As General Conference approaches, women are still watching for substantive signs that our leaders are listening to our pleas for a more inclusive and equitable church. We note several welcome changes in church administrative policy that have occurred over the last few years, in part, because of the combined efforts of OW and other LDS feminist initiatives, including:
- A lowering of the age requirement and selective lifting of the no-pants policy for female missionaries
- Women offering prayers in general conference
- The announcement that the General Women’s Meeting is now a session of general conference like the Priesthood Session
- The availability of the Priesthood Session to all through live streaming
- A greater emphasis on gender-inclusive local councils
- Significant, gender equitable changes to LDS Temple rituals
- Efforts to separate priesthood from maleness by encouraging members not to use the term “the priesthood” when referring to men
- Referring to women who head church auxiliaries by the title president rather than sister
- Expanding female leadership by announcing new positions for women as members of international area councils and advisors to male area authorities outside of the United States and Canada
Clearly, paying attention and speaking up are essential to the revelatory process. To that end, Ordain Women once again offers Women Are Watching — Conference Bingo as a reminder to do both.
You can download the Women are Watching — Conference Bingo Card here. As you watch each session of General Conference, mark the appropriate space when, for example, a woman offers a prayer or a woman of color speaks or a scripture is amended in order to be gender inclusive. The middle square is free and, like priesthood ordination and the generosity of God, should be available to all.
As Ordain Women enters its 9th year, we look forward to more changes that reflect the radical inclusiveness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including the ordination of women.