How do you define minority in the political sense? Is it merely a group with fewer than half the population? Are polygamists minorities in America beyond the simple math with all that the political term confers?Shirlee Draper is a former member of the Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints community. When the group was taken over by Warren Jeffs, now jailed for life, she bailed. It wasn’t easy. She says that she wanted to leave the community for six years, but it was less friendly out “with the majority.” Shirlee and Theral come from the same town on the Utah—Arizona border, which for a hundred years or so offered a romantic and religious reprieve from modernity. Both of them left the town and the religion. Shirlee is now the Director of Operations for Cherish Families, a nonprofit offering assistance to those in her hometown setting. Is it only for those who are leaving? No. It is for anyone and everyone.Much has been written about the polygamists in Colorado City. The FLDS religion has been a magnet for sensationalist news stories from all of the major American channels. Perhaps the most famous book on the town and culture was written in 2003 by former outdoor journalist John Krakauer, entitled Under the Banner of Heaven. Neither Shirlee nor Theral are fans.

Many books have been written by former members who often talk about “escape.” This word holds no meaning for Shirlee or Theral. Escape from what? A vibrant strong community that served as their home “village?”In his book, Krakauer relies heavily on the term “cult.” Shirlee says the word has little utility for framing her hometown and is harmful, pushing away the healing possibilities of integration and societal cohesion.

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Do Polygamists Have Minority Status in America? with Shirlee Draper, Former FLDS Member