After decades of watching and experiencing the pain created by the ongoing presence of polygamy in the teachings of the LDS Church, and as an active member of that church, I offer this personal manifesto:
There is a large set of untold stories — call this the Mormon women's section — stories that deserve be put on the same table and examined under the same light as the many thousands of stories from women that continue to come as the result of what we may call the Harvey Weinstein phenomenon.
It is common knowledge that an LDS man, after the death of his wife or a divorce, may have another woman “sealed” to him in the temple with the promise that he will claim each of his wives in heaven. These teachings and policies regarding the likelihood — and often the guarantee — of eternal polygamy put men and women on unequal ground, resulting in nothing less than gender-based abuse, an assault on the spiritual, emotional and sexual lives of half the membership of the church.
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