- SCOTUS Justice Amy Coney Barrett has been tied to the small Christian group People of Praise.
- A female leader in the group talked about women 'crying' during teachings about subservience to men in leaked footage, The Guardian reported.
- Dorothy Ranaghan said her comments were a 'joke.'
The wife of one of the founders of a secretive Christian faith group Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is reportedly a member of described women "crying" during teachings about the group's views on gender roles and women's subservience to men, leaked video obtained by The Guardian shows.
"We were having teachings on headship and the roles of men and women and all sorts of things we hadn't counted on at all," Dorothy Ranaghan of People of Praise says during the video. "And some of the women … would wear sunglasses all the time because they were always crying and would have to hold onto their chairs every time somebody started teaching because what are we going to hear this time?"
Though Barrett hasn't publicly acknowledged her membership within the group, the Washington Post reported that she disclosed her position on the board of private schools associated with the group in 2020 and her role in 2010 as a "handmaid," or female leader, within the group.
The leaked video footage of Ranaghan was taken during a private People of Praise event celebrating the group's 50th anniversary, according to The Guardian.
In a statement shared with Insider, Ranaghan said her comments weren't meant to be taken seriously.
"My remarks were meant as a joke, as most of the people in the room understood," the statement said. "I would never be part of a group that oppresses women, and I never have been part of one. But I have been proud to be one of the women leaders in the People of Praise for more than 50 years."
Former members of the small religious group have come forward in the past, calling out the group and accusing it of mistreating women. Coral Anika Theill, a former member of the group's branch in Oregon, told Newsweek in 2020 that women are expected to be "absolutely obedient" to their husbands and the men in the group.
In writings also published by The Guardian, Ranaghan said women are called to be "'submissive, modest, domestic."