Weekend: Sonia Johnson - Church Vs. Women
January 19, 1980 - Sonia Johnson, feminist and equal rights amendment (ERA) supporter, speaking at the University of Minnesota. Johnson was excommunicated from the Mormon church after she spoke out for ERA and against church political activities against ERA. Her address is part of a country tour in trying to rally renewed support for the Equal Rights Amendment. In her speech, she says she took on the political arm of the church and lost - a political arm that she says is actively campaigning against passage of the ERA and using deception as a key tool.