My memories of Easter growing up in Michigan flash before me in an array of blurry Polaroids taken by my grandmother, our family documentarian. The images show my Catholic family dressed in our Sunday best standing in front of St. Anthony's Cathedral holding Palm fronds, giant Easter baskets my mother always lovingly filled with delicious treats and surprises, me holding a chocolate bunny destined to lose its ears first, and a fluffy white cake covered in coconut and decorated with jellybeans. For me Easter was always on par with Valentine's Day, pleasant, but a day like any other with cards and candy.
Little did I know on Easter 1979, as I was opening die-cut bunny cards hoping a $5 bill would fall out, something was happening across the country in San Francisco that would change my perception of Easter �" and my life �" forever.
Three men, bored with the prevailing attitude of conformity and the "Castro Clone," dressed in traditional nun habits and went out into the streets to challenge the world. They were Ken Bunch (Sister Vicious PHB), Fred Brungard (Sister Missionary Position) and Baruch Golden. They were met with shock and amazement, but captured everyone's attention. In the fall of 1979 Edmund Garron (Sister Hysterectoria) and Bill Graham (Reverend Mother) joined Sister Vicious (now called Vish Knew) and Sister Mish to become the four founders of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Flash forward to 2016. The Sisters have now (in)famously celebrated our anniversary by throwing one of the city's largest free open-air events for over two decades lovingly known as Easter in the Park. It all started sometime in the early 1990s in Collingwood Park with a small neighborhood picnic. On our 20th anniversary we decided to go big and applied for a street closure to hold a huge party on Castro Street. That request was met with major opposition from conservative Catholic groups who fought tooth and nail to have our street closure denied. The ensuing battle caught the attention of every local and national news outlet, including CNN, which followed us around the Castro with cameras, catapulting our little Easter party into the headlines. The Board of Supervisors granted our street closure and we held one hell of a party. Thanks to our friends at the Catholic League and all of the free publicity our anniversary celebration was now much too large for Collingwood, so we moved to Dolores Park.
It was in Dolores Park where, in addition to our beloved Easter Bonnet contest, we added our world-renowned Hunky Jesus contest. Once again the Christians were up in arms generating free publicity that made our numbers grow and cemented the Sisters' Easter party as one of San Francisco's most iconic annual traditions.
When Dolores Park went under construction we had to find a new home and turned to the most obvious choice, Golden Gate Park. The sisters were worried. Hellman Hollow is so much lager than Dolores Park; would enough people make the pilgrimage out there to party with us? Those and other worries were put to rest when the Sisters debuted in Golden Gate Park on Easter 2014 to a record-breaking crowd. Depending on who you ask there were anywhere from 8,000-10,000 people cheering for that year's Hunky Jesus! All I can tell you is that from my perspective, on stage as the emcee with my Sister Dana Van Iquity, it was the largest crowd I'd ever seen. It was thrilling.
But it's not the size of the crowd, the location, or the added bonus of pissing off the right-wing conservative Christians that makes the Sisters' Easter in the Park one of San Francisco's most beloved events. Thanks to the generosity of some of the city's best entertainers, we put on a fun-filled stage show that includes live music, drag queens and kings, and ceremonies that provide a glimpse behind the veil of the Sisters. We hold our three contests, the jaw-dropping and hilarious Easter Bonnet contest, our relatively new and sultry Sexy Mary contest, and the legendary Hunky Jesus contest, all of which showcase the incredible talent, wit, and unique beauty of our community.
Most importantly, more than any church service I have ever attended at Easter (or any time for that matter), the Sisters have created an atmosphere of acceptance, joy, and love that welcomes everyone with open arms. Now, more than ever, it is a time to gather with other like-minded queers, friends, and families to celebrate the San Francisco that so many fear to be disappearing. We're still here, the queers, the artists, the outcasts, the free spirits, the quirky, the poets, the rebels, the beatniks, the hippies, the queens, the dykes, the straight but not narrow, the people who are the living, breathing heart and soul of this amazing city. We're still here and we're showing the rest of the world how to celebrate Easter �" San Francisco style.
Sister Roma, "the most photographed nun in the world," is a 29-year member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and annual hostess/emcee of the Sisters' Easter Celebration.
This year's Easter in the Park takes place Sunday, March 27 at Hellman Hollow in Golden Gate Park. Children's Easter is at 11 am. Stage performances begin at noon hosted by emcees Mutha Chucka, Kit Tapata, and Alex U. Inn. Easter Bonnet contest 1 p.m., Foxy Mary contest, 2, and Hunky Jesus at 3. Performances throughout the day featuring Private Idaho, Carly Ozard, Red Hots Burlesque, BeBe Sweetbriar, Momma's Boyz and more.