Gigi Arrington

Gigi Arrington was a dancer for the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and currently works as the company’s Education Director. She’s taught dance at BYU, UNLV, the University of Nevada, and ASU. She has four children and is an active participant in the LDS Democrats Caucus and many other community groups. We asked her how her profession, religion, and politics are related.

How did your family affect your faith?

I was raised in the LDS Church, but did not have a traditional Mormon upbringing. My parents were not active in the Church, but my mother took me and my brother to meetings on most Sundays. I also lived a block away from my grandparents, and I often went to church with them. My mother eventually became active in the Church, and 3 years before he died, my father received his endowment.

How did you gain your testimony?

I feel like I’ve known “in my bones” all my life that the church is true, but everyone has to have a “crucible” moment that defines their belief. I was never forced to attend church, so from an early age I knew that my religious beliefs were my own to claim. I remember my first reading of King Benjamin’s address about equity and fairness, and caring for and serving each other, and I knew that this was the way God wanted us to live.

When I was doing graduate work in dance at Florida State University, I had my first taste of missionary work. I learned quickly — through a pointless debate with a man who loved to challenge the missionaries — that a logical, fact-based argument never converted anyone; the Spirit bears witness of the truth. When the Priesthood was made available to all worthy males in 1978, my belief in the reality of a prophet and the power of his voice was strengthened. The birth of our children and their growth and development, service and fellowship in God’s kingdom, and the desire to help my neighbors in the community continue to reaffirm my testimony in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

How would you categorize yourself politically?

I am a moderate Democrat because the Democratic Party reflects the values and teachings that I was brought up with and focuses on the things that I feel are most important.

I have respect for individuals and groups that challenge us to have “solidarity with the weak, the persecuted, the lonely, the sick and those in despair” (Elie Wiesel) and that help us remember that we “are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19).

That is why my religious and political beliefs converge on issues that affect people who are voiceless, powerless, and disenfranchised. Matters of poverty, health and mental health care, immigration, discrimination, bullying, and transparency in government are vitally important to me. This desire to help others was modeled for me by my grandparents, parents, and other family members, and was taught to me in countless Primary, Sunday School and Young Women’s classes. My heroes are the people I watch every day who do remarkable things in quiet ways.

What effect has your family had on your political outlook?

My grandparents especially were very open-minded, and I became accustomed to vigorous debates at family meals. I learned about politics, race and discrimination, labor unions, the E.R.A., and many other controversial topics at a young age. No one shied away from honestly expressing their feelings, and even if voices were raised, everyone felt safe that they would still be loved and accepted.

Posted on October 13, 2011. Photography by Kaitlyn Janis. Video by Talk About Productions.