Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Favorite 

Date: 

Apr 9 1979

Location: 

San Francisco CA

"The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence® is a leading-edge Order of queer nuns. Since our first appearance in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, 1979, the Sisters have devoted ourselves to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment. We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty and we use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit." - The Sisters

Also known as the Order of Perpetual Indulgence, the group is a charity, protest, and street performance that calls attention to sexual intolerance and uses satire, drag, and religious imagery to advocate for issues of gender and morality. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were founded in 1979 by a small group of gay men in San Francisco, California that began dressing as nuns in public scenarios to advocate for conflicts involving the LGBTQ community, AIDS, and safer sex education. Their first appearance came at a time that the Castro District was going through economic decline while HIV/AIDS had simultaneously began appearing in the area. Early attempts to bring attention to the disease were carried about by the Sisters, creating a platform to advocate for safer sex. The Sisters use Catholic imagery as inspiration and satire, wearing robes of nuns but accessorizing with beads and dramatic make up. The imagery is a mechanism that makes them inviting for people to interact with them.

The Sisters have been known for bringing attention to conservative movements that have shamed members of the LGBTQ community and people with HIV/AIDS. In 1984, the group performed a public exorcism of anti feminist Phyllis Schlafly in Union Square while the Democratic National Convention was happening in San Francisco. The group continues their involvement in the community raising money for research and influencing public policy.

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