Leona McKinney Raney is a married mother of two sons and three step children. Born in Kentucky in 1947, she was the oldest of five children. She moved with her family to Ohio when she was 5-6 years old. Deeply religious she was always at church, school, or home. She didn’t begin dating until she was 17-18 years old. Once her sons were born, taking care of her family was priority. She has interests in gardening, and her Koi pond. She also enjoys drawing, crochet, and cooking/baking. She has continued to educate herself for personal and professional reasons. Having graduated high school in 1967, she also attended a business college. She continues with her interests, whether it was cake decorating classes, or learning about natural healthy alternatives to modern way of living.
She is deeply interested in a more natural approach to life. She enjoys reading on healthier diets, alternative natural medicine, and being a better person. She has a vegetable garden she enjoys every year to help promote a healthier more natural lifestyle. Living very frugal, she does not spend on anything most would consider lavish. She is happy and content with what she has and has no desire to “upgrade” anything, if it still works. With an always happy demeanor, she is a positive person. Getting her opinions is not an easy task, as she likes to “keep the peace” and doesn’t want to offend anyone with an opinion that may vary from theirs. She is open about her views as long as she feels she is not offending anyone.
What are your thoughts on the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960’s?
I thought it was stupid. They were running around making a big “ta do” about nothing.
How did you find out about it?
I saw it on the T.V. They were on their burning bras. Which was stupid.
Why did you think it was stupid?
I only saw it on the T.V., all the craziness. I just don’t see how it changed anything. Women are still underpaid, expected to do more, and all it did was got a bunch of people thrown in jail. Not a lot changed after women got the right to vote.
Do you remember if your school or parents talked about it?
My parents didn’t. I don’t remember the school doing anything except our normal school stuff. Only time I remember hearing about it was on the T.V.
Did you ever think about getting involved?
Nope. I didn’t want involved. It was like they would be yelling and rioting and I can’t see for what. It looked like a bunch of crazy people and I wasn’t interested.
If the movement included more office like things, like maybe getting papers in order or hosting fundraiser dinners, would you have been a part of it then?
I don’t think so. I was never one to get involved in organizations. I never liked being the center of attention.
Would you say your religion affected your viewpoints? Specifically on this subject?
Oh defiantly.
How so?
I always tried to do what the Lord would want me to do. I have always tried to please the Lord first, that’s primary one. Then take care of my family.
How would what the Lord wanted you to do affect whether or not you would have been involved?
Once I was saved when I was 17, I would ask myself is this what the Lord would want me to do? If Jesus came back right at that moment would I want him to find me there. I did that as a teenager, I would think about going somewhere and I would think about if he came back right now, would I want him to find me there? No, I don’t think he would.
The Bible could lead one to believe that women are inferior to men, did that play an apart in your lack of interest in the movement?
I don’t think the Bible really says that. It says God gave man a woman as a helpmate. I think that as partners.
So your take on the Bible is interpretive of its text and not literal?
Right
Do you think men and women are treated equally now?
No, but they should be
Do you think women when they turn 18 should also have to sign up for the selective service?
I don’t think anyone should have to do that. No one should be drafted. But, if there has to be a selective service then, yes, I think young men and women should have to sign up.
Do you think your viewpoints could have changed if you would have had daughters instead of sons?
No, I don’t think so.
Do you feel you were ever discriminated against because of your sex?
No. I may have been able to get a better paying job. But, I don’t know for sure. I don’t really know of many situations where women were discriminated against after they got the right to vote.
Do you feel you’re lacking anything since you have had jobs but not a career?
No. I did want to be a nurse, but I didn’t get to do that.
Why didn’t you get to do that?
Mommy and Daddy I knew couldn’t afford it. When I was in high school I was always studying, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to work and go to school as well. I always held myself to a high standard; I expected to get A’s. The lowest grade I got was a D once, in algebra. The teacher couldn’t explain it, to where I understood it. It was hard, when I studied so much and was used to getting A’s.
Do you think there is anything wrong with a man being the primary source of income, and the woman staying at home?
No. As long as their partners and work together.
What does that mean?
If a man is working making the money then the woman should do the cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids, the house stuff. If the woman is working and the man isn’t then he should do the house stuff. If they are both working then they should both do it.
Do you think men expect the woman to do the house stuff?
Well you know, they are the man of the house. They shouldn’t, but I think most do.
If Dad had a raise to where you didn’t need to work, would you?
No, I would go Woo-Hoo I don’t have to get out in this mess. That would be great.
Do you think the WLM went about it the right way? To get their point across?
No, it didn’t do much good. It was a bunch of people acting crazy. I would have been condemned for being a part of that chaos if I would have joined. But, I never wanted to, never thought about it. I thought it was stupid, and they acted crazy. You would see people getting arrested and when they would drag them, they would just go limp. I just didn’t want involved.
So you don’t regret not getting involved?
Not at all.
Leona Raney is a conservative religious person that offers a different view of second wave feminism and had no opinion to speak of on third wave feminism. Growing up as a child in a religious household seemed to reinforce the patriarchal ideology of society, coincidentally enough the same ideology is found in the Bible. The Bible teaches its followers that the woman is to be subservient to the man and bow to his every whim. The interesting thing is that she seems to have more feminist views than the traditional views taught by the Bible. Leona’s belief that men and women should be treated equally is (what I feel to be) the core of the second wave feminist movement. I am not fully aware if Leona even realized there was a third wave feminist movement.
In hindsight maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to interview a conservative Christian on the topic of feminism. I do find it interesting that her personal “moral compass” points her to be a feminist but she makes no claim to be one.
She is deeply interested in a more natural approach to life. She enjoys reading on healthier diets, alternative natural medicine, and being a better person. She has a vegetable garden she enjoys every year to help promote a healthier more natural lifestyle. Living very frugal, she does not spend on anything most would consider lavish. She is happy and content with what she has and has no desire to “upgrade” anything, if it still works. With an always happy demeanor, she is a positive person. Getting her opinions is not an easy task, as she likes to “keep the peace” and doesn’t want to offend anyone with an opinion that may vary from theirs. She is open about her views as long as she feels she is not offending anyone.
What are your thoughts on the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960’s?
I thought it was stupid. They were running around making a big “ta do” about nothing.
How did you find out about it?
I saw it on the T.V. They were on their burning bras. Which was stupid.
Why did you think it was stupid?
I only saw it on the T.V., all the craziness. I just don’t see how it changed anything. Women are still underpaid, expected to do more, and all it did was got a bunch of people thrown in jail. Not a lot changed after women got the right to vote.
Do you remember if your school or parents talked about it?
My parents didn’t. I don’t remember the school doing anything except our normal school stuff. Only time I remember hearing about it was on the T.V.
Did you ever think about getting involved?
Nope. I didn’t want involved. It was like they would be yelling and rioting and I can’t see for what. It looked like a bunch of crazy people and I wasn’t interested.
If the movement included more office like things, like maybe getting papers in order or hosting fundraiser dinners, would you have been a part of it then?
I don’t think so. I was never one to get involved in organizations. I never liked being the center of attention.
Would you say your religion affected your viewpoints? Specifically on this subject?
Oh defiantly.
How so?
I always tried to do what the Lord would want me to do. I have always tried to please the Lord first, that’s primary one. Then take care of my family.
How would what the Lord wanted you to do affect whether or not you would have been involved?
Once I was saved when I was 17, I would ask myself is this what the Lord would want me to do? If Jesus came back right at that moment would I want him to find me there. I did that as a teenager, I would think about going somewhere and I would think about if he came back right now, would I want him to find me there? No, I don’t think he would.
The Bible could lead one to believe that women are inferior to men, did that play an apart in your lack of interest in the movement?
I don’t think the Bible really says that. It says God gave man a woman as a helpmate. I think that as partners.
So your take on the Bible is interpretive of its text and not literal?
Right
Do you think men and women are treated equally now?
No, but they should be
Do you think women when they turn 18 should also have to sign up for the selective service?
I don’t think anyone should have to do that. No one should be drafted. But, if there has to be a selective service then, yes, I think young men and women should have to sign up.
Do you think your viewpoints could have changed if you would have had daughters instead of sons?
No, I don’t think so.
Do you feel you were ever discriminated against because of your sex?
No. I may have been able to get a better paying job. But, I don’t know for sure. I don’t really know of many situations where women were discriminated against after they got the right to vote.
Do you feel you’re lacking anything since you have had jobs but not a career?
No. I did want to be a nurse, but I didn’t get to do that.
Why didn’t you get to do that?
Mommy and Daddy I knew couldn’t afford it. When I was in high school I was always studying, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to work and go to school as well. I always held myself to a high standard; I expected to get A’s. The lowest grade I got was a D once, in algebra. The teacher couldn’t explain it, to where I understood it. It was hard, when I studied so much and was used to getting A’s.
Do you think there is anything wrong with a man being the primary source of income, and the woman staying at home?
No. As long as their partners and work together.
What does that mean?
If a man is working making the money then the woman should do the cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids, the house stuff. If the woman is working and the man isn’t then he should do the house stuff. If they are both working then they should both do it.
Do you think men expect the woman to do the house stuff?
Well you know, they are the man of the house. They shouldn’t, but I think most do.
If Dad had a raise to where you didn’t need to work, would you?
No, I would go Woo-Hoo I don’t have to get out in this mess. That would be great.
Do you think the WLM went about it the right way? To get their point across?
No, it didn’t do much good. It was a bunch of people acting crazy. I would have been condemned for being a part of that chaos if I would have joined. But, I never wanted to, never thought about it. I thought it was stupid, and they acted crazy. You would see people getting arrested and when they would drag them, they would just go limp. I just didn’t want involved.
So you don’t regret not getting involved?
Not at all.
Leona Raney is a conservative religious person that offers a different view of second wave feminism and had no opinion to speak of on third wave feminism. Growing up as a child in a religious household seemed to reinforce the patriarchal ideology of society, coincidentally enough the same ideology is found in the Bible. The Bible teaches its followers that the woman is to be subservient to the man and bow to his every whim. The interesting thing is that she seems to have more feminist views than the traditional views taught by the Bible. Leona’s belief that men and women should be treated equally is (what I feel to be) the core of the second wave feminist movement. I am not fully aware if Leona even realized there was a third wave feminist movement.
In hindsight maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to interview a conservative Christian on the topic of feminism. I do find it interesting that her personal “moral compass” points her to be a feminist but she makes no claim to be one.