To many of Trump’s critics, adult entertainer Stormy Daniels is a patriot and feminist hero for exposing the president’s infidelities and alleged violations of campaign finance laws. But a San Francisco drag troupe thinks she’s worthy of an even higher title.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a world-renowned group of drag queen activists who dress as sacrilegious nuns, crashed Daniels’ Nov. 10 San Francisco gig at Penthouse in North Beach and “canonized” her as a saint.
The Sisters, who got their start in the Castro on Easter Sunday in 1979, are known for showing up to protests in elaborate, campy drag that parodies the Catholic Church. Since their inception, they’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for HIV/AIDS causes, and given out tens of thousands in grants to social justice organizations. They regularly honor dead and living activists and pro-LGBT public figures by dubbing them “saints,” and Daniels joins a long list that includes Harvey Milk and Margaret Cho.
“She’s done quite a lot of things, and some of them maybe aren’t as remembered as her pushback on Donald Trump,” says Sister Freda Desire, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s Mistress of Saints, citing Daniels’ 2009 Senate run in Louisiana, when she called out the hypocrisy of a “family values” Republican incumbent caught up in a sex scandal.
“She’s a role model for women who are both sexual and smart,” Sister Freda continued. “She’s shown class and wit and charm in the face of people who have been aggressive towards her for standing up and being that role model. And she’s been standing up against tyranny and for what we want as American values, for telling the truth and being respectful no matter your party.”
