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'''Kathleen Marie "Kate" Kelly''' (born October 29, 1980) is a [[Mormon feminism|Mormon feminist]], human rights lawyer, and former member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) known for starting the [[Ordain Women]] movement. She started the movement in March 2013 with a website launch containing 19 profiles of individuals calling for the [[ordination of women]] in the LDS Church.<ref>{{citation |url= http://religiondispatches.org/ordain-women-transforms-mormon-feminism/ |title= Ordain Women Transforms Mormon Feminism |first= Holly |last= Welker |date= March 16, 2014 |journal= [[Religion Dispatches]] }}</ref> As of May 18, 2014, the website contains over 400 profiles.<ref>{{citation |title= Complete List of Profiles |url= http://ordainwomen.org/full-list-of-profiles/ |work= OrdainWomen.org |publisher= [[Ordain Women]] |accessdate= 24 June 2014}}</ref> Kelly was excommunicated from the LDS Church in June 2014.
'''Kathleen Marie "Kate" Kelly''' (born October 29, 1980) is a (EX)[[Mormon feminism|Mormon feminist]], human rights lawyer, and former member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) known for starting the [[Ordain Women]] movement. She started the movement in March 2013 with a website launch containing 19 profiles of individuals calling for the [[ordination of women]] in the LDS Church.<ref>{{citation |url= http://religiondispatches.org/ordain-women-transforms-mormon-feminism/ |title= Ordain Women Transforms Mormon Feminism |first= Holly |last= Welker |date= March 16, 2014 |journal= [[Religion Dispatches]] }}</ref> As of May 18, 2014, the website contains over 400 profiles.<ref>{{citation |title= Complete List of Profiles |url= http://ordainwomen.org/full-list-of-profiles/ |work= OrdainWomen.org |publisher= [[Ordain Women]] |accessdate= 24 June 2014}}</ref> Kelly was excommunicated from the LDS Church in June 2014.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==

Revision as of 19:25, 26 October 2015

Kate Kelly
Born (1980-10-29) October 29, 1980 (age 44)
Arizona, United States
Alma materBrigham Young University; American University
OccupationHuman rights lawyer
SpouseJ. Neil Ransom
Websitewww.katekellyesq.com

Kathleen Marie "Kate" Kelly (born October 29, 1980) is a (EX)Mormon feminist, human rights lawyer, and former member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) known for starting the Ordain Women movement. She started the movement in March 2013 with a website launch containing 19 profiles of individuals calling for the ordination of women in the LDS Church.[1] As of May 18, 2014, the website contains over 400 profiles.[2] Kelly was excommunicated from the LDS Church in June 2014.

Early life and education

Kelly was born to LDS converts Donna and Jim Kelly as the first of four children, growing up in Hood River, Oregon, in an active Mormon home.[3] Her father, a former bishop, and mother, both held temple recommends and callings in their congregation until recent censure for their continued support of Kelly and Ordain Women.[4] Both of Kelly's parents worked outside the home, with a young Kelly aspiring to become a judge. From childhood, her mother taught her that one day women would be ordained to the priesthood in the LDS Church, and with her parents' example and encouragement Kelly became "an intuitive feminist" at an early age.[3]

Kelly attended the LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University (BYU), where she graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science in 2006.[5] After returning from serving a mission in Barcelona, Spain, Kelly continued to be an active member of the church.[3] In 2006, Kelly married J. Neil Ransom in the Salt Lake Temple,[6] with the pair remaining "childless by choice."[7] Kelly graduated cum laude in the American University Washington College of Law's class of 2012.[5] From 2011 to 2014 she lived in Virginia, where she actively attended and held a calling in her local congregation until she faced church discipline and excommunication for her work with Ordain Women. Kelly and Ransom moved to Kenya in 2014 and as of September 2014 Kelly is based in Nairobi.[8]

Activism

Kelly first forayed into organizing and activism as a young girl. She initially addressed uncharged issues, like organizing an indoor soccer league for her community in Oregon.[3] In 2006, while a student at BYU, Kelly organized and executed a demonstration protesting the termination of a BYUSA employee on the grounds of having a "disloyal" letter published in the Daily Universe.[3][9] Kelly and other students silently protested by covering their mouths with duct tape to symbolize "a lack of freedom of expression," and carrying posters that featured slogans promoting free speech and academic liberty, and which condemned authoritarian rule by fear.[9]

Kelly was both the founder and an Executive Board member of Ordain Women.[10] She was heavily involved in all of Ordain Women's actions up to this point, and is continuing her involvement, despite the discipline she faced on account of it.[11] Kelly describes her activism as a type of worship; she bases this description on a quote from her heroine Susan B. Anthony, "I pray every single moment of my life; not on my knees but with my work."[3]

In September 2015, Kelly joined the Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, in a new position for strategic advocacy and policy counsel.[12]

Views on patriarchy in the LDS Church

Kelly has publicly argued that the "system of patriarchy" in the LDS Church "is no longer sustainable both in terms of retaining members and in terms of our tolerance for an unequal system." She argues that women and youth will flee the LDS Church as a result of gender equity issues in such numbers that the organization's continued viability will be put into question. She has argued that the ordination of women to the priesthood within the LDS Church and the transition to a structure devoid of patriarchy are vital steps for the survival of the organization.[13]

Disciplinary actions

In December 2013 and March 2014, local church leaders met with Kelly to encourage her to cease campaigning to promote the ordination of women.[14][15] Kelly subsequently protested on Temple Square during the church's April 2014 general conference.[14] On May 5, 2014, Kelly was placed on informal probation by her local LDS Church leaders for "openly, repeatedly and deliberately acting in public opposition to the church and its leaders after having been counseled not to do so, and for continuing to teach as doctrine information that is not doctrine after having been counseled regarding the doctrine of the priesthood, and for leading others to do the same.”[16] She received an email on June 8 about a disciplinary council scheduled for June 22 where she would be charged with apostasy.[17][18] Because she had recently moved to Utah, she was offered a change of date or to participate via closed-circuit video conference. However, she chose not to attend the disciplinary council but responded instead with a blog post and supplied the bishopric with a letter from herself, a brief from a lawyer, and about 1,000 letters from supporters.[19][20] While the disciplinary council was being held, she gathered with sympathizers in a candlelight vigil.

On June 23, 2014, Kelly's bishop informed her that she had been excommunicated in absentia.[20] The letter states that Kelly's excommunication was due not to her personal beliefs, but her “aggressive effort to persuade other Church members to [her] point of view and that [her] course of action has threatened to erode the faith of others,” including “Six Discussions” aimed at other church members.[21] [22] Kelly was attending a meeting of the Ordain Women board in Salt Lake City when she was notified of the decision.[23] In the week before her excommunication from the LDS Church[24] and in the week following her excommunication, Kelly urged her followers to stay in the church and "raise hell" if they could do so while maintaining their mental and emotional health.[23] She described her excommunication as a "violent act" that was "consistent with abusive, manipulative, partriarchal situations."[23]

On July 23, 2014, Kelly appealed her excommunication to her stake president. The appeal also contained letters of support from her husband Neil Ransom, lawyer Nadine Hanson, and many others.[25][26] On October 30, 2014, Kelly was informed that her appeal had been denied, shortly after which she expressed her intent to appeal the decision to the church's First Presidency.[27]

In February 2015, Kelly was informed that First Presidency had rejected the appeal.[28]

The issue of potential disciplinary actions against Kelly and John Dehlin, another activist, has been compared by some to the actions taken in 1993 against the September Six.[17][18] Kelly's story has been covered or discussed by Joanna Brooks,[29] Jana Riess,[30] and Terry Tempest Williams.[31] A group of 71 Mormon bloggers signed a statement in support of Kelly.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ Welker, Holly (March 16, 2014), "Ordain Women Transforms Mormon Feminism", Religion Dispatches
  2. ^ "Complete List of Profiles", OrdainWomen.org, Ordain Women, retrieved 24 June 2014
  3. ^ a b c d e f Marostica, Laura (March 7, 2014). "Feminism in Faith: Kate Kelly's Mission to Ordain Mormon Women". BuzzFeed BuzzReads.
  4. ^ Pfalz, Jennifer (June 23, 2014). "Mormon Church Excommunicates Activist Kate Kelly". Guardian Liberty Voice.
  5. ^ a b "Sista Beehive and Sista Laurel" (January 26, 2014), "Ordain Women (Kate Kelly & Suzette Smith)", SistasInZion.com, Sistas in Zion
  6. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (June 22, 2014). "Mormon Bishopric Wants More Time to Decide Kate Kelly's Fate". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  7. ^ Kelly, Kate, "488-490: Neil Ransom and Kate Kelly – After Kate's Excommunication", Momron Stories Podcast
  8. ^ Kelly, Kate (1 September 2014), "As sisters in Zion, inclusion of women is common goal", The Salt Lake Tribune (op-ed), Kate Kelly is an international human rights attorney based in Nairobi, Kenya, and founder of Ordain Women.
  9. ^ a b "BYU Students Protest Firing". KSL.com. KSL-TV/KSL News Radio. AP. April 1, 2006.
  10. ^ http://www.sltrib.com/home/2694608-155/kate-kelly-out-as-leader-of
  11. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (June 23, 2014). "Kelly on excommunication from Mormon church: 'I've done nothing wrong'". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  12. ^ http://www.sltrib.com/home/2958605-155/ex-ordain-women-leader-kate-kelly-joins
  13. ^ Kelly, Kate (21 August 2013), "#peakpatriarchy", Feminist Mormon Housewives
  14. ^ a b Walch, Tad (June 11, 2014). "Two Mormon activists say they are facing church discipline". Deseret News. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
  15. ^ http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/letter-to-kate-kelly/1118/
  16. ^ http://ordainwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014-05-22-Informal-Probation-Letter-to-Kate-Kelly.pdf
  17. ^ a b Goodstein, Laurie (12 June 2014). "2 Threatened With Removal by Mormons Over Campaign". The New York Times. p. A15. Kate Kelly and John P. Dehlin, who have gained national attention for pushing the church to ordain women to the priesthood and to accept openly gay members, have been notified this week that they face expulsion for apostasy.
  18. ^ a b Stack, Peggy Fletcher (June 11, 2014). "Founder of Mormon women's group threatened with excommunication". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  19. ^ Kelly, Kate (June 21, 2014), "My defense against the charge of 'apostasy'", OrdainWomen.org, Ordain Women
  20. ^ a b Walsh, Tad (June 23, 2014), "LDS bishop excommunicates Ordain Women founder", Deseret News
  21. ^ http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/local/letter-to-kate-kelly/1118/
  22. ^ http://www.sltrib.com/57978283-78
  23. ^ a b c "Channel: The Salt Lake Tribune - sltrib.com", YouTube, The Salt Lake Tribune, June 24, 2014 {{citation}}: |contribution= ignored (help)
  24. ^ Kelly, Kate, "Episode 112: Kate Kelly on Being Disciplined by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", Feminist Mormon Housewives Podcast
  25. ^ Carlisle, Nate (July 24, 2014), "Kate Kelly appeals excommunication from Mormon church", The Salt Lake Tribune
  26. ^ "Nancy" (July 23, 2014), "Kate Kelly's Appeal to Her Stake Presidentt", Ordainwomen.org
  27. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (October 31, 2014), "Kelly loses appeal, keeps fighting for Mormon membership", The Salt Lake Tribune
  28. ^ Stack, Peggy Fletcher (February 28, 2015), "Ordain Women's Kate Kelly loses last appeal; husband to resign from Mormon church", The Salt Lake Tribune
  29. ^ Brooks, Joanna (20 June 2014), "The real Mormon moment is now", Ask Mormon Girl
  30. ^ Riess, Jana (June 19, 2014), "An in-depth look at every individual excommunicated by Jesus Christ in scripture", Flunking Sainthood, Religion News Service
  31. ^ Williams, Terry Tempest (June 20, 2014). "Op-ed: Women in priesthood an act of self-respect, not apostasy". The Salt Lake Tribune.
  32. ^ Reiss, Jana; et al. (June 19, 2014), "Room for All in this Church", Flunking Sainthood, Religion News Service {{citation}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |author2= (help)

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