[Leonard Arrington]
.... At 10:00 was the news, followed at 10:15 by [local talk show] Take Two, which featured an interview between [journalist] Pat Greenlaw and Sonia Johnson. ...
Sonia clearly was trying to be more humble and sincere and sympathetic toward the Utah climate than when she appeared on the Donahue show in December. She handled herself well and became flustered during only one moment.
The station had invited a representative of the LDS Church to appear with her on the program, and they had appointed a woman to do so (name unannounced). But Sonia had refused to appear with that person. When Pat asked her why she refused to appear with the LDS person she said she refused to appear with anybody who was not a policy-making authority, meaning presumably a member of the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve. She did not want to give the impression, she said, that women were against women. She would appear only if a man were present! One of the listeners telephoned in to ask if that wasn't sexist. In her comments and responses she specifically mentioned "[Gordon B.] Hinckley, [Boyd K.] Packer, [Neal A.] Maxwell." Apparently, according to her information those are the people who are directing the Mormon efforts against ERA.
Sonia said she was continuing to visit in states where Mormons were conducting campaigns against ERA in the legislature and trying to make clear to the legislatures that these are not representative citizens but Mormons told to lobby by the Church.
Sonia said she still had a testimony of the gospel and still believed she was a Mormon, although excommunicated. When asked if President [Spencer W.] Kimball announced that his opposition to ERA was based on revelation would she then accept his view, she fumbled around a while and said she couldn't imagine this happening and she would have to think very hard before she would give up her intense belief in ERA as the instrument for bringing about equality. She was asked about women being drafted and she said she thought it would happen with or without ERA. ...
[Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018]
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