Happy Summer Everyone! What is going on with this HEAT? I’m…
Happy Summer Everyone!
What is going on with this HEAT? I’m seriously feeling for our Sisters in Arizona and Florida this month. (Hydrate girls, and use lots of sunblock and Final Seal.)
First of all, One Veil congratulates the Chicago – Windy City Sisters for obtaining their Exequatur during the last meeting of the United Nuns Privy Council (UNPC) – way to go girls! In addition, there were a few changes to the UNPC officers. Sister Right Sarong (Nashville) stepped down as Co-Mistress of Missions to go forward with her education and attend grad school. We thank you, Sister Right, for your contribution to the UNPC over the years and wish you all the best in your grad studies. That being said, we now welcome Sister Bertha Sinn (Dallas) as our new Co-Mistress of Missions to work alongside of Sister Gretchen Gitaround (Birmingham). Sister Dixie Normous (Atlanta) also stepped into the seat of Vice-Chair that was previously held by Sister Teresa Solution (Boston). Congratulations to all of you girls in your new positions!
Not only was there many changes on the UNPC, we also had a huge change in our way of communicating on the World Dish. Kudos to Sr. Flatulina and Brother Bim for all the work they contributed to the entire process.
We were very happy to be contacted by Guard Theo Pressed (San Francisco) so that One Veil could get behind the project regarding the Vatican Suicide. This is a very touching story and one that, in our opinion, should be seen by everyone. There is talk of a global sainting of the young man who committed suicide, and we at One Veil think it is totally appropriate. We hope after reading this article, you will support the documentary as well and do whatever you can to assist in raising much needed funds to have this documentary completed. Thanks so much, Guard Theo, for spearheading this huge task.
One Veil is beginning, with the July issue and the Los Angeles house, to have a couple more interviews per house. We will begin interviewing a founding member of each house as well as a newer member of the featured house with the help of the Mistress of Novices. We hope that by adding these new interviews, it will give a couple more perspectives of Sister Life. Thanks to the Los Angeles house for being the inaugural house for this new process.
With Glitter Kisses and a Joyful Heart,
Sr. T’Keela Mockingburd and Sr. Isadora Knocking
L.A. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence The Los Angeles…
L.A. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were founded in 1995. At the helm was Sister Candy, who made the contacts to San Francisco and gathered a group of friends and enquirers around her to form the house. The group that became the first 5 fully professed were: Sister Candy, Sister Justina, Sister Simi, Sister Unity and Sister Gladass of the Joyous Resurectum, a displaced member, (San Francisco to Palm Springs), who shepherded the group through its first years of being. There were others, but these were the core that went on to make the order what it is today.
*** (A note to newer houses) At the time that LA was founded, the only other active house in the US was in Seattle. Los Angeles was the first house to petition for recognition, setting motion the processes that are used today. In the absence of precedence, it was NOT an easy process.
What is your full name and when did you become fully professed?
Sister Buffy, Faerietta Pectorella, Mega-Nun-O-Rama, The Rubber Maid. When I was fully professed in 2000, the middle part of the name was longer, too long, so I did a little snip-snip. Then the bitches VOTED at a meeting to dub me, “The Rubber Maid”. It was democracy in action, what could I do?
Who is, or who do you consider your Big Sister or Mother to be within the SPI organization?
I spent my first year in SPI as a guard. Consequently, the house allowed me to skip postulancy, and progress directly to novice. The only one of our founding nuns who had never sponsored anyone was Sister Simi Feelme Touchme. She was noted as a nun of few words, but when she spoke she packed a wallop! She was the perfect mom for me. Now, much to her consternation, she has great grand kids.
How has the relationship with your Big Sister/Mother influenced your Sister journey?
Frankly, one of the only reasons that Sister Simi was willing to take me on was that I assured her I would not need much guidance through the process. She had to make a few calls when I progressed to FPM, (some nuns are dazzled by high aspirations…), and not long after she went on sabbatical. I guess stretch marks can have that effect on a girl. Simi’s lasting influences on me are: 1. Listen first and 2. Recognize what core values are involved when making a decision.
How often does the L.A. house have general membership meetings, and how long do they usually last?
We meet once a month, (3rd Tuesday), at 7:00 pm. We used to meet at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, which closed at 10:00. We often had to finish our meetings out on the sidewalk. The last few years we have been meeting at the MCC LA where we have no time limit. At first, not to be rushed seemed a blessing but it devolved into meetings so long that our far-flung members, (some over an hour commute away), were at their wit’s end. To avoid mutiny, we pared our meetings down to about 2 ½ hours, giving us some time to just hang after the meetings and perform our advancing member ritual.
What do you find most challenging while chairing a GM meeting?
I believe I am the longest serving abbess in SPI history, (9 consecutive terms). As our group has changed in that time the challenges of chairing the meetings have changed. The core personality and origins of the organization makes it intrinsically hard to lead. We’re creative, individualistic and spotlight loving. We are the anarchistic appropriators of an anachronistic 2000 year old cloistered sorority. We are a queer melding of hierarchical traditionalism and faerie free spirit self determination. I have always tried to hold onto all that divergent wackiness at the same time that I am trying to lead a group of board members of a 501c3 corporation through their appointed tasks. Though I have a gavel, I choose instead to use a ribboned pink spatula to draw focus at our meetings. Though I might go into a meeting knowing what the result of a vote will be, I strongly believe we must hear from all diverse points of view before making a decision. And most of all, though I can be acerbic in my comments and humor during a meeting, I really love the gals in LA. I don’t think you can be the abbess without that.
Since the day you joined SPI, what are the biggest changes that you’ve noticed or witnessed in both the organization and yourself?
Big picture, The San Francisco house has weaned itself from control over the promulgation of the order. One of the positive consequences of this has been the sense among all the orders that we are mutually accountable to each other. Gays are a very mobile sub culture. What nuns do in Boston can have an effect on the work in Seattle. The UNPC has empowered a better sense of connectedness.
Changes in LA? We’ve quadrupled in membership. We’ve had members move and have a positive impact on other houses, (Sister Titania and Guard Boner to name a few…). We have our first Nun of the Above, (Rest sweetly Sister Bubbles). And we have learned that in the huge megapolis that is LA, we individual nuns can focus our work in our own neighborhoods and still support the bigger work to the whole region.
Myself? As I’ve gotten older it now HURTS to put on white face, literally. But I would never manifest without it. When I first became an FPM, I aspired to manifest more each year. I think I topped out at about 120 days in face a year. Now I feel I’ve done my part if I’m out 2 – 3 times a month. Being a Sister in public is an exhausting, exhilarating, heart-fuck every time. I couldn’t give it up.
If you could change anything about your journey to full profession, what would that be and why?
There is a picture that I often show our newbies at Novice Teas of my first manifestation as a nun, (remember, I started as a guard), I look awful! I’m awkward, self-conscious, I have not yet defined the “Buffy Habit” and the makeup sucks. Part of me wishes that I had never experienced that day. But without that picture, I don’t think I would have worked so hard to become a more complete Sister persona.
As the president of the L.A. House, what are your expectations or goals of the house for the rest of 2012 and into 2013?
Mother Fuckin’ BINGO! I spent a weekend at LA Pride and all I got asked was, “When are you going to have BINGO again?” I’ve always been someone who kind of putters through life and as long as I maintain my core values, good things kinda happen. I would love to serve the LA House one more term in 2013 to make an even 10 years before I hand over the pink spatula. Hopefully one more year of puttering will do the trick.
What are you currently most excited about?
Last October I bought 2 acres of land and a small house on the Hilo, (rainy), side of the Big Island of Hawaii. I will retire there someday, and I hope that, when I do, we can start a house there made up of locals and other retired nuns who would like to come live on the property. Having lived most of my life in the big city, this bit of paradise is both constantly distracting and invigorating to my spirit.
If you were asked to give advice to a mission house that was going through the process of becoming a fully professed house, what would that advice be?
Discover and rediscover in every new situation what your core values are. Be different than the other Gay/Drag/Service/Charitable groups out there. You’re Sisters.
What does being an SPI member mean to you, personally?
I am a fairly up-right, up-standing member of society in my day job as a public school teacher. I support and enforce rules and regulations. I expect good conduct a demeanor from myself and my students. As a Sister, I’m a FREAK! And I LOVE it! And if I can be a freak from time to time, then so can anyone. But I’m a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence, a Freak with a Cause. Take my hand and let’s go, or stand back, shit’s about to happen.
In one word, give your description of the SPI organization. (Gimme two Please….)
Freak Heart
Nun Limericks Part III There once was a Nun up on York who was…
Nun Limericks Part III
There once was a Nun up on York
who was visited by The Stork
T’was at the inception
of immaculate conception
when she dined on The Stork with her fork
There once was a Nun up on Liberty
Who enchanted the daily liturgy:
Monday is Alchemy
Wednesday is Arithmancy
Sunday is Witchcraft and Wizardry
There once was a Nun up on Sanchez
who’d abide by whatever the Abbot said
if she jumped off a cliff
it would be a great gift
and a win for the law of averages
There once was a Nun up on Steiner
a famous Habit designer
her patterns cost dearly
but if you looked nearly
the label said “Asia Minor”
There once was a Nun up on Sloat
who was constantly clearing her throat
she continued to gloat
so the Nuns took a vote
her plaque at the Zoo reads “She-Goat”
There once was a Nun up in Tennessee
who to escape the Castro Bourgeoisie
fled to the mountain
to drink from the fountain
and water her perpetual ministry
There once was a Nun in Nantucket
who played with a surly hand puppet
she put her hand in
Puppet said with a grin,
“Ya fuck it, Sister, fuck it!”
Please give me your name and when you became fully professed. I…
Please give me your name and when you became fully professed.
I am Sister Unity Divine, Bootysattva. It means I have an harmonious ass. When I started with all the first LA sisters in December of 1995, I took the name Sister Shiva Tapioca, Wet-nurse to the Infant of Prague. He grew up and my teats ran dry, so when I fully professed in the summer of 1996 I changed to Sister Unity.
When and how did you first hear of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence organization?
I was visiting my sister in San Francisco in 1982 and we happened to walk down the street and into the Gay Pride parade. I was stunned. Then I was electrified when the Sisters passed; Boom Boom was riding in the back of a convertible flailing a humongous dildo to bless the crowds. It was everything I believed in: irreverence, humor, faggotry, revolution, silliness, theater, activism, and sex. Later, I met them at a booth at the festival. I was too shy to go over so Sister Mona Money came trotting up to me in black heels, hose and an air force jacket with her beard and wimple and chatted me up. She told me what it was all about and I was interested. When I told her I was going to move on, she asked if she could kiss me…being a teen without the word “no” firmly in my vocabulary I said, “sure”. She kissed me and slipped me the tongue. It was my first kiss with a man ever. My thought of my 1st gay kiss ever was, “Bleh! She slipped me the tongue!” I like to think that in 1982 when so many were contracting a lethal virus, I contracted a very beneficial one from her. It took 13 years to gestate.
What about this organization caused you to want to be involved in founding an Order of SPI in L.A.?
Sister Candy Cide called me in Dec. 1995 and asked if I knew of the SPI. I said yes. She said she was starting a group of them here in LA and thought I’d be good at it and would I like to join. I said YES, immediately. I thought, “Hmm.. be a pie-in-the-face gay rights activist, make drag art, be the life of the city wide party, go anywhere and say anything, be the vanguard, Yes, I am totally behind this.” At the time I did not know we did fund-raising. My whole intention and goal was to free gay people from stigma, abuse, jail, danger and persecution and to establish a permanent presence in World culture of The Queer. It is this for which I joined.
What do you think was the most challenging part of beginning the process of founding the L.A. Order?
The most challenging part of starting the LA House was that we disagreed very intensely on various policies. For example in our 3rd meeting, held in my living room, we argued for 40 minutes on whether to allow postulant sisters to wear glitter and jewels on their face. I lost that argument; they now cannot. But what we gained from these struggles with each other was respect for the teamwork and we forever after have made a point of finding ways to come together: we used to go to dinner after every meeting for the 1st two years. Now we have annual retreats out of town, we hold special meetings for difficult issues called forums (like the Radical Fairy Heart Circle), we remind each other to call each other when in a disagreement. If the Sisters are about making room for everyone in an ostensibly unwelcoming society, then I believe we must make room for diverging opinions in our own houses. I find that at a founding, everyone wants to have things run the way they know best… the question is, can everyone be welcomed and their ways be included in how the house is built?
Being a founding member of your house, did you go through the process of first being a postulant or novice, or were you just considered a founding member and basically have the same rights as a fully professed sister?
When we started we were only the 3rd house of sisters in the US. Though SF was communicating with our Reverend Mother, a former SF sister, Sister Gladass of the Joyous Reserection, we felt mostly on our own in our own city. So we decided it was best for the public if we dove in and presented the Sisters in fullness and we were all full sisters. A month or two later, Sister Gladass asked us to go back to being postulants and novices which we did though we were disappointed. Though we all started at the same time we then progressed to black veil at different times. This created enormous stresses in the house. I almost quit as I was progressed later than the others. They had all known each other well before we started and I had not been in their social circle before. What happened though, was that on a night when I was asked to step out of the executive session, when I wanted very much to get in my car and drive away, I remembered that when you give love and respect, you can change your situation. I went back into the meeting determined to give my sisters, my chosen partners, love and respect despite my feelings. That opened everything up. It turns out they voted me black veil that night (they just forgot to tell me for three more months!!!). This was one of the most important lessons I’ve had as a sister.
How did the community react to the Sisters on the first manifestation in L.A.?
LOL! We met veeeery few people who knew the Sisters when we started. We developed and got very used to repeating a quick patter, “We’re the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The group started in San Francisco in 1979. We are human Rights activists, Gay rights activists, we raise funds for Gay & Lesbian & AIDS charities, and we believe that there is room in the world for everyone to be who they are without guilt or shame.” We repeated that over and over and over and over for two to three years until the number of people asking who we are dwindled to a few. People still ask. LA has over 2 million LGBT folk and new ones every six months. The reaction once we tell them has almost always been, “That’s so cool!” or “That’s really great.” They do seem to get it.
Did you find any challenges when dealing with the community for the first time? If so, what were the challenges?
The challenges were knowing who to be for them…at first I wondered whether to play a character or be my boy self and “real”. As it turned out, I do both…a character for broad, entertaining times and then myself when I’m talking one on one with people about their lives or when speaking publicly about important issues like during the Prop 8 protests here. You have to have conviction which comes from a direct expression of your heart and truth. Other times you have to make them laugh and smile with wit.
The other challenge was not smacking people in the groin who shouted “THE FLYING NUN!” at us.
Now that your house has been established for quite some time, what is the biggest difference in your house now from when it was first founded (not speaking of the number of members, of course)?
There are two big differences now:
First is the change in travel and camaraderie. We used to cover LA, Palm Springs, San Diego, Long Beach, Orange County, Bakersfield, and Phoenix in our early years. On these road trips there was a special feeling that bonded us as we went on these drag adventures together. I really advise road trips together. Laughing while getting made up together, seeing who brought what new outfit to wear, watching each other pick up men, eating like starving pigs after 12 hours in face. It’s like having instant brother-sister-best-friends. We do far fewer of these now that most have grown their own houses. We do have fun together now, and then, those trips were something special.
Second is the way we argue. We still have strident disagreements with each other over “rules” and some votes in meetings. But we have learned how to back down, to negotiate, to put the “Will of the House” ahead of personal refusal. When an issue is intractable, we hold a Forum a special meeting based on the Radical Fairy’s Heart Circle, where everyone can speak their thoughts from their hearts, speak their truth and be heard. There is no voting in these, just ideas and voices one after another with no debate and no cross talk. Then everyone feels heard and respected. We may vote later in a meeting, but this allowing and respecting each one’s voice is important in lessening discord. Everyone must be heard and respected. Immediate votes may be quick and efficacious, but they leave hard feelings. Taking the time to allow every voice builds you up for the longer term. We do this very well now, I feel.
If you could go back to the days of the order’s initial founding, what changes would you make, if any?
My personal wish is that I would allow Postulant sisters to wear glitter. I would redesign their outfits not to be the robes we use now…the look of them is often confusing to the public (the feedback we get is that they think they are some kind of odd priest, and are not sure if they are part of the sisters). I would do both of these to reduce the feelings postulants have that they need to tread very carefully lest they get into trouble with the black veils. I cannot believe for a minute that the Sisters I met in 1982 intended for the organization to become a place where anyone could actually get in trouble for wearing glitter or not properly wearing a polyester bag. I rather believe that Postulant sisters should dive as deeply into creative exploration as they can. Some of them need a lot of time to figure out what to look like, and we have a shit load of lives to save and suicides to prevent, so I say, all hands on di…. Deck!
Do you have just as much excitement about being a Sister now, as you did when you were assisting with the founding of your Order?
I do creatively, yes… however, I am older now and my metabolism is different. I used to be called “Sister Unity Divine, Techno Nun” because I was always the 1st person on the dance floors of Prides. Now…. Well… {nervous cough}… So it’s different. What excites me now is the Voice. Speaking truth to power, speaking love to People, speaking out and making noise to show the world we are here, we are intensely queer, and this is part of how the world is. That is exciting!
What are you currently most excited about?
Making love to some of the French and German sisters…The skinny ones. You know who you are. Venez tout suite, Liebschen!
That and helping a woman who is trying to get LGBT teenagers out of very conservative Middle Eastern countries where their lives are literally at stake, before they are killed. She has done this for over 900 women over the years and is now getting going on our youth. This moves me more than any other cause right now.
In one word (and one word only) please describe the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Fags.
Big Circuit Beats Edition Hey all you bright shiny sparkly…
Big Circuit Beats Edition
Hey all you bright shiny sparkly loving people! Portland had its Pride festival over the weekend, and I’m still not fully recovered! I had the wonderful opportunity to once again spin the Pulse Dance Party, this year I opened for Tony Moran. In my opinion, Tony is hands down the best circuit DJ out there! Not to mention, that he is such a sweet-heart and a stud muffin to boot!
To keep those big thundering beats a pounding, let’s look at some fabulous DJ’s on the party scene!
Joe Gauthreaux – Los Angeles
As one of the most sought after DJs in the industry, DJ/Producer Joe Gauthreaux (pronounced “GO TROW”) has a resume full of club appearances and main events that span the last 15 years - with the list growing each passing year.
Joe was introduced to the club scene at an early age of 16 and immediately fell in love with the industry. His first official DJ job was in Baton Rouge during Mardi Gras. Due to his increasing popularity in the club scene and especially in the gay community, he was hailed as the “Hottest DJ of 2005” by Out Magazine in their June issue. He describes his musical selections as the “music you’re more likely to hear during peak hours of the night.” His style is primarily vocal house music infused with tribal rhythms and melodic trance beats. He not only is a top notch DJ, he is also a producer. His sets are infused with his own private mash-ups and remixes. Highly recommended!
Catch up with Joe on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DJJoeG
You can download his podcast for free on iTunes or at: http://joegauthreaux.podomatic.com/
Jamie J. Sanchez - San Francisco
From America to Europe – from Mexico to Brazil – from Australia to Asia – and everywhere in between – beloved DJ/producer Jamie J Sanchez has gained a solid following of dance music fans that keep him busy traveling around the globe.
Jamie J began his DJ career in 1990 spinning early house music in Phoenix, Arizona and producing his own mixshow on KKFR “Power 92” radio. In 1995, he made a move to San Francisco where he cut his teeth spinning at famed clubs The Endup, 1015 and King Street Garage and the infamous Club Universe. In the studio, Jamie has built a very successful career remixing for artists including Beyonce, Mary Mary, Shontelle, Kristine W, Tiffany, Taylor Dayne and many more. Like Joe, his sound is also vocal house with tribal rhythms.
Catch up with Jamie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djjamiejsanchez
You can download his podcast for free on iTunes or at: http://jamiejsf.podomatic.com/
That’s all for now, I’m gonna go get some production work done and have some special treats for the audience when I fly out to Dallas/Fort Worth to spin Red Dress in December,will you be there?.
Hope you all find the love, light and happiness that surround you and let it flow into the world.
Could you please give me your name and tell me when you became a…
Could you please give me your name and tell me when you became a member of the L.A. Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Novice Sister Edna St. Vincent Getlaid and I’ve been loitering about since April 2010.
What level are you currently at in your journey?
Novice
What is the reason that you chose to become a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence?
I’ve wanted to be a Sister since I was four years old. As Queerspawn growing up in the gay community in San Francisco, I attended the Lily Street Easter Celebrations ( the pre-cursor to the current event in Dolores Park). I remember how magnificent and larger than life the Sisters were. Everything I wanted to be!
What have you found to be most rewarding in this stage of your journey?
The connection to folks! “Face” allows people to interact with you in a way they otherwise wouldn’t, they give themselves up to you more freely. On a more selfish level, seeing the faces of children in the Pride crowds looking at me like I once looked at the Sisters is pretty damn satisfying.
What have you found to be the most challenging part of this process?
The make-up! It’s funny because as a bio-female you’d think I’d be better at it. Maybe we can blame the Lesbian parenting?
Who has been your biggest influence along your path and explain how that person has influenced you.
I know this makes me sounds like a beauty queen at a pageant but my bio-mom, Nyna. Ok, a beauty queen probably wouldn’t use the “bio-“ prefix. Still, as an active leader in the Leather Scene, she instilled in me the idea of service, respect for our history, and the value of giving back to one’s community. She also taught me not to let being the minority, gender -wise, stand in the way of participation in an organization. Most of all she has always emphasized in her parenting a parallel message to the Sisters’ mission. Be true to yourself. Be proud of who you are. Don’t take on people’s judgments.
In a short paragraph, please describe your first night of manifestation.
As a postulant or as a novice? I feel like it’s been forever since whenever that might have been. I will try and better document my first manifestation as a black veil because clearly Memory is not my strong suit. I’m sure it involved hastily applied and badly done make-up, a big ball gown, and a slightly askew piece of headgear accessorized with a smile.
What are you currently most excited about?
My novice project is coming up this month! I am doing a confession-themed storytelling event in which the audience will also be able to confess one on one to a Sister and submit anonymous written confessions to be read aloud. Everyone will be absolved at the end.
Most Sisters experience, what we call, an “Ah-Ha” moment. This is a moment where we realize that we are definitely where we need to be and that this path of Sisterhood is in alignment with who we are as a person. Have you had that “Ah-Ha” moment yet, and if so, can you speak of it.
At the core of things, I am basically an attention whore but I try and make sure the things I do in life are both selfish and altruistic. Walking down the middle of the street during Pride waving to families on the sidelines, with millions of flashbulbs popping, I realized being a Sister provides all the fun of fame: the cheering crowds, the adoring fans and a sense of celebrity with none of the drawbacks. I may not make it in Hollywood, but I’ve already arrived in real life!
In one word, please describe The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
“Liberating!”
