Queer Nuns

An engaging look into the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, queer activists devoted to social justice

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence make up an unlikely order of nuns. Self-described as ¿twenty-first century queer nuns,¿ the Sisters began in 1979 when three bored gay men donned retired Roman Catholic nuns¿ habits and went for a stroll through San Francisco¿s gay Castro district. The stunned and delighted responses they received prompted these already-seasoned activists to consider whether the habits might have some use in social justice work, and within a year they had constituted the new order. Today, with more than 83 houses on four different continents, the Sisters offer health outreach, support, and, at times, protest on behalf of queer communities.
In Queer Nuns, Melissa M. Wilcox offers new insights into the role the Sisters play across queer culture and the religious landscape. The Sisters both spoof nuns and argue quite seriously that they are nu