My name is Sean. I am a historian by way of education, and currently work in finance. As far as church service, most of my callings have been in various teaching roles and in Sunday School presidencies. I was baptized into the church at 23, though I have been involved with the church on and off since I was 7. I went through primary and young men’s, and even attended and graduated seminary. Throughout all of it, I struggled to overcome doubt and finally came to a place of peace about the gospel. In some ways I feel like a lifelong member (complete with pioneer ancestry), but still look at our Mormon culture through the lens of a convert. As a result, many issues, including gender inequality, have been all too obvious – especially since the birth of my daughters.
Prior to becoming a parent, I always supported gender equality and female ordination; though I admit it was mostly on an intellectual level. As a white American male, those issues simply weren’t directly a part of my lived experience. However, getting married and having kids gave me the opportunity to examine these issues more closely. One experience in particular absolutely crystallized my belief on the topic. I had come home after a particularly hard day at work and was starting to feel sick on top of it. My oldest daughter, who was three at the time, heard me talking and came over to give me a hug. She then grabbed my hand, led me to a dining room chair, and without any prompting she crawled up behind me and put her hands on my head. She then proceeded to pronounce a sweet simple blessing for me to feel better.
The pure unconditional love she exhibited brought tears to my eyes, and was followed by a bit of sadness. I thought that I should explain that only boys hold the priesthood, but my words caught in my throat. She seemed so happy with the experience and I just couldn’t find the words to explain. If ever I have felt constrained of the spirit it was on that night. Since then, I have held a fervent hope that things will change. I can’t express adequately enough how beautifully peaceful it was to have my daughter bless me in that way and it opened up my heart and mind to how much of a strength to marriage and family that this could be. I have faith in the Lord and because of that experience I believe women should be ordained.