A new order is stepping up in the West Village — but the spirit of defiant queer activism in the face of adversity lives on.
The NYC (dis)Order of Sisters, a chapter of the international Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, will, for the first time, lead the candlelit vigil at the 34th annual Out of the Darkness commemoration of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, succeeding longtime activist Brent Nicholson Earle in the solemn procession from the NYC AIDS Memorial at the intersection of West 12th Street and Greenwich Avenue to St. John’s Lutheran Church, at 81 Christopher St.
Formed in San Francisco in 1979, the order’s goal is to “expiate guilt and to spread universal joy,” explained Sister Rich B* Clare, who is also Rev. Andrew C. Patty, the Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church.
In the face of mass-discrimination from the Roman Catholic Church and other religious institutions at the time, four men dressed in nun costumes and roamed The Castro to give “queer people the love that they’ve always wanted from those religious figures that they never got at home,” Sister Clare explained. They have since grown to encompass more than 50 chapters worldwide.
Ten years later, outside of ACT UP’s historic 1989 die-in at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the NYC (dis)Order of Sisters made its first appearance. The sisters are easily recognizable for the white polka dots on its attire and headpieces — known as ‘Pizza Boxes’ — that represent sarcoma spots, as a memorial to people living with AIDS, that has been its symbol since its founding.
Why the (dis)? Many of the founding members of the New York City chapter were also Radical Faeries, an activist group that was vociferously anti-order, Clare explained. Today, their creativity flows from the fairies, while their political perspective is shaped by ACT UP. Despite its appearance, the order does not require its members to pertain to an organized religion, although many do.
Today, the NYC (dis)Order can be found giving back to the LGBTQ community — preparing and distributing meals at the SAGE Center and GMHC, fundraising, and making appearances at queer bars. In June, covered in white makeup, they participated in their first NYC pride march.
“For so many of the members of the queer community, every day out there in the world, they are being harassed, they are being discriminated against,” Sister Clare said. “But when they see our silly white faces come into the room, they know that they have someone that will sit with them, that will talk with them, that will laugh with them and that will support them.”
Rather than drag, Sister Clare describes the order’s activism as “holy clowning,” a term used by Sister Roma of the San Francisco order, known as “The Most Photographed Nun in The World.”
“We bring this deep sense of tradition and that we’ve carried on these legacies and these memories, but yet we do it with a sense of humor and we do it with bringing joy into the community,”. Sister Clare explained. “When people see us fully manifested with our faces and makeup and our headwear on, it just brings tremendous joy.”
The Sisters are leading the vigil at the suggestion of Rev. Patty, whose church has for years closed out the night with a memorial service. When they heard Earle and the planning committee of The American Run for the End of AIDS, which previously organized the day’s events, had decided to step down, they swiftly took action, with just two months to plan. They proposed the idea to the Sisters, who voted to participate.
Monday’s candlelight vigil will follow the traditional Reading of the Mames of New Yorkers lost to the AIDS epidemic at the NYC AIDS Memorial, which takes place from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Also at noon, activists will hold a large-scale rally and march to raise awareness about the Trump administration’s policies threatening progress in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
The Sisters will be complemented by a performance by HIV-positive artists the Red Ribbon Revue. After the vigil, St. John’s Lutheran Church will host a 7 p.m. reception with hors d’oeuvres and drinks, where AIDS quilts from around the globe will be on display.
