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Sonia Johnson: A Mormon Feminist
Few figures in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provoke such visceral responses as Sonia Johnson. Her unrelenting public support of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) made her the face of LDS feminism while her subsequent excommunication roiled the faith community.
Christine Talbot tells the story of Sonia’s historic confrontation with the Church within the context of the faith’s first large-scale engagement with the feminist movement. A typical if well-educated Latter-day Saints homemaker, Sonia was moved to action by the all-male LDS leadership’s opposition to the ERA and a belief the Church should stay out of politics. Talbot uses the activist’s experiences and criticisms to explore the ways Sonia’s ideas and situation sparked critical questions about LDS thought, culture, and belief. She also illuminates how Sonia’s excommunication shaped LDS feminism, the Church’s antagonism to feminist critiques, and the Church itself in the years to come.
A revealing and long-overdue account, Sonia Johnson explores the life, work, and impact of the LDS feminist.
Christine Talbot tells the story of Sonia’s historic confrontation with the Church within the context of the faith’s first large-scale engagement with the feminist movement. A typical if well-educated Latter-day Saints homemaker, Sonia was moved to action by the all-male LDS leadership’s opposition to the ERA and a belief the Church should stay out of politics. Talbot uses the activist’s experiences and criticisms to explore the ways Sonia’s ideas and situation sparked critical questions about LDS thought, culture, and belief. She also illuminates how Sonia’s excommunication shaped LDS feminism, the Church’s antagonism to feminist critiques, and the Church itself in the years to come.
A revealing and long-overdue account, Sonia Johnson explores the life, work, and impact of the LDS feminist.
136 pages, Hardcover
Published August 20, 2024
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September 13, 2024
Sonia Johnson: A Mormon Feminist by Christine Talbot is a provocative and insightful entry in University of Illinois Press’s Introductions to Mormon Thought series.
The subject of this biographic monograph—Sonia Johnson—was and is an individual who inspires strong reactions and many different emotions among Latter-day Saints, and any biography of her is likely to evoke those same reactions. Sonia was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who came to believe that patriarchy was a sham and advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. That advocacy came into conflict with the Church, which, under Spencer W. Kimball’s direction, opposed the ERA and organized its members in efforts to fight ratification in states across the country. Sonia believed that some of the tactics the Church used to do so were underhanded or dishonest and went to the press to expose these, much to the chagrin of Church leaders. As a result of some of her activities and statements, Sonia was excommunicated in 1979. Given her high-profile status, this not only affected Sonia, but had a chilling effect on Latter-day Saint feminists and signaled that they were not welcome in the Church (much as the excommunication of the September Six or Kate Kelly would do later on).
Unlike other entries in the series, this one is unique in that the subject is still alive. Thus, Christine Talbot not only had access to primary documents and secondary sources, but also the subject herself. The book follows the standard format for the series of an introductory chapter that offers a brief biographical sketch, three body chapters that focus on major themes in the figure’s thought (in this case, chapters on disciplining Mormon feminists; the gendered ethics of revelation, religion, and politics; and gender, honesty and accountability), and a short concluding chapter that provides a reader’s guide or a bibliographic essay that introduces readers to the figure’s most important works. In doing so, it provides a very accessible introduction to a key figure in 20th century Latter-day Saint history.
Given the historical nature of Sonia’s impact on Latter-day Saint thought, Sonia Johnson: A Mormon Feminist shares some common content with other books dealing with Latter-day Saint feminism, Church discipline and boundary maintenance, and 20th century Latter-day Saint history. For example, The September Six and the Struggle for the Soul of Mormonism by Sara M. Patterson shares some discussion of the ways in which Sonia Johnson’s excommunication highlighted some boundary maintenance processes employed by Church leaders and how those have continued in examples, like the September Six. Ben Park’s American Zion covered Sonia Johnson’s excommunication as an aspect of 20th century Latter-day Saint history and the struggle over the position of women in the Church. And the anthology Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings, edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright offers some coverage of the life of Sonia Johnson and includes a few key essays that she wrote as an introduction to her thought and its impact on Latter-day Saint feminism. By virtue of its exclusive focus on Sonia, Sonia Johnson: A Mormon Feminist is able to dive deeper into the her life and thought than these other books, but it does share some of the same content.
As I mentioned up front, Sonia Johnson is an individual who inspires strong reactions and many different emotions among Latter-day Saints. I view myself as a moderate feminist and I felt a range of emotions as I engaged with this book. I felt frustration over the Church’s anti-ERA and anti-feminist position that it staked out at that time and the ways in which that position was enforced (including the questionable methods behind the excommunication of Sonia). At the same time, I also felt repelled by some of the more radical positions that Sonia staked out in response. Such reactions, however, can be seen as a testament to Christine Talbot’s well-researched and well-written work in capturing Sonia’s life and thought in this excellent, if at times disturbing, book.
The subject of this biographic monograph—Sonia Johnson—was and is an individual who inspires strong reactions and many different emotions among Latter-day Saints, and any biography of her is likely to evoke those same reactions. Sonia was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who came to believe that patriarchy was a sham and advocated for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the United States in the 1970s and early 1980s. That advocacy came into conflict with the Church, which, under Spencer W. Kimball’s direction, opposed the ERA and organized its members in efforts to fight ratification in states across the country. Sonia believed that some of the tactics the Church used to do so were underhanded or dishonest and went to the press to expose these, much to the chagrin of Church leaders. As a result of some of her activities and statements, Sonia was excommunicated in 1979. Given her high-profile status, this not only affected Sonia, but had a chilling effect on Latter-day Saint feminists and signaled that they were not welcome in the Church (much as the excommunication of the September Six or Kate Kelly would do later on).
Unlike other entries in the series, this one is unique in that the subject is still alive. Thus, Christine Talbot not only had access to primary documents and secondary sources, but also the subject herself. The book follows the standard format for the series of an introductory chapter that offers a brief biographical sketch, three body chapters that focus on major themes in the figure’s thought (in this case, chapters on disciplining Mormon feminists; the gendered ethics of revelation, religion, and politics; and gender, honesty and accountability), and a short concluding chapter that provides a reader’s guide or a bibliographic essay that introduces readers to the figure’s most important works. In doing so, it provides a very accessible introduction to a key figure in 20th century Latter-day Saint history.
Given the historical nature of Sonia’s impact on Latter-day Saint thought, Sonia Johnson: A Mormon Feminist shares some common content with other books dealing with Latter-day Saint feminism, Church discipline and boundary maintenance, and 20th century Latter-day Saint history. For example, The September Six and the Struggle for the Soul of Mormonism by Sara M. Patterson shares some discussion of the ways in which Sonia Johnson’s excommunication highlighted some boundary maintenance processes employed by Church leaders and how those have continued in examples, like the September Six. Ben Park’s American Zion covered Sonia Johnson’s excommunication as an aspect of 20th century Latter-day Saint history and the struggle over the position of women in the Church. And the anthology Mormon Feminism: Essential Writings, edited by Joanna Brooks, Rachel Hunt Steenblik, and Hannah Wheelwright offers some coverage of the life of Sonia Johnson and includes a few key essays that she wrote as an introduction to her thought and its impact on Latter-day Saint feminism. By virtue of its exclusive focus on Sonia, Sonia Johnson: A Mormon Feminist is able to dive deeper into the her life and thought than these other books, but it does share some of the same content.
As I mentioned up front, Sonia Johnson is an individual who inspires strong reactions and many different emotions among Latter-day Saints. I view myself as a moderate feminist and I felt a range of emotions as I engaged with this book. I felt frustration over the Church’s anti-ERA and anti-feminist position that it staked out at that time and the ways in which that position was enforced (including the questionable methods behind the excommunication of Sonia). At the same time, I also felt repelled by some of the more radical positions that Sonia staked out in response. Such reactions, however, can be seen as a testament to Christine Talbot’s well-researched and well-written work in capturing Sonia’s life and thought in this excellent, if at times disturbing, book.
September 15, 2024
A very insightful work chronicling Sonia’s conflict with the Church of Jesus Chris of Latter-day Saints. Prior to reading this I only knew the name Sonia Johnson as being a woman who was excommunicated by the church for her advocacy of the ERA. This book explores the genesis of her thought with a brief overview of her life prior to public conflict with the church. Most helpful in my mind was the examination of the political/theological conflicts beneath Sonia’s conflicts, focusing on her argument that the church was disingenuous about the extent of their political advocacy, as well as making distinctions between politics and theology that did not exist in practice. Talbot’s analysis is extensive in a small space, and even more than other works in the series this is not a light read, not shying from explaining Sonia’s contradictions as well as those of the church.
If you’re looking for a biography of Sonia’s life this is not the place to go. While there are mentions and an overview of Sonia’s life after her excommunication it is not the focus. This is not a criticism, but something to look for if that is your interest in this book.
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