Hi, I’m Maria. I was born in the covenant and baptized at the age of 8. I was sealed in the Salt Lake Temple to my husband in 2002. I have had questions and concerns about the Church since my teens, particularly the practice of polygamy and denying the priesthood to men of African descent. Six years ago my concerns turned to the gender inequality that exists in the Church and the treatment of the LGBTQ community.
I attended the vigil for Kate Kelly on Sunday, June 22 and felt the spirit there so strongly. I believe that our Heavenly Parents want all their children to have the opportunity to hold the priesthood. I have no children of my own so I want equality for my nieces and their daughters and the rest of their posterity. I believe that women should be ordained.