Kate Kelly (feminist)

Kate Kelly
Born	(1980-10-29) October 29, 1980 Arizona, United States
Alma mater	Brigham Young University; American University
Occupation	Human rights lawyer
Spouse(s)	J. Neil Ransom (div. 2015)
Website	www.katekellyesq.com

Kathleen Marie "Kate" Kelly (born October 29, 1980) is a 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. As of May 18, 2014, the website contains over 400 profiles. 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. 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. 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.

Kelly attended the LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University (BYU), where she graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science in 2006. After returning from serving a mission in Barcelona, Spain, Kelly continued to be an active member of the church. In 2006, Kelly married J. Neil Ransom in the Salt Lake Temple, with the pair remaining "childless by choice." Kelly graduated cum laude in the American University Washington College of Law's class of 2012. 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. She currently lives in Utah and works for Planned Parenthood.

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. 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. 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.

Kelly was both the founder and an Executive Board member of Ordain Women. 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. 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."

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

In October 2015, Kelly was among those who laid hands on Clare Julian Carbone during the ceremony in which Clare became the first woman in Utah ordained by the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests.

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.

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. Kelly subsequently protested on Temple Square during the church's April 2014 general conference. 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.” She received an email on June 8 about a disciplinary council scheduled for June 22 where she would be charged with apostasy. 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. 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. 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. Kelly was attending a meeting of the Ordain Women board in Salt Lake City when she was notified of the decision. In the week before her excommunication from the LDS Church 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. She described her excommunication as a "violent act" that was "consistent with abusive, manipulative, partriarchal situations."

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. 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.

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

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. Kelly's story has been covered or discussed by Joanna Brooks, Jana Riess, and Terry Tempest Williams. A group of 71 Mormon bloggers signed a statement in support of Kelly.

See also

• Mormonism and women