Alec Mapa Brings Pride, Humor, and Queer Joy to Absolution: Back in the Habit
By Jake Naylor
Photography courtesy of Alec Mapa
Las Vegas PRIDE, PROUD & Kinky, and the Sin Sity Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are about to unleash a night of unholy fun and irresistible indulgence with Absolution: Back in the Habit on October 11, 2025. At the center of it all will be acclaimed actor and comedian Alec Mapa, who steps into the role of cohost and personification of the sin of Pride.
For Mapa, who grew up in San Francisco and admired the Sisters’ work from an early age, the chance to cohost Absolution carries deep meaning. “I always remembered the Sisters doing amazing works of service,” he says. “I’m excited AF to help the helpers of our LGBTQ+ community. Our community is vulnerable under this administration, and the greatest way to protect ourselves is by sticking together and lifting each other up. That’s how our community has always survived. I’m excited to be a part of that tradition.”
Pride, Humor, and Queer Joy
With his signature mix of irreverence and heart, Mapa is ready to bring both laughter and sensuality to the night’s immersive exploration of the seven deadly sins. “Primal sin and seduction are the reasons I get up in the morning,” he quips. “To Catholics, a man dressed as a nun is sacrilegious—but a priest in a dress swinging a purse on fire is ok?”
While he’ll be representing Pride, Mapa takes the so-called “sin” and flips it on its head. “I’m proud of my sobriety, my 23-year marriage, and our grown son. If Pride is a sin, I’m guilty as hell. What I do have is humility. Like Dolly says, ‘I’m too good to be real bad and too bad to be real good.’”
For him, humor and sensuality are more than themes of the night—they’re survival tools. “Humor and sensuality are essential ingredients to Queer Joy,” Mapa says. “I’ve hosted the GAYVNs in Vegas for ten years in a row. I make the event as funny and stupid as humanly possible because folks take sex way too seriously. Anal beads in porn are hilarious. To me, it always looks like a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos.”
Alec Mapa
A Journey Toward Absolution
The word absolution resonates deeply with Mapa’s own life and career. “Absolution is defined as a formal release from guilt, obligation, or punishment. Learning to love everything I was taught to hate about myself aligns with mine and every queer person’s journey. It’s the only journey worth taking.”
He admits that embracing authenticity was the turning point in his career. “TBH, I didn’t have a career until I came out because I wasn’t sharing my authentic self. The second I stopped seeing myself as anything ‘indecent’ or ‘inappropriate,’ I stopped worrying what people thought of me, and the work rolled in. Travel is faster and easier with less baggage.”
And while the event invites guests to choose between spaces like the Exhibition Space, the Night Market, or the Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, Mapa admits he’s particularly drawn to BDSM culture. “I love anything to do with the BDSM community because their boundaries are always clear and established. Even when the role play is ‘non-consensual,’ it’s consensual. I feel safe.”
Leading the Way with Laughter
Alec’s career has always been marked by his ability to fuse humor with heart, and he believes that same balance will help guide audiences through the decadent world of Absolution. “Absolutely, laughter establishes trust and rapport. I can’t think of anything sexier.”
And when the night is over? Mapa leaves guests with one final intention: “I hope everyone walks away feeling joyful, relieved, and in need of a long hot shower—alone or in groups.”
This October, Alec Mapa will stand at the pulpit of indulgence, comedy, and queer joy, inviting all who enter Absolution to sin boldly, laugh loudly, and leave feeling lighter than when they arrived.
“Once absolved,” he reminds us, “we can go forth and sin some more… in unity.”
About Alec Mapa
Ellen DeGeneres has called him “smart, hilarious, and funny.” Variety declared, “Alec Mapa is a freak. No one should be this talented.” From Broadway’s M. Butterfly to scene-stealing roles on Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, and Doom Patrol, Mapa has built a career on authenticity, boldness, and boundary-breaking performances. His Showtime special, Alec Mapa: Baby Daddy, hilariously chronicled his journey to fatherhood via foster adoption, and he is an official guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Offstage, Mapa is an award-winning advocate, honored with the Davidson Valentini GLAAD Award and recognized for his tireless work with the Human Rights Campaign and the Matthew Shepard Foundation. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband Jamie and their son Zion.
This article was originally published as a digital exclusive for the 2025 PRIDE Celebration Issue of Las Vegas PRIDE Magazine, which can be read in its original format here.
