Friday, October 19, 2007

Religious Folk Who Walk The Walk

The activist group Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence started up in 1979 and since then have been rabble rousing with street theater, fundraising and "drag queen elegance" as they put it.

"We are part of the modern gay rights movement," said Sister Kitty Catalyst of San Francisco. "We are not ashamed of our differences, we are proud of them."

They were among the first in the Bay area to get active at the start of the AIDS epidemic. They support free clinics and hold gay games and in general are everything that's commendable as an organization that supports community welfare. Which, of course, is why the catholic church despises them.

Archbishop apologizes for giving Communion to gays dressed as nuns

"On Oct. 7, Archbishop George Niederauer delivered the Eucharist to members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence - an activist group whose motto is "go forth and sin some more" - prompting cries of outrage from conservatives across the country and Catholics in San Francisco.
In response to a request for comment, Niederauer released a letter of apology addressed to "Catholics of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and to Catholics at large" in which he said he did not realize his mistake until after the Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Church in the Castro district. (...)

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, founded in San Francisco in 1979, are known for their white face paint, outrageous costumes, theatrics and support of the gay community. They adopt names such as Sister Chastity Boner and Sister Constance Craving of the Holey Desire and have mottos such as, "It is not wise to say no to free drinks, cheap jewelry, discount cosmetics or pretty boys."
Sister Barbi Mitzvah, who serves as "Board Chairnun" and "Sexytary," said Tuesday that the group is "not offering a comment.
"These people are always after us," Sister Mitzvah said, referring to conservative pundits and Catholic leaders.
The group did not identify the two members who took the wafers. One of the men, however, sent an e-mail to the church after the Mass and gave the name "Sister Delta Goodhand."

Reverend Billy is a street theater activist originally from San Francisco and operates out of New York. He and his group "The Church of Stop Shopping" take on rampant consumerism and corporate advertising. They had an action last March when they roamed the halls of congress singing "Don't Buy Bush's War" in a protest against the Iraq occupation. Starbucks is a frequent target.

"Would Jesus buy a $4 latte if the people who raised the coffee only made 40 cents of that $4?"

3 Comments:

Blogger Myst0nia said...

Hey Patootie-

Thanks for this video. I caught up with Rev. Billy and the choir a few minutes after this exorcism, and watched while they hit two more Starbucks in Austin. Great fun!!

20/10/07 11:49 AM  
Blogger patootie said...

It seems like everyone involved has a rousing good time with these actions including the customers and counter workers. Did you see the big grins on the employees?

20/10/07 9:17 PM  
Blogger nolocontendere said...

From what I gather the cops are hesitant to lean too hard on the guy, probably because it wouldn't look very nice tasering a preacher. It reminds me of Abbey Hoffman in the sixties who dressed up as Santa Claus during demonstrations because he knew (correctly) that cops wouldn't be caught on film clubbing St Nick upside the head.

20/10/07 9:24 PM  

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