Feminist Mormon Housewives was founded by Lisa Butterworth, a wife, mother of three, active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), Sunday School teacher, and Democrat living in Boise, Idaho, along with four of Butterworth's friends.[1][2][3] During the 2004 American presidential election, Butterworth felt she couldn't discuss her liberal, feminist politics in her local LDS social circle. She found online discussions by critics of the LDS Church, but disliked their angry tone. When she stumbled up on an article on liberal Mormons at the Times & Seasons blog, she found that civility and openness could be maintained. This inspired Butterworth to contribute to the growing Mormon blogging community, called the Bloggernacle, by creating Feminist Mormon Housewives, with the tagline "Angry Activists with diapers to change" (this was later changed to "A safe place to be feminist and faithful").[4] fMh provided a place to focus on women's issues, such as abortion, education, polygamy, parenting, and Mother in Heaven.[5]
The blog's atypical premise drew attention from others in the Bloggernacle, then throughout the mainstream media.[4] The role it served in the online Mormon community was the subject of a 2006 session at a Sunstone Symposium.[6]
^Four "Big Islands" are recognized as Bloggernacle Times, By Common Consent, Feminist Mormon Housewives, and Times & Seasons. See "Mormon Archipelago". Retrieved 2009-04-28.