At Last She Said It

As members of the body of Christ, we are called to join Jesus in atoning—to take on the shape of one another's pain. It's a call to brave and unreserved love, a message central to the book, "Queer Mormon Theology: An Introduction." In this episode, philosopher/author Blaire Ostler joins Cynthia and Susan for a discussion of everything from the atonement to eternity, with plenty of conversational side-trips along the way. Can queerness and Mormon-ness coexist? In her beautiful theological framing, Blaire shows us they not only can, they naturally do.

Why does having friends at church feel so important? Feeling known is part of feeling like you belong, but finding friends in a ward with whom you can be yourself isn't always easy. In this episode, Cynthia and Susan talk about friendship, and how our relationships with the members with whom we worship and serve can impact not only our church experience, but our personal and family happiness and spiritual well-being.

President Russell M. Nelson has encouraged the women of the Church to "have the courage and vision of Mother Eve." It's a great thought, but what does it mean? What would it look like for Latter-day Saint women to follow Eve's example in their own lives? Kajsa Berlin-Kaufusi shares empowering insights and ideas inspired by this phrase in a discussion of her essay, 4th Wave Feminism and 'Being Like Mother Eve.'

It's a question we ask ourselves all the time: Why do so many Latter-day Saints—leaders and members—seem to prefer nudging people to walk away from our community over doing the work of love? Mormons don't generally shy away from hard work, and we're devoted to showing our love for God. But "love" sometimes ends up in derisive air quotes in our collective discourse, rather than genuinely guiding our actions or our hearts. It's hard to understand how a church that bears Jesus' name struggles to make room for everyone.

Some high-profile gay men are helping Latter-day Saints grow our collective understanding by sharing their perspectives and experiences through books and podcasts, but—what about queer LDS women? Isn't it time we all heard more about their lives and journeys? In this episode, Cynthia and Susan are joined by Colette Dalton, LCSW, for a glimpse of her personal path and a discussion about some of the unique challenges for LGBTQ women in the Church.

The temple is a topic around which many Latter-day Saints tiptoe, a complicated centerpiece of our religious practices. It is sacred, but also secret. It is of paramount importance, but participation in its ordinances requires a recommend not all members receive. It unites families, but can also divide them. In this second discussion, Cynthia and Susan unpack a few ideas and symbols from the temple, including the one way it impacts the lives of endowed members directly every day—garments.

Body image is complicated for many women, but for Latter-day Saints, it can feel particularly fraught. Our approaches to teaching about modesty and sexuality, coupled with a strong cultural ideal surrounding women's roles, can add up to impossible expectations with damaging results. For this conversation, Susan and Cynthia are joined by Hannah Hinckley and Jessica Nielson, who share experiences and messaging they internalized growing up in the Church, and how it impacted them. It's a discussion about reclaiming our bodies—and our thinking about them.

If you're going to start a women's podcast, you'd better come prepared with a thick skin. Social media is a big part of the At Last She Said It project. Amplifying women's voices, ideas, experiences and concerns requires interacting with a lot of women. In this episode, Cynthia and Susan respond to one specific social media comment that somehow pushed too many buttons to ignore. It's a perfect illustration of the kind of silencing that inspired the podcast to begin with.

Historian Shantel Gardner joins us for a conversation about the legendary Emma Smith. When Moroni prophesied that Joseph's name "should be both good and evil spoken of among all people," the angel may as well have been talking about Joseph's wife. Why have Latter-day Saints had a conflicted relationship with Emma through the years? Is that changing? In this episode, we dig a little deeper into the real and complex woman whose life continues to inspire a diversity of opinions in members of the church she helped create.

In the first episode of Season 3, Cynthia and Susan discuss things they'd like the men at church to better understand about the experiences of Latter-day Saint women. How might our brothers—whether in leadership positions, or just in the pews—show increased empathy, amplify women's voices, and encourage the creative thinking required to continue expanding our opportunities and influence at church?