Who is Dallin H. Oaks, the new LDS Church president and why he urged young women to ‘dress modestly’

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced a new First Presidency today in a broadcast from Salt Lake City. President Dallin H. Oaks was sustained and set apart as the 18th president of the Church. He has chosen President Henry B. Eyring as his first counselor and President D. Todd Christofferson as his second counselor, as announced in a press release issued on October 14 by the Church of Jesus Christ.

President Eyring has previously served as a counselor to the last three presidents of the Church, while President Christofferson assumes the role for the first time. Each of the leaders addressed the congregation briefly during the announcement. President Christofferson remarked that he “wasn’t expecting this to happen” when he began his day, adding that he knows President Oaks has been called of God and bore his testimony of Jesus Christ.

He advised young women to dress modestly

A video circulating online shows Dallin H. Oaks, the newly appointed president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, speaking about the dangers of adult content and its impact on individuals and families.

In the clip, President Oaks compares spiritual dangers to household threats like smoke or carbon monoxide, urging people to install “protections” such as internet filters and to place devices in visible locations. He emphasizes strengthening family bonds through love, prayer, and scripture study.

He also cautions against supporting pornography, saying individuals should not “use their purchasing power to support moral degradation.” Addressing young women, Oaks advises them to “dress modestly,” suggesting that immodest clothing can contribute to the problem by becoming “pornography to some of the men who see you.”

Who is Dallin H. Oaks?

President Dallin H. Oaks was born on August 12, 1932, in Provo, Utah. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University (1954) and the University of Chicago Law School (1957). President Oaks practiced and taught law in Chicago before serving as president of Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1980. He later served as a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1980 until 1984, when he resigned to accept his calling to the apostleship.

He and his late wife, June Dixon Oaks, were the parents of six children. She passed away on July 21, 1998. On August 25, 2000, he married Kristen M. McMain in the Salt Lake Temple.

Over the course of his career, President Oaks has been an officer or board member of numerous business, educational, and charitable organizations. He has authored or co-authored many books and articles on religious and legal topics. In May 2013, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty awarded him the Canterbury Medal for “courage in the defense of religious liberty.”