Mormon women launch 'wear pants to church day' in backlash over strict dress code

Strong beliefs: Stephanie Lauritzen, said the Wear Pants To Church day was about having choice

A group of Mormon feminists have launched a 'wear pants to church day'.



Stephanie Lauritzen, 26, from Salt Lake city, Utah, and five of other women started a Facebook group asking LDS worshipers to join the effort on Sunday December 16.

Some female churchgoers do wear dressy pants to weekly services , but social convention dictates that most should don dresses or blouses and skirts.



Explaining what inspired the initiative Mrs Lauritzen told KSL.com : 'We're doing this not because we think women have to wear pants or should wear pants, but that women can wear pants.'

Currently more than 1,700 people have agreed to make the symbolic gesture, however some have branded the protest as 'distasteful', 'crazy' and 'ridiculous'.

One Facebook user wrote: ' It is unbelievable distasteful the way you are going about this.'

While another added: 'I wonder how many precious hours of our limited mortality are wasted debating ridiculous issues like this.'

And one LDS man joked: 'I would like to know if I can wear my kilt so as to show solidarity with my Scottish ancestors... Or is that just mocking this crazy event?'

However Mrs Lauritzen dismissed the remarks, and said that some Mormons are scared to criticize any aspects of their faith because it implies that their entire way of living is wrong.

'If we can't even do things that are allowed, like wearing pants, we clearly have a long way to go'

She told Jezebel : ' Mormon women aren't equal, and that's a problem. We love the things about being a woman that the Church loves too, like being a mom but we also want other opportunities.

'If we can't even do things that are allowed, like wearing pants, we clearly have a long way to go.'

Men have also been asked to show support 'by wearing a purple shirt, tie, socks, or ribbon, purple being a color historically associated with the suffrage movement'.

Controversial: The 'wear pants to church day' took place on Sunday December 14

According to mormon.org members attending services will most likely be wearing their 'Sunday best,' which may include suits and ties for the men and modest dresses or skirts for the women.

'I would like to know if I can wear my kilt so as to show solidarity with my Scottish ancestors... Or is that just mocking this crazy event?'

Commenting on the dress code LDS spokesman Scott Trotter said in a statement: 'Attending church is about worship and learning to be followers of Jesus Christ.

'Generally church members are encouraged to wear their best clothing as a sign of respect for the Savior, but we don’t counsel people beyond that.'



The Wear Pants Day is the first act of All Enlisted, a Facebook group dedicated to gender equality in the LDS Church, according to its description.

Sticking to the rules: Some Mormon women do wear dressy pants to weekly services, but social convention dictates that most should don dresses or blouses and skirts

Supporting the cause: Almost 2,000 Mormons agreed to wear pants to church on Sunday

The group’s mission statement says: 'We do not seek to eradicate the differences between women and men, but we do want the LDS Church to acknowledge the similarities.

'We believe that much of the cultural, structural, and even doctrinal inequality that persists in the LDS Church today stems from the church’s reliance on - and enforcement of - rigid gender roles that bear no relationship to reality.'

Mrs Lauritzen, who was raised by a Mormon feminist mother, added: 'Mormonism is my cultural tradition.