2 days ago
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- Boston Globe
This Pride Month, Sister Lida Christ manifests a message of joy and tolerance
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Sister Lida Christ and her companions departed for an evening out in Boston on Sept. 7, 2023. The group was going to attend the History Maker Awards ceremony, where the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence would be honored with the 2023 Lavender Rhino Award for their, 'invaluable contributions to creating queer-welcoming space in Boston," and "efforts to protect queer freedom of expression, individuality, and joy.'
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Sisters Lida (left), Jessa Belle, Judy B Good, and Tori D'Affair had their picture taken during GAY BASH'D at the Roadrunner in Boston on June 8, 2024. Sister Lida was a cohost for the prominent Pride party.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
'Pride is, jokingly, the high holy month,' she says.
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In their vivid makeup and
distinctive
outfits, the 15 or so Boston Sisters are ubiquitous in June. Their itinerary this year includes a fund-raiser for
Sister Lida, a North Shore native who asked that the Globe keep her everyday identity private out of concern for her safety, joined the resplendent Sisterhood in 2013, attracted by the order's wit and irreverence, but also its outreach and commitment to community service. Most recently, the Sisters participated in a fund-raiser to replace the decrepit heating system at Arlington Street Church. (The drag nuns proved to be effective auctioneers, driving up the price of items with their antics.)
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Sister Lida and Sister Rosetta Stone called numbers during Drag Bingo at Club Cafe in Boston on Sept. 11, 2023. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were hosting a fund-raiser for Harbor to the Bay, an AIDS benefit bike ride.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
'I've always been that person who stood up to the bullies in the high school hallway,' says Sister Lida, who came out at 14 and attended prom with a same-sex date. 'Sometimes, though, bullies are not a person, they're a concept. Sometimes bullies are the inequality in our life.'
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence originated in San Francisco in the 1970s, a whimsical response to so-called
(The Sisters now
'You're creating a superhero. It's a temporary costume that I put on. It gives me anonymity. I become a conduit for people's stories,' says Sister Lida. 'You can tell me your most painful truth or what you're most happy about and you don't know who you're talking to.
Sister Lida worked on her makeup during her 'manifestation' at her home in Boston on Sept. 7, 2023. 'It is definitely a moment for reflection and meditation. You're bringing forth your sister persona when you're manifesting. You're creating the work of living art. It's an opportunity to take whatever is happening in your life at the moment and go, 'OK, this goes on pause.' You're here to be part of community and to make sure you're leaving the house centered and ready to be a conduit,' she said.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Sister Lida mapped out a route for Sister Betty Esem (right) while departing for an evening out in Boston on Sept. 7, 2023.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
'At the end of the night,' she says, 'I get to wash it off and when I do, it leaves me.'
A Sister's persona evolves and the names tend to be playful: Sister Faith N. Humanity, Sister Bearonce Knows, Sister Nova Aggra. (Sister Lida Christ is a play on 'Light of Christ.') The outfits? They vary. Sisters typically wear a wimple with a habit or robe that approximates a nun's cloak. Some garments are custom, while others are gems found at Off the Rack, Marshall's, or, for Sisters on the West Coast, Ross.
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'This one is loosely inspired by Judy Garland's look toward the end of her life,' Sister Lida says, taking a sequined jacket from her closet. 'It's got a loose swing pant and this long, almost-kimono coat.'
It's not all about face paint and garish get-ups. The Sisters' practice is focused on ministry, activism, education, entertainment, and service. On this particular day, once she's painstakingly applied her makeup, Sister Lida is driving to a studio to tape a public service announcement.
Sister Lida used a water bottle while collecting donations before the Boston Dyke March in Boston on June 7, 2024. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence took donations from the crowd before and after the march to fund future events. Sister Lida explained the playfulness involved in their mission, 'I'm not manifesting drag. I'm manifesting my joy for the community." She said, 'I do think there needs to be room for comedy. If we can't be the jester in society, then society has lost its ability to commentate. We are the sacred clowns.'
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
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Sister Lida Christ passed through the Public Garden on her way to the Boston Dyke March in Boston.
Sister Lida Christ walked among the crowd at the Boston Common to volunteer for the Boston Dyke March.
'A comforting and inspirational message reminding folks that the arc of justice does swing, and to have faith, work together, and watch out for one another,' she says.
To those who think the Sisters are
'I have nothing but the deepest respect for all faiths,' says Sister Lida. 'With the simple caveat that as long as those practicing their beliefs do no harm unto themselves or unto others.'
Sister Lida of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence took a break backstage during GAY BASH'D at the Roadrunner in Boston.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Sister Lida of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence entertained the crowd while introducing the next act during GAY BASH'D at the Roadrunner in Boston on June 8, 2024. Sister Lida was a cohost for the prominent Pride party. She said she was reborn when she joined the order. 'When in my life would this have ever happened if I hadn't joined this organization and made a commitment not only to myself but to community? One thing I truly believe is when you say yes to the universe, the universe says yes back to you in ways that you can be not at all prepared for,' she said.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Her devotion to the work of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence has grown over time, in part because of the country's political climate, which she considers increasingly less tolerant of those who live, or love, on the margins of society.
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'What I'm seeing are words that we would never use — the n-word, the r-word, the f-word — all these slurs that are coming back,' she says. 'When you say to a kid that queer people don't exist, or you ban this or that book, they don't know. They think they can say the f-word. Then you've got a generation making decisions based on a reality that's not true.
'I'm going to try to make the world better,' Sister Lida says. 'As long as I'm physically able, I'll do this until I'm in the ground.'
Sister Lida checked her makeup, wimple, and jewelry before taking the stage.
Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff
Craig F. Walker Globe Photo. Follow him on Instagram
