By Joslyn Hatfield
Photos by Yev Z Photography

Since their appearance in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, 1979, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (The Sisters) have been an order devoted to community service, ministry and outreach. The organization has promoted human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment for over four decades and shows no signs of slowing. You’ve seen them in communities and at PRIDE celebrations worldwide, but how much do you know about these self-proclaimed queer nuns?

The Sisters formed just before the onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic struck the Castro District in San Francisco and New York City in the early 1980s and they hosted some of the world’s first fundraisers for victims of the AIDS crisis. In a time when many in our community faced the horrors of a then-unknown killer the sisters were at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS promulgating joy and rejecting guilt.

Mother Loosy Lust Bea Lady at The Chandelier at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

No one does religious parody like The Sisters. This is never truer than with our very own Sin Sity Sisters who are “an order of 21st-century nuns, dedicated to the promulgation of omniversal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt.

Community treasure and tireless human rights warrior, Mother Loosy Lust Bea Lady, Sister of Sexual Cravings (pictured) joined us at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas to celebrate PRIDE month and community unity. How much do you know about The Sisters? Test your knowledge with these facts or learn more at sinsitysisters.org.

Your Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, founded in San Francisco in 1979, have become a worldwide movement, with orders of queer nuns springing up across the planet fighting for the promulgation of omniversal joy and the expiation of stigmatic guilt. The Holy Order Sin Sity Sisters are the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence of Las Vegas, founded June 2005.

Reflecting Las Vegas and Its Values
Every order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence expresses the unique culture in which it is born through specialized rituals, organization, and appearance.

Promoting Queer Health in Las Vegas
Sisters never manifest without their signature “safe sin sacks,” — packets of materials for safer sex. Their mission is a combination of harm reduction and the removal of stigma. They are nuns, and do the work that “nun realness” is forbidden to do: they amuse, protect, acknowledge, and love everyone in the LGBTQI and straight ally community.

A Legacy of Community Support and Involvement
The Sisters raise money for their Sisters AIDS Drug Assistance Program (SADAP) in Las Vegas. They host fundraising events, carry buckets, sell spankings, and are generally available to team up with local charities that serve the community. They’re proud to have worked with The Imperial Royal Sovereign Court of the Desert Empire, Inc, the Nevada Gay Rodeo Association, The Southern Nevada Gay & Lesbian Center, Golden Rainbow, AFAN, Community Outreach Medical Center, Access to Healthcare, Vegas Women’s Fest and other organizations making a difference in the queer community.

This article was originally published in the Summer Fun Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, and can be read in its original format here.