Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI, English The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence , French Les Soeurs de la Perpetuelle Indulgence ) are a global group of queer activists, mostly from the LGBT scene, who use drag elements and satirical in public performances Combine modeled symbols from religious orders of sisters and describe themselves as queer nuns of the 21st century. The members are committed to the acceptance and inclusion of various life plans, to HIV and AIDS prevention, and collect funds for lesbian , gay , bisexual and transgender projects and groups.
The English term perpetual indulgence can be translated as "perpetual indulgence" or "eternal pleasure"; however, indulgence can also mean "forbearance, indulgence" or, like German indulgence , indulgence .
The sisters were born at Easter 1979 in San Francisco ; when three men in borrowed, real habits showed up in the gay and lesbian dominated The Castro district of San Francisco. In 2007 there are said to have been around 600 "sisters" in eight countries. The local groups consequently also call themselves “orders” and “houses”.
history
On Holy Saturday 1979, the first "Sisters" appeared in San Francisco . Already at that time donations were collected for social purposes of the queer community. The gay men, inspired by the Radical Faeries , were also politically active, taking part in protest marches and demonstrations. In 1982 they published the world's first safer sex brochure called Play fair .
In addition to the International “Motherhouse” in San Francisco, there are now houses in Los Angeles (1999), Seattle (1986/1997), New York (1987/2004), Russian River (2001), and Philadelphia (2002). The first religious house outside the USA was founded in Sydney in 1984 . Other houses followed in Australia , New Zealand , Thailand and Indonesia , which, with the exception of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, have since been closed.
In Europe , groups emerged in Great Britain (London 1987, Manchester 1996, Edinburgh 1999), in Germany (Heidelberg 1991, Berlin 1993, Hamburg 1996, Cologne 1997, Munich 2013), in France (Paris 1992 & 1996, Bordeaux 1994, Lille 1998) , in Switzerland (Zurich 2005), and in Austria (Vienna 2008). In Latin America there is a religious house in Colombia (1998) and one in Uruguay (2002).
Occur
The most common feature of the members is the white primed and colored make-up face. White symbolizes death , which is symbolically contrasted with life and joy through the individual colored accents. This also explicitly means social death through exclusion and stigmatization . In addition, sisters appear in public in modeled costumes, the habit . Christian nuns cared for the sick, fed the poor, and took care of the needy. The " queer nuns of the 21st century" want to pursue their goals with comparable consistency. Income is not to be generated, but donations are collected and given primarily to non-profit organizations that care for people who are affected by HIV and AIDS. Safer sex utensils that are given away by the activists during their manifestations, or that the food and drinks with their z. Public festivals called "zoo picnic", for example, are provided by sponsors.
According to their own statements, the sisters want to "spread universal joy" and "wipe out stigmatizing guilt". In practice, they distribute safer sex materials for the prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases . They collect for community and AIDS projects, organize and lead events or organize fundraising events such as bingo parties and bowling evenings . They also offer safer sex workshops and take part in demonstrations on various occasions such as gay pride events and funeral marches. In addition, they perform ordination and blessing rituals , organize same-sex blessing ceremonies , and hold funeral speeches.
The houses in Germany and Switzerland have mostly founded registered associations.
organization
The structures are based on those of religious religious houses. A "house" is a group of sisters who have come together in a community. After the foundation, the sisters choose a name for their house. If a member of one house lives permanently in another place and also represents the sisters there, one speaks of a mission . Members go through training levels as aspirants , postulants and novices before they are ordained as sisters . Some houses also have so-called guardsmen and angels who protect or assist the sisters. There are sponsoring and honorary members; Common names for this are blessed or honorable . Some houses also occasionally appoint saints . The requirements for these honors vary from house to house.
International meetings of the order take place regularly. The so-called World Conclave has so far been held in London (1992), Paris (1997), San Francisco (1999), Sydney (2002), Berlin (2004) and most recently in June 2006 in Los Angeles . In the summer of 2007 a smaller council on a more European level took place in Edinburgh . In 2009 the international conclave took place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the international sisterhood at Easter in San Francisco. The International Motherhouse does not play a major role compared to the other houses.
documentary
At Easter 2009 the sisters celebrated their 30th anniversary in San Francisco. Hundreds of members from all over the world came together. The filmmakers Sigrid Smejkal and Manfred Hoschek portrayed several sisters around this celebration in their documentary The Sisters , including Sister Daphne (mother of the religious house in Berlin), Sister Vicious Power Hungry Bitch (one of the four founding sisters), and the religious house in Uruguay, which found no way to travel to San Francisco.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ May M: Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have a history of charity, activism. San Francisco Chronicle / SFgate.com, October 17, 2007 (accessed June 16, 2015)
- ^ A b Susan Henking: Queering Easter: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Redefine Sainthood in Religion Dispatches , April 2, 2010. ( Accessed May 1, 2010)
- ↑ Aaron Heier: The Gospel According to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence ( Memento November 17, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) in GLTnews, March 2, 2010
- ↑ 1982. Safer Sex: 'Play Fair'. Blog post by Colin Clews, August 19, 2013 (accessed June 16, 2015)
- ↑ a b Sirko Salka: Sister Aura: "We have achieved a lot!" ( Memento of the original from February 13, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Victory Column 12/2009. (Accessed May 1, 2010)
- ↑ OSPI Berlin: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (YouTube video)
- ↑ Active members - OSPI. Retrieved on August 13, 2018 (German).
- ↑ Zoo Picnic 2018 # tpg18. Retrieved August 13, 2018 .
