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Sonia Johnson was born Sonia Ann Harris in Malad City, Idaho, on February 27th, 1936, to parents Alvin and Ida Howell Harris.  She and her four brothers and sisters are fifth-generation Latter-day Saints. Due to her father’s seminary teaching career the family moved a great deal.  Because of this, Johnson grew up in Preston, Idaho before moving to Logan, Utah in 1948 at the age of 12.  Johnson graduated from Logan High School in 1954 before studying at Utah State University, graduating in 1958 with a BA in English.  She married Richard Theodore Johnson (a fellow student from Wisconsin) the next year after convincing him to join the LDS Church. ⁽¹⁾

After living abroad and teaching English for a year, the Johnsons moved to New Jersey where Sonia received her master’s and Ed. D. degrees from Rutgers University.  From 1960-1976 the couple, along with their children, traveled around the world teaching at many universities including institutions in Nigeria, Malawi, Korea, and Malaysia.  By 1976 Rick had accepted a job at Virginia Polytechnic College and the family, including four children now, moved to Reston, Virginia.⁽²⁾

That same year the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints publicly came out in opposition of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Johnson didn't come out publicly in opposition immediately following the Church's announcement.  Instead, if she did have strong opinions, they were kept private while Johnson continued her service at her home Ward, attending   church at Hamilton Branch, teaching Gospel Doctrine, playing the organ at Sterling Park, and was even called to teach Relief Society. ⁽²⁾   

In 1977 Sonia joined her friends at the ERA Parade in Washington DC under the banner of “Mormons for ERA”, gaining a great deal of attention both from fellow ERA supporters surprised and grateful for the support and irate Latter-day Saints who warned Sonia and her friends that they were 'of the devil' ⁽²⁾ It was here that she began speaking out publicly in support of the ERA, and she and her friends later formally founded the group Mormons for ERA.  Her first national exposure was in 1978 when she testified in front of the Senate Constitutional Rights Subcommittee. Sonia’s testimony largely spoke to how her religion was not in conflict with the ERA, and she said that to be LDS was to believe in gender equality.  This testimony brought her in direct conflict with Utah’s Senator Orrin Hatch who sat on the committee and questioned her testimony extensively. ^[1]

Unrest and anger was building in Sonia’s ward in Virgina,  and soon she was called into a meeting with her bishop and questioned about her participation in a “Mother of Heaven” cult.  This was the beginning of Sonia’s excommunication, as she began speaking at national conferences such as the American Psychological Association and the National Organization for Women convention in Kalispell, Montana, describing techniques used by the Church to promote its beliefs and spread its message.  Many within the LDS community were horrified by her use of terminology, such as “mindbindings,” and warning her non-LDS audience members about anti-ERA lobbying activities done by undercover LDS agents, who were often women, many within the Mormon community were horrified. ⁽²⁾

The bishop of Sonia’s home ward, Bishop Willis, began excommunication proceedings leading to her being called to an LDS Bishop’s Court in November 1979.  Sonia was charged with hindering the world-wide missionary program, damaging internal church social programs, and teaching false doctrine.  However, she was never charged with anything directly related to her belief in the ERA as the church stated that her beliefs were not the issue.

Following a quick and well-publicized trial Sonia was excommunicated from the LDS Church on December 5th, 1979.  She appealed the decision but it was upheld in April 1980. ^[1] Before and during the trial Sonia offered to offer formal repentence, testifying that she was not advocating the overthrow of church leadership and was only concerned with getting the ERA passed.  Even for years after her excommunication Sonia considered herself LDS.  After hearing her speak in 1980, fellow Latter-day Saint Laurel Thatcher Ulrich wrote:

Strangely enough, I don’t think she is very political at all.  She is disarmingly open, which is undoubtedly what got her in all this trouble.  She is also very Mormon in her ability to act on faith.  She said she arrived at this position through agonizing prayer and fasting.  She simply could not separate her belief in the ERA from her belief in the church.” ⁽³⁾

After the trial, she and her husband divorced.  In 1981 Sonia published her book ‘From Housewife to Heretic’ telling the story of her embracing feminism as a Latter-day Saint.  The book received both criticism and acclaim upon release, and it continues to be referenced in many feminist communities.^[1]

In recent years Sonia says that politics has disappointed her and views the women’s movement as dead. 

Johnson moved to Arizona and began living with Jade DeForest, whom she calls her “soul sister.” In a 2019 interview, she stated that politics has disappointed her and that she views the women's movement as dead.  Despite this disillusionment, she and Jade continue promoting women's rights to this day from their home in Arizona. ⁽⁴⁾

Sonia Johnson Papers Finding Aid

Sonia Johnson Photographs Finding Aid

^[1] Sonia Johnson papers - Archives West. (2018). Orbiscascade.org. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv47851

2. Bradford, M. L. (1981). THE ODYSSEY OF SONIA JOHNSON. Dialogue a Journal of Mormon Thought, 14(2), 14–26. https://doi.org/10.2307/45224983

3. Guest Post: Sonia Johnson--Mormon Feminist Role Model or Cautionary Tale? — Exponent II Blog. (2009, July 25). Exponent II. https://exponentii.org/blog/sonia-johnson-mormon-feminist-role-model-or-cautionary-tale/

4. 40 years after her Mormon excommunication, ERA firebrand Sonia Johnson salutes today’s “wonderful” women, says men “bore” her. (2019, January 18). The Salt Lake Tribune. https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2019/01/18/years-after-her-mormon/

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