Los Angeles - Since 1995

December 10, 1995 the snow blew cold and hard in Los Angeles. Wrapped in dark satin cloaks, two men arrived at an abandoned bra factory. One was a newly relocated nun from the first house of Sisters in San Francisco, Sister Gladass of the Joyous Resurrection. The other, a wide-eyed, big-bottomed drag acolyte, Visa Gold, had eagerly sought her dream: to bring the mission of the Sisters home. Stamping the snow from their thigh-high, ebon Castilian leather, 6”x ½” stiletto heel boots, they sat to discuss the foundation of a new House of service oriented, activist drag nuns in the palm-bestrewn City of the Angels.

Newly dubbed Sister Candy Cide (because she couldn’t pick her own name) put out the call for members. Answering the call they came: the regal yet inebriated Sister Justina Nickatime, the artful yet also inebriated Sister Aquanetta Tease, the not-so-inebriated, but truly odd Sister Shiva Tapioca.

Also joining were Father Bruno, and Saint Simi Valley*.

The new House made a debut in Diana Ross’s video with RuPaul and commenced the work of the Sisters expiating guilt and promulgating joy in the Southland. Their appearances covered L.A., Long Beach, San Diego, Palm Springs, The San Gabriel Valley and the Inland Empire. But new members joined the house, Sister Rhoda Kill, Sister Magically Delicious, and more.

The Sisters formed an early association with many gay & lesbian charitable organizations. They manifested at the opening of The One Institute, America’s largest Gay & Lesbian archive. They Produced and performed 3 full stage productions as fundraisers for Highways Performance Space**. And with the Trevor Project, a national Gay & Lesbian teenage suicide hotline, they have appeared along side Delta Burke, Lily Tomlin, Tracy Lords, Gillian Anderson, Teri Garr, Wilson Cruz (who has lips like pillows!), the cast of Desperate Housewives and others.

In 2003 a documentary was made about the LA Sisters, “Drag Nuns in Tinseltown” by filmmaker Ren Blood. The film appeared in film festivals in New York City, Washington DC, Italy, Spain, Newport Beach and Tampa. During the showing in Washington DC, several of the Sisters took the opportunity to exorcize the White House. To date, results of that ritual seem mixed.

Also in 2003, the Sisters opened Los Angeles’s largest production of The Lysistrata Project, the staged reading of the ancient Greek play as an anti-war protest. They performed with 20 of LA’s most notable theater companies to an over-capacity crowd of 1,500 at the Wilshire Ebell Theater.

2004 saw the Sisters as Grand Marshals of the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade. Though 2 leopard print limousines were rented, Sister Buffy still rolled on her RazorTM scooter.

In 2005, the LA Sisters’ 10th anniversary year, they officially manifested as a group 85 times, raised over $15,000 for charities directly themselves and assisted a variety of charities in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for people in need. During that year Sisters from L.A. helped the founding of new Houses in San Diego, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs. Coming soon: the Sisters in Atlantis!

June 2006 saw the LA House hosting the Order of Perpetual Indulgence’s 5th World Conclave. 80 drag nuns from Germany, France, and twelve US cities gathered to eat, yak and screw. They manifested at Venice Beach, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Huntington Museum and Gardens and in the hills above LA just under the Hollywood sign. No one jumped, though several cosmeticians were hurled from the summit in a Botox-related ritual sacrifice to the Gods of beauty products.

The LA Sisters have received awards and Commendations from C.S.W., the City of Los Angeles, the City of West Hollywood, and the California State Assembly. Unfortunately it hasn’t helped them smell any nicer.

30 members now grace the depraved roster of the House, nuns, novices, postulants and guards. You can see the members as well as the Saints of the House on our “Meet the Order” page. But don’t feed them; they’ll just get bigger.

*Saint Simi Valley became Sister Seeme Feelme Touchme and Sister Shiva became Sister Unity while Father Bruno moved out of LA.

** “The History of Religion” in 2001, “Sin” in 2002, and “Red Leather Riding hood” in 2005.