Sonia Johnson
(February 3, 1936 - living) U.S.A.
Feminist, activist, religious leader
Born in Virginia, she had four kids, an active husband, and a sweet demeanor. She grew up in Utah in a generational mormon family. Anyway, back when the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a hot issue, when states were still ratifying it or not, Sonia became personally convinced that the ERA was not just needed, but that it was beautiful, and a moral imperative for our country.
The church was adamantly against the ERA. The state of Virginia was particularly targeted by the church, since it was still on the fence as far as ratification was concerned. So, the church began its under the table organization of the sisters to pressure our Va. representatives to veto the ERA. Sonia was dismayed, and vocal in her dismay. Along with some other pro-ERA mormon women, she organized a group of pro-ERA mormons. She chained herself to the temple gate to protest the church's actions.
She was undergoing other traumatic changes in her life at the same time. Her husband suddenly asked her for a divorce, but in a strange way. He told her he still loved her, more than ever, in fact, but that he wanted them to "prove" their love by getting divorced in secret. Poor Sonia fell for it, and literally signed away everything to him, believing him when he stated that it would be a divorce in paper only. It turned out that he was really involved with another woman, and the divorce was real, after all.
In the midst of this, the church called an excommunication court against her for her public stand against church policy in supporting the ERA. Admist great media attention she was excommunicated. Later, when probed by the media, the bishop was too embarassed to admit the truth, which was that she'd been excommunicated for supporting the ERA so publicly, and insinuated that she had "other" problems that the church was too gracious to mention.
Sonia later came out as a lesbian. Her lover is an African-American woman, and they wanted to have a baby.
Website: http://www.casafeminista.com/
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