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I am a Mormon, a BYU student, bi-racial, and an advocate for youth voices. I love reading, watching French films, dancing, and the Pacific Northwest.
I’ve been asking myself the question, “Why don’t women have the priesthood?” for a long time. I’ve viewed a lot of gender inequality in the church, and it breaks my heart. Being a Latter-day Saint has brought so much joy to my life, yet the inequality I’ve seen is so persistent and so apparent. When I was Relief Society President in my Singles Ward, I wasn’t allowed to be in charge of my own Relief Society budget. Often, I didn’t get the amount of funds needed for the organization just because I didn’t hold the priesthood, which meant I couldn’t make fiscal decisions.
I think women should be ordained because our Heavenly Parents would not want us to feel unequal. I know how much my Heavenly Parents love me as a woman–and as myself–but that same love isn’t represented fully in the patriarchal structure of the church.
When I read my favorite scripture, 2nd Nephi 26:33, it reminds me why I believe so strongly in this cause. It says, “…and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female.” This is why I believe women should be ordained.