OP-ED: In defense of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from hateful VP attack
Fri. September 18, 2026 4:21 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
photo credit // michael oboza
Opinion by Michael Oboza. Opinions are not necessarily those of GoPride.com.
CHICAGO, ILL. -
By Michael Oboza
As someone entrusted with the privilege to serve, I look back on my time as a volunteer photojournalist covering The Second City Sisters, the Chicago mission house of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, with profound gratitude.
The Sisters are an order of consenting adult artists and advocates who spread joy, promote human rights, and provide vital community outreach. Since the organization began in 1979, its members have dedicated themselves to charitable service and peaceful collaboration. The reality of their work bears no resemblance to the caricatures manufactured by critics who have never witnessed the deep compassion of these, my favorite sisters.
Yet Vice President JD Vance, who has assisted in the Epstein Files cover-up by a flip-flopping convicted felon, chose to attack this volunteer charity during a political rally at Webco Manufacturing in Olathe, Kansas. In a deliberate attempt to dehumanize secular nuns and LGBTQ drag performers who hold no formal ties to any church, Vance labeled them an "anti-Christian hate group" and accused them of devil worship.
Targeting the Democratic Senate nominee in Kansas, Vance, an enabler of a known sexual predator himself, told the crowd his opponent "proudly supported a drag group called Our Ladies of Perpetual Indulgence." He mangled the name of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, founded decades ago in San Francisco.
Sister Roma, a longtime member of the San Francisco house, offered a plain truth in response, “We do not mock nuns, we are nuns."
Her words resonate deeply with me. As one of 12 adult survivors of clergy abuse who settled legal claims with the Archdiocese of Chicago, I cannot remain silent. It is not well with my soul to watch political leaders direct relentless verbal attacks at peaceful community servants, using vulnerable groups as scapegoats to score cheap points; and to protect a false prophet who didn't even touch the Bible while sworn into office and was found liable for sexual abuse, defamation, and ordered to pay for his crime in a lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
True faith is demonstrated through service, care for the marginalized, and honest accountability, not through political vitriol that demonizes those quietly doing the work of grace in our communities.
As someone entrusted with the privilege to serve, I look back on my time as a volunteer photojournalist covering The Second City Sisters, the Chicago mission house of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, with profound gratitude.
The Sisters are an order of consenting adult artists and advocates who spread joy, promote human rights, and provide vital community outreach. Since the organization began in 1979, its members have dedicated themselves to charitable service and peaceful collaboration. The reality of their work bears no resemblance to the caricatures manufactured by critics who have never witnessed the deep compassion of these, my favorite sisters.
Yet Vice President JD Vance, who has assisted in the Epstein Files cover-up by a flip-flopping convicted felon, chose to attack this volunteer charity during a political rally at Webco Manufacturing in Olathe, Kansas. In a deliberate attempt to dehumanize secular nuns and LGBTQ drag performers who hold no formal ties to any church, Vance labeled them an "anti-Christian hate group" and accused them of devil worship.
Targeting the Democratic Senate nominee in Kansas, Vance, an enabler of a known sexual predator himself, told the crowd his opponent "proudly supported a drag group called Our Ladies of Perpetual Indulgence." He mangled the name of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, founded decades ago in San Francisco.
Sister Roma, a longtime member of the San Francisco house, offered a plain truth in response, “We do not mock nuns, we are nuns."
Her words resonate deeply with me. As one of 12 adult survivors of clergy abuse who settled legal claims with the Archdiocese of Chicago, I cannot remain silent. It is not well with my soul to watch political leaders direct relentless verbal attacks at peaceful community servants, using vulnerable groups as scapegoats to score cheap points; and to protect a false prophet who didn't even touch the Bible while sworn into office and was found liable for sexual abuse, defamation, and ordered to pay for his crime in a lawsuit filed by writer E. Jean Carroll.
True faith is demonstrated through service, care for the marginalized, and honest accountability, not through political vitriol that demonizes those quietly doing the work of grace in our communities.