A group of nontraditional nuns empowers the LGBTQ community and provides support for those in need.
Sister Spinna Da Vinyl smokes a cigarette outside Crush at the Catechism Cafe with Sister Dixie Rupt. The Catechism Cafe is a monthly event that raises money for LGBTQ issues in the Portland, Oregon, area. Tonight they serve rabbit stew.
There were feathers everywhere. Stuffed into a small booth at a burger joint, Sister Glory Glory Hole-lelujah and her friend watched as an obviously intoxicated man stumbled over to their booth. He stood there in awe of Glory’s costume—she was wearing a long flowing skirt, a pink corset, and white face paint.
Glory, one of the few biologically female nuns of the Portland, Oregon, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, pushed her plate of uneaten food over to the stranger and beckoned him to join her and her friend.
As the stranger sobered, tears began to flow from his eyes and he gave his confession. He had moved to Portland to be near his two-year-old daughter and her mother, but was still struggling with alcoholism. In two days he planned to check himself into a rehabilitation center, but he was worried about relapsing. As Glory listened, she slipped off her chunky, beaded bracelet and told the stranger to give it to his daughter. Every time he looked at his daughter and her bracelet, he would know he wasn’t alone.
“That was the night that I truly felt as though I belonged in the Sisterhood,” Glory says. “I fed this man and I listened to him. But this stranger, whom I would not have met if I were not in face, humbled me and blessed my life.”
Sister Spinna Da Vinyl is a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
The Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a nonprofit charity organization that supports education within the LGBTQ community, often by planning extravagant events to raise awareness about issues that individuals in the community face. From ‘80s-style parties to all-you-can-eat cafés, the Sisters make it their mission to be available to those in need.
Glory explains taking on the identity of a nun can be difficult, especially for an organization whose members are predominantly gay men in drag.
“People are sometimes livid with us,” Glory says. “They see us on the streets and think we’re mocking Catholic nuns. Rather, we’re honoring them.”
The Sisters strut in outfits very different from those of a traditional Catholic nun. Although every fully professed Sister is given the freedom to create her own persona, the white face paint is a standard. From there, Glory adds thick swipes of pink eye shadow and applies glitter all over her face and breasts. The swirl pattern on her pink lips—an important symbol to the Sisters—matches the pattern on her face. She drapes multiple chunky necklaces across her neck, including a large bejeweled cross. Her pink corset nicely complements the large feathered habit that flows from atop her head. With her face painted and eyelashes in place, Glory is ready to represent the Sisterhood at events.
Sister Dixie Rupt wanders around the all-you-can eat Catechism Cafe. Many Sisters drink from straws so they don’t ruin their makeup.
Sister Edna Daze, whose facial hair exists in harmony with her polka dot habit, explains that despite ignoring many Catholic traditions, members take their oath to the Sisterhood very seriously.
“Just like any other nun, we make it our responsibility to educate, care for, and be available for our community,” Edna says. “The face paint and jewelry just make it a little more fun.”
Edna adds that being “in face,” which includes wearing a costume and makeup, adds a level of anonymity that people in need often appreciate. Many individuals feel as though they can divulge more to someone whose face is obscured by makeup than they can to someone they know.
“One day I was at an event and a stranger walked up to me and said, ‘Today I was tested and I’m positive with HIV’,” Edna says. “That would never happen if I was dressed as my secular self.”
Every Sister must be prepared for these discussions. They encourage others to freely talk about their sins, faults, hopes, and worries, explaining that as nuns they make it their duty to guide their community members in times of need.
The Sisterhood adopted face painting shortly after the organization was founded. In 1979 four men donned the robes of traditional nuns and strutted through San Francisco spreading ideas of community education and indulgence. Soon after, one of the founding Sisters added white face paint to her costume and observed that people were drawn to her more than the others. To further exaggerate their unusual appearance, the Sisters modified their nun outfits to reflect their personalities and sexuality.
Edna explains that although it’s not a requirement, many of the Sisters are gay men or straight women.
“I think it’s just that pink, purple, and a dash of glitter are not exactly in a straight man’s color pallet,” Edna says.
Glory notes there are several successful nonprofits in Portland and that the Sisters do their best to support multiple projects. However, when compared to other organizations, the Sister’s costumed appearance tends to attract more donors.
A three-way tie is determined by the Sisters at the monthly Red Dress Bingo event at Embers in downtown Portland, Oregon. The group was started in San Francisco by homosexual men who paraded through the town in traditional habits. The group has evolved into a multi-city organization. Each city chapter raises money for their community at events like this one. Members design their own costumes, but their faces must be painted white.
“I can be at an event with five other people from nonprofit organizations,” Glory says. “We can all be trying to ask for donations, but I have to work a little less hard because my costume naturally attracts attention.”
Becoming a Sister is more than just donning the appropriate attire. In fact, the process can take over a year to complete. Typically members join by declaring themselves as Aspirants. This lets the Sisterhood know that each applicant is committed to becoming one of them.
Glory explains that she first saw the Sisters at their monthly bingo event. Captivated by the outfits, the personalities, and the work the organization was doing, Glory began photographing the Sisters.
“I was the Sister’s ‘photo bitch’ for nearly a year before finally declaring that I wanted to be an aspirant,” Glory says. “I remember watching Sister Anna Wrecks-Ya work and seeing how dedicated she was to her work and the community. I wanted to be able to make the same kind of difference.”
After getting to know the Sisters without their makeup and wardrobe, an applicant will submit a resume and the Sisters will vote on whether or not to allow them proceed on to the next stage.
In step two, the applicant lives as a Postulate for three months and is allowed to wear black robes, a hood, and make up. However, she is not given her “lips” because Postulates are not allowed to speak to the public. Edna explains this measure isn’t intended to restrict the Postulate, but rather to protect her.
“As nuns, we often encounter very sensitive situations,” Edna says. “A Sister needs to be ready to talk to people and know enough to be helpful for the situation at hand. That takes a lot of education and observation.”
The third step involves becoming a Novice. During this stage the applicant spends at least six months learning what it means to be a Sister and is allowed to represent the Sisterhood in public. This is also the stage when applicants begin to develop their in-face personas.
For many Sisters, putting on face is more than a costume—it’s an identity. Glory admits that getting ready for an event often takes more time to complete than the event itself.
“It can sometimes be up to a three-and-a-half-hour process, but that’s what Glory needs to be ready,” Glory says. “When I think about it as my secular self, I know that I created my Sister name and I buy all the outfits, but Glory is her own person. She’s bolder and brighter than I ever will be.”
Novice Sister The Vegan Mary fills in for a patron at Red Dress Bingo. The title of Novice Sister is the step before becoming a fully professed Sister.
After working for six months as a Novice, the applicant must complete a community project. This project can range from organizing a karaoke event to handling the Sisterhood’s finances. No matter what the applicant decides to do, she must demonstrate that she understands the Sisterhood’s mission and be able to apply what she has learned in her interactions with the community.
Glory explains that not all projects need to be finished before a Novice becomes a Sister—her project can continue on indefinitely. Glory adds that her Novice project was created to benefit the Sisterhood, but adapted to fit her personality. As a mother and a business owner, Glory says that she’s not always interested in participating in flamboyant bar events.
“A lot of Sisters have the time of their life in that night scene, but it’s not quite my scene,” Glory says.
Instead, Glory tries to create events that are family friendly. These events include giving presentations at retirement homes and schools.
“I have two kids and they’d love to be able to come see what mom does,” Glory says. “But because they’re not twenty-one yet, I usually have to leave them at home.”
A fully professed Sister is given the right to speak to the media and attend events with red lips, signifying that she gained the ability to help others in need. At this point the Sister will have developed a persona and is expected to attend events in face. However, many Sisters will continue to make a distinct separation between their new and old identities.
Edna explains that the separation between the Sister personality and the secular self is normal but not mandatory.
“Many people like to make a distinction for work or for their friends, but we’re around each other so much that even when we’re not in face the names usually stick,” Edna says.
For Glory, the distinction is made apparent even in her own home. Her children will refer to “Glory’s outfits” and “Glory’s makeup”.
“As a business owner, a mother, and one of the few [biological] women in the Sisterhood, I know that not everyone is going to be accepting,” Glory says. “My husband has never attended an event and my best friend doesn’t go to nearly as many events as she used to, but my kids are freaking awesome and think Glory is the coolest person ever.”
Guard Lance Boyle spins the bingo wheel at the Red Dress Bingo, as Sister Ahna Fuckin' Tirade walks by. The Guards act as bodyguards for the Sisters.
For individuals who want to work with the Sisters but are uncomfortable wearing nun outfits, the Sisterhood has developed a male persona as well. The Guards of the Sisterhood paint their faces white, but don’t wear the habit or nun robes. They typically spice up their wardrobe with a leather jacket and chains. Guards Lance Boyles and Noah Shame are present at most of the Sisterhood’s events and provide a sense of security.
“We run into some sticky situations,” Edna says. “Sometimes there are homophobic individuals who are looking for a target for their anger and ignorance, and we’re their target. The Guards are better equipped to diffuse a situation that a man in a dress can’t always handle.”
In addition to Sisters and Guards, the Sisterhood collaborates with individuals within the community. They dub these people their Angels and Saints. Angels are often people in Portland or nearby communities who participate in events and create publicity.
“Our Angels are usually the first to arrive and are the ones who make sure that others arrive to all of our events,” Edna says.
On the other hand, Saints are individuals whom the Sisterhood looks up to. Although they may not collaborate with the Sisters, Saints usually do work to spread good will and provide educational outreach in a way similar to that of the Sisters. The Portland Sisterhood’s list of Saints includes Saint Glitter, Saint Glam, Saint Amy the Nurse, and Saint May Balline.
Despite the support the Sisters receive, they sometimes experience internal and external conflict. Within the community, the Sisters must be aware of who they are offending and how they portray their organization. Edna explains that when people approach them, they are often more confused than upset.
“I love this organization,” Glory says. “But sometimes we don’t agree on everything. We have people from every walk of life and people have very different life experiences. It’s expected and we work through them. At the end of the day we’re all still family.”
This idea of family is important to the Sisters. Beyond the extraordinary time commitment, they rely on each other for support. Glory explains that even when a Sister retires (which can be after anywhere between one to twenty years of participation) she remains a friend of the Sisterhood.
“Sometimes when I don’t have enough time to get in face and participate in an event, I’ll still find myself wandering downtown to an event just to provide support for my Sisters,” Glory says. “That’s what they’ll always remain—my Sisters.”
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