Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Hold Non-Judgement Day

In
response to the cancelation of the planned Dragging Through History fundraiser
for local nonprofit Lost Coast Pride at the Old Steeple, Humboldt’s chapter of
the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ organization
engaging in activism that parodies faith-based bigotry, has announced it will hold a
Non-Judgement Day on Sunday, Jan. 22 at Ferndale’s Town Hall.

The
Old Steeple canceled a planned all-ages drag show over safety concerns after
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church posted a message on its sign saying, “Beware” and
describing the yet unpublicized show as for children. Old Steeple owners Cheri
and Paul Beatie cited the bigoted and inflammatory rhetoric the church’s pastor
Tyrel Bramwell has espoused in the past, and the recent escalation in violence toward
LGBTQ+ people and drag venues and performers, and said they were worried about
the safety of their family and students who attend music classes at the venue.

A
Jan. 15 press release from the Sisters invites anyone who is “queer, [a] queer
ally, parenting children with investment in building a diverse community for
youth wellness, Christian and upset that other Christians have your Lord’s
messaging All Wrong Right Now, a performer or artist who feels the violence of
censorship, a person who feels silenced or invested in anti-bullying, hopeful
to build community connections with awesome queer people,” to join the event.
Those who attend the “queer Communion” are invited to bring signs, speak or, if
they play an instrument, join in playing Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.”

“Sister Mary
wanted us to have a singalong portion and she thought ‘Ring of Fire’ would be
fun and campy,” says Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence member Sister Gaia T, who
notes the Johnny Cash song uses the imagery of damnation but is actually about
falling in love. As a winking reference to the song, the Sisters will hand out
“communion” gummy peach rings.

Sister Gaia T,
who moved to Ferndale three years ago to be closer to family, says she sees the
town as having become more accepting in the last several years, adding there
are a number of faith-based organizations that are LGBTQ+-friendly. “I think
Ferndale is a very caring and community-oriented place,” she says. “To see
these pockets of discrimination — they are disheartening and impact the Eel
River Valley and Ferndale in particular. … Our hope is by uplifting joy and
nonjudgement we will not give fuel to the fire in which ppl feel justified in
their hate.”

While previous
events have gone without disruption and Sister Gaia T doesn’t foresee violence
from anti-LGBTQ+ counter-protesters on Sunday, the Sisters have a few safety
and de-escalation plans in place. Still, the deadly November shooting at Club Q
in Colorado and other hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people loom over gatherings. “This
is a larger national trend and following on the heels of the right-wing
populist movement that is occurring and showed up at Redwood Pride [Halloween].”
The Sisters, she says, maintain a message of positivity. “Our goal is always to
expiate stigmatic guilt and promulgate universal joy.”

The
Sisters are not the only local LGBTQ+ organization to pitch in. Patches’
Pastries, which is trans owned, has also stepped up to aid Lost Coast Pride
with a fundraiser. The sweets spot located in the Humboldt County Fairgrounds
will host a silent auction from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, featuring
entertainment, food and drink. And Queer Humboldt has also posted a call for
submissions of poetry, art, stories, photography and memes for a fundraising
zine, BeWearing Something Fabulous. The “queer community zine” is to be
published “in response to the bigotry that resulted in a Ferndale drag
fundraiser being canceled.” Contributors can send submissions to
info@QueerHumboldt.org.

A
Facebook post from Lost Coast Pride asks that attendees not disrupt Bramwell’s
Sunday service or enter the sanctuary of church property. “Please
please don’t violate that. We don’t like it and it makes us feel very unsafe
when it happens. It would be the same for those folx as well,” the post reads.
“Bramwell creates this drama.”
Organizers also warn that disrupting service would allow the pastor to continue
to frame himself and his followers as victims of harassment. Instead, the post
urges supporters of the LGBTQ+ community to “Show up in numbers to events
that happen here locally. THAT shows unity. THAT is a slap in the face to hate
and bigotry.”

The Sisters of
Perpetual Indulgence attended the Jan. 18 Ferndale City Council meeting to ask
that its members attend the Non-Judgement Day in support of LGBTQ+ people. “The
sisters have been organizing around LGBTQ topics for 16 years. … We have to show
up to make sure there is a counternarrative [to anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric] and to
bring our message of love and joy and acceptance in the face of that,” says
Sister Gaia T. “But we’re not going anywhere. … And we will not hide. Many of
my sisters and elders lived through much harsher times than we’re in.”

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in The Ferndale Enterprise.

This article appears in Health & Wellness.