Closing Remarks: 6:00/8:00pm at City Creek Park
Immediately following events at the Conference Center, we will return to City Creek Park—around 6:00 if we are not admitted, around 8:00 if we are. If we are not admitted, we will listen to the session on livestream at the park. Afterward, we will have another prayer and hymn before departing. Feel free to stay longer and discuss the experience with the other participants.
DETAILS
Media: The Ordain Women Spokeswomen are: April Young Bennett, Debra Jenson, Kate Kelly, Suzette Smith, Chelsea Shields Strayer, Hannah Wheelwright, and Lorie Winder.
Refer reporters to Ordain Women spokeswomen if you don’t want to talk to a reporter, if a reporter asks you a question you don’t know how to answer, or if anyone asks you about official positions or strategies of Ordain Women. When speaking to reporters, speak from personal experience: use “I” statements like “I think/want/feel,” “In my experience,” or “In my opinion.” Do not speak on behalf of Ordain Women (describe Ordain Women plans, strategies, positions, etc.), use sarcasm, speak contemptuously of the church, describe this action as a “protest” (action, event, attending priesthood session, or demonstration are acceptable terms), ask them to ignore/not report/forget/keep off-record something you have already said (they won’t comply and they don’t have to), say anything you would be uncomfortable seeing in print.
You will be photographed—you may wear sunglasses, do your hair differently than usual, etc, but you may not prevent media from using images of you taken at a public event. Read our Event Q and A so that you are prepared to answer basic questions. If any reporters or camera people are in the vicinity, anything you say may be recorded. Maintain a dignified image at all times.
De-escalation: The event is not intended to be antagonistic. If attendees, particularly males standing in line or nearby, appear or act threatening to you, consider the following: take a deep breath, body language/tone/voice, allow space, set boundaries, ignore challenge questions, return to point of agreement, seek mutual purpose. Trust your instincts and end the interaction if de-escalation isn’t working. Above all, maintain your own safety. If you feel uncomfortable, ask for help; Ordain Women will have volunteers designated to help de-escalate confrontational situations in line.
Appearance/decorum: This is an event organized by Ordain Women, which advocates respectful demonstration, and organizers will make sure that participants represent the group appropriately. As such, there will be no signs allowed and no tirades against the Church. Participants should wear their Sunday best, as they would to attend any session of General Conference.
Ordain Women Profile Pics
You may have seen some of the Ordain Women organizers on Facebook and Twitter sporting profile photos emblazoned with OrdainWomen.org. This is a great way for you to show your support and start a conversation about Ordain Women and its aims. Here are the instructions to make your very own OrdainWomen.org profile pictures. (Special thanks to MormonFeminist.org for letting us use their original instructions, which is why the images below show the “I’m a Mormon Feminist” overlay.)
1. Go to http://fotoflexer.com and click on the “Upload Photo” button.
2. Click the “Upload” button to choose the base profile photo from your computer (or choose one of the other options in the side bar).
3. You should now be in the photo-editing area. Click the “Layers” tab in the top right.
4. Click “Add Images.”
5. Now it’s time to add the overlay. Click “Grab from Web.”
6. Copy and paste the following (rather long) URL into the Image URL field and click “Get it!” (The whole link should copy without spaces.)
https://ordainwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/574662_10102644678200715_1293193804_n.jpg
6a. Click the Opacity button, adjust the slider to your liking (maybe around 70%), then click “Done.” (Sorry, no helpful screen capture for this step.)
7. Resize the overlay to fit on your photo. Hold down the Shift key to keep it square.
8. Go back to the “Basic” tab in the top left.
9. Select the “Crop” tool.
10. Click and drag from the top left corner of the overlay to the bottom right to select, and click “Crop Selected Area.”
11. It should now be cropped to the correct size! Click Save.
12. Click “Save to My Computer” or choose one of the available options to send directly to Facebook and other sites.
Ordain Women Conference Weekend Schedule
Schedule
Friday, Oct. 4
Participant Training: 7:00–9:00 pm, University of Utah, 1945 LNCO (Language and Communication building, just south of the Ray Olpin University Union building)
If you plan to attend the action on Saturday, please try to attend this training session. We will review the details for Saturday and provide training for participants, including de-escalation training and role-playing, in case of antagonistic encounters. There will be food and a chance to get to know other OW supporters after the training at our “Linger Longer.”
Saturday, Oct. 5
Opening Exercises: 4:00 pm at City Creek Park (110 N State Street Salt Lake City, Utah)
Welcome, prayer, and hymn, before walking together to the Conference Center. City Creek Park is located one block East of the Conference Center, at the Northeast intersection of North Temple and State Street.
Standby Line: 4:30 pm at Conference Center, Temple Square
We will leave the park and walk to the Conference Center and wait in the standby ticket line for admittance to the Priesthood Session located near the North gate of Temple Square. If allowed in, we will respectfully attend the session, then return to City Creek Park. If turned away, we will return to City Creek Park, directly. Ordain Women organizers and coordinators will help everyone stay in the loop while waiting. If admitted, we will sit close together in the section that the ushers lead us to.
Thank You & Closing Remarks: 6:00/8:00pm at City Creek Park
Immediately following events at the Conference Center, we will return to City Creek Park—around 6:00 if we are not admitted, around 8:00 if we are. We will listen to the session on livestream at the park if we are not admitted to the Conference Center.
There we will have another prayer and hymn, before departing. Feel free to stay after and discuss the experience.
Travel & Directions
Ordain Women has both a ride board and a housing coordinator, for those looking for shared rides or housing. The ride board is hosted at RickyRides.com. For information on shared housing, send an email with “Housing” in the subject to info@ordainwomen.org.
Friday evening’s event is at the LNCO, the Language and Communication building, just south of the Ray Olpin University Union building on the University of Utah campus. It is located at 255 Central Campus Drive: http://goo.gl/maps/kWc3I
Saturday’s event is in the heart of downtown SLC, at City Creek Park and Temple Square: http://goo.gl/maps/Yx7Ef
The closest Trax stop to City Creek Park is at City Creek Center, about 1.5 blocks away. Trax service can be taken directly from the SLC Airport (and may other points) to the City Creek Center stop. From City Creek Center, walk north across Temple Square. City Creek Park is one block east from the Conference Center. There are also 10+ bus lines with a stop within a block of the park. For schedules and fares, see http://www.rideuta.com/
Parking is very tight in downtown SLC; you may be able to park at the City Creek Center, if parking hasn’t already been filled by other General Conference attendees. You may also be able to park at The Gateway and take Trax to the City Creek stop. (The Gateway is within the Free Fare Zone, so no ticket or fare is required.) Both of these parking options are paid lots, but validation may be available if you make purchases during your stay.
Please plan plenty of travel time, as General Conference weekend adds to travel and parking time.
Press Release: LDS Women Seeking Priesthood Ordination Will Try to Attend Church’s General Priesthood Session
Ordain Women has received an official response to our request for tickets, and has issued the following response as a general press release. The Church’s response is included below the text of the press release.
LDS Women Seeking Priesthood Ordination Will Try to Attend Church’s General Priesthood Session
Salt Lake City, UT – Supporters of the group Ordain Women gather together to attend the general priesthood session of the 183rd Semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On Saturday, October 5, 2013, more than 200 women who are actively seeking priesthood ordination in the LDS Church will meet at City Creek Park (110 North State Street, Salt Lake City) at 4:00 PM MDT for a prayer and a hymn, followed by a short walk to the north gate of Temple Square, where they will wait in the standby line for admission to the male-only session held just across the street, in the LDS Conference Center (40 West North Temple, Salt Lake City). The session begins at 6:00 MDT.
Ordain Women, which was founded earlier this year, aspires to create a space for Mormon women to articulate issues of gender inequality they may be hesitant to raise alone. The group intends to put themselves in the public eye and to call attention to the need for the ordination of Mormon women to the priesthood. Its efforts are part of a decades-long campaign for women’s ordination inside the Utah-based faith.
Only men and boys are invited to attend the priesthood session. (In the LDS church, nearly all male members over age 12 are ordained to the priesthood.) This meeting is the only session of General Conference that is not open to all members and the general public; there is no corresponding session for women and girls. Past major announcements delivered at the priesthood session have included the creation of the Perpetual Education Fund, changes in temple-recommend policies and availability, and announcements of new temple construction.
Several women requested tickets to the priesthood session from their local leaders but were denied. A formal letter of request was submitted to the Temple Square events director, the LDS Conference Center Ticket Office, the LDS Public Affairs Department, and general authorities of the LDS Church. On September 24, Ruth Todd, a Church spokesperson, responded in writing to this request, officially denying it. According to Todd, “It is the hope of the Church that the priesthood session will strengthen the men and young men including fathers and sons, and give them the opportunity to gather and receive instruction related to priesthood duties and responsibilities, much the same way parallel meeting are held for sisters, such as the general Relief Society meeting. It’s for these reasons that tickets for the priesthood session are reserved for men and young men and we are unable to honor your request for tickets or admission.” Unlike the priesthood session, however, the general Relief Society meeting is not considered to be a session of General Conference, and male priesthood holders always preside over and speak at this meeting, whereas women have never been permitted to preside over, speak at (with one exception in 1946), or even attend a live priesthood session.
According to Kate Kelly, founder of Ordain Women, “We are pleased that the Church has demonstrated its ability to change to be more inclusive by making the session available through live broadcast. This is an important step towards a future where Mormon women will participate side by side with our brothers in all areas of church leadership and life. We will be in the line for standby tickets to the priesthood session on October 5th to demonstrate our continued willingness and desire to attend. We are demonstrating our faith by standing at the door and knocking.”
For more information about the event, please visit www.ordainwomen.org/oct5th/. You can also visit Ordain Women’s home page (www.ordainwomen.org) to view the profiles of nearly 200 men and women who publicly support women’s ordination inside the LDS Church.
FAQs for the Oct. 5 Priesthood Session Action
Why are women seeking to attend the Priesthood Session?
We are demonstrating our desire for Priesthood office and asking Church leaders to prayerfully consider the ordination of women.
What do you hope to achieve?
We hope that when our leaders see us at the Priesthood Session, they will consider our untapped potential. Attending the Priesthood Session demonstrates our willingness to perform Priesthood duties. Many of us are traveling to Salt Lake City from other states and countries, demonstrating our fervent hope for direction from God regarding the extension of Priesthood ordination to all worthy members of the Church.
What exactly is going to happen? What will you do?
On Saturday, October 5th, 2013, at 4:00 p.m., we will meet at City Creek Park (110 N. State Street, Salt Lake City) to gather, pray, and sing. Then we will walk to the Conference Center together. We hope to be admitted and attend the session. If we are admitted, we will celebrate this historic event by attending Priesthood Session together. Whether or not we are admitted to the Priesthood Session, we will reconvene at City Creek Park.
You call this a faith-affirming strategic action. How is this different from a political action?
Our understanding of the gospel is that the heavens are not closed. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (Article of Faith 9). We believe that the expansion of Priesthood keys must come from God through revelation to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The role of Church members in this process is demonstrated throughout the Doctrine and Covenants, which includes many examples of revelations received after members approached the Prophet and requested revelation. This pattern was established by Jesus Christ, who said, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7). It is our belief in God and our faith in the Church that compel us to bold, faith-affirming action. “And your whole labor shall be in Zion, with all your soul, from henceforth; yea, you shall ever open your mouth in my cause, not fearing what man can do, for I am with you. Amen” (D&C 30:11).
Is this a protest?
No. We will not protest. We see ourselves as future Priesthood holders and will comport ourselves with dignity befitting Priesthood office. We plan to attend the meeting, feel the spirit, and hear the words of our leaders. We do not wish to disrupt anyone’s worship experience. If admitted, we will reverently enjoy the session. If barred from attending, we will peacefully leave. In keeping with the reverent nature of the event, organizers have asked participants to abide by the following guidelines:
- Anti-church diatribes will not be tolerated.
- No signs or banners.
- Dress in Sunday best.
- Do not use any deceitful tactics to get into Priesthood Session. Getting tickets from men who have not disclosed that they are sharing tickets with women is unacceptable.
You already have the General Relief Society Meeting. Why aren’t you content with that?
Exclusionary policies around the Priesthood Session concern us. Unlike the other sessions of General Conference and the General Relief Society Meeting, the Priesthood Session is not presented live to the public through Internet, TV and radio. We are saddened by the story of Sister Frances B. Monson’s exclusion from the Priesthood Session. “As a newly called member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the then Elder Monson was assigned to speak in general Priesthood meeting. Frances tried to stand in the doorway of the Salt Lake Tabernacle to listen to her husband speak, but the ushers wouldn’t allow it, so she stood as near to the window as possible to hear the talk” (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/frances-monson-passes-away).
Shouldn’t men get their own session of General Conference without women?
If gender-specific sessions are vital, we wonder why women do not have their own General Conference session without men. Men attend, speak at, and preside over the General Relief Society Meeting. Moreover, the General Relief Society Meeting is not one of the five sessions of semi-annual General Conference, but rather an annual meeting set apart from General Conference.
Why are you advocating in public?
There seems to be a perception among church leadership that Mormon women are happy and content in their given roles in the Church. In response to a question during a televised 1997 interview about whether the rules banning women from the Priesthood could change, President Gordon B. Hinckley replied, “He could change them, yes. If He were to change them, that’s the only way it would happen.” The reporter probed, “So you’d have to get a revelation?” Hinckley responded, “Yes. But there’s no agitation for that. We don’t find it. Our women are happy. They’re satisfied” (http://www.abc.net.au/compass/intervs/hinckley.htm).
Recently, our current General Relief Society President, Sister Linda K. Burton, repeated this assumption, saying, “I don’t think women are after the authority. I think they’re after the blessings and are happy that they can access the blessings and power of the priesthood” (http://youtu.be/pQbFwbPcr-g).
It is apparent that we need to express ourselves in a more bold and public way—agitating faithfully—in order for our leaders to understand that we do want Priesthood authority and that we are not happy being excluded. As we publicly break cultural taboos that silence women, we believe more women will find the courage to honestly discuss their righteous desires to participate fully in the Priesthood with other members, including Church leaders.
Aren’t you asking for too much too soon?
Although Ordain Women only organized as a group in the spring of 2013, many of its participants have written and spoken about this issue for years and even decades. We have thought seriously about what constitutes appropriate religious, as opposed to political, action. From our perspective, this action is not precipitous. As Martin Luther King wrote from Birmingham Jail, “Justice too long delayed is justice denied.” How long must women wait for our faith to reflect the equity fundamental to Mormon theology.
I’m afraid to come. Are you? And do you anticipate disciplinary action?
We cannot predict the response of various Church leaders. However, we do not feel our actions are contrary to the gospel of Christ or the doctrines of the Church. We have informed Church leaders of our intentions and have sought tickets through appropriate channels. We have worked with the government of Salt Lake City to obtain the appropriate permits. Our action is not a protest, and we have applied for and been granted a “free speech” permit because the city of Salt Lake requires it of any large group gathering in public spaces, such as City Creek Park and the sidewalks of North Temple street. We recognize that there might be social or personal costs because of disapproval from loved ones. Only you can weigh your personal concerns and decide if this is the right thing for you to do.
How will you get tickets for Priesthood Session?
Women within our group have requested tickets from local leaders and from Church Headquarters. If these requests are not granted, we will wait in the stand-by line.
What if you are barred from attending Priesthood Session?
If we are not permitted to attend, we will return to the park to talk about our experience, sing, and pray for the equality of women in our Church.
If I can’t attend, but want to help, what can I do?
Pray and fast for us. Pray and fast for our leaders to receive revelation. Pray and fast for further light and knowledge from the Lord. Continue the conversation by discussing your thoughts and feelings with friends, family, and local congregations. Support us on your personal facebook pages, blogs and twitter accounts. Add your profile to ours at Ordainwomen.org.
Are other actions happening the same night in other locations?
Some women who are unable to come to Salt Lake City have decided to attend the Priesthood Session in their local stakes. This action is important to them as an act of solidarity, but we are not coordinating these efforts.
What if church leaders do not respond as you would hope?
Ordain Women will remain intact. We will continue to seek ordination through continued action and discussion. We plan to move forward in creative, faithful, and courageous ways.