Hi! I’m Ashley. I live in Kansas and was raised in the church. I am bisexual, though am currently married to a wonderful man. I have struggled for years with my feelings: from thinking that there’s something wrong with me. I have felt vilified since I was a child because of something that was not my choice, nor under my control. Later, I’ve felt humiliated by infertility.
I believe women should hold the Priesthood because women deserve more than to be held to the ideal of a perfect housewife. People should receive callings based on intelligence, experience, personality, and desire–not their sex. Though I no longer consider myself a member, I ache for those who still practice and who are in pain. I feel for friends who cry on the way home because they feel like failures. I long for the day when benevolent sexism will be history, and women will be free to choose a career or homemaking or both, without fear of judgment. I hope someday budgets for Young Men and Young Womens are the same, and both men and women are taught to “Honor the Priesthood”.
I am a strong woman with experiences and talents that I can use for more than raising children. I am who I am. And that’s amazing. I was taught God looketh on the heart. To me, that does not stop at gender. I believe women should hold the Priesthood.