Number 168 Winter 2016 $9.95 Sisters!Issue 169 / Spring 2017 MARK THOMPSON Submission Deadline: January 15, 2017 (Note: Hard deadline this time!) www.rfdmag.org/upload “To stay in the clouds is to run with the spirits of imagi- nation, wonder, and wit. Who would want such companionship to end” --- Mark Thompson, Gay Body: A Journey Through Shadow to Self Mark Thompson was a seminal figure in your life – something which you may know from personal knowl- edge of him, reading his books or articles, participating in his quest to create a spiritual life for gay men and his documentation of our culture through the pages of the Advocate or his camera lens. Since Mark’s passing in August, many people have been taking in the news. Whether you knew Mark as a friend, you were acquainted with him, or you knew of him through his writing – Mark had a way of never let- ting you go but always a gentle push to delve deeper. He touched RFD when he urged the Monette-Horwitz Prize to be given to us in 2010, he pushed for us to be visible to a larger audience, a honor and a challenge, that was how Mark worked. So it’s our privilege to re- quest our readers, friends and colleagues of Mark’s to submit stories of remembrance for a man who has been pushing for a broader spirit for queer people since his early college days through his time working on the Advocate, his work documenting gay male spirit, and his unending interest in fairness and equality. Of course he also had close ties to the beginnings of Radical Faerie consciousness, was both a pioneer and an assembler of knowledge about our spiritual and communal experience of coming together first as gay men, queer men then as all things evolve to include the whole spectrum of gender and sexuality. We look forward to seeing your memories of Mark, be they stories, photos or poetry. As always please feel free to share this call for submissions far and wide. Photo: Bo Young RFD 168 Winter 2016 1 Righteous Frocks Debonair! Vol 43 No 2 #168 Winter 2016 When we think of our dear Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the word enthusiasm comes to mind immediately, and with a smile! A big smile! Wikipedia tells us: The word originates from the Greek ἐνθουσιασμός from ἐν and θεός and οὐσία , meaning “possessed by [a] god’s essence”, applied by the Greeks to manifestations of divine possession, by Apollo (as in the case of the Py- thia), or by Dionysus (as in the case of the Bacchantes and Maenads), the term en- thusiasm was also used in a transferred or figurative sense. The term was confined to a belief in religious inspiration, or to intense religious fervor or emotion. Enthusiasm defines this phenomenon that has graced our lives since 1979, when on an Easter weekend in San Francisco three men went out into the streets to chal- lenge the world: Ken Bunch (Sister Vicious PHB), Fred Brungard (Sister Mission- ary Position) and Baruch Golden. They went in full, traditional habits through the streets of the city and down to the nude beach. In the fall of 1979, Sister Hyster- ectoria (Edmund Garron) and Reverend Mother (Bill Graham) went to the first International Faerie gathering and encountered even more men with the calling. Our 4 Founders, Sister Vicious PHB, Reverend Mother, Missionary Position and Hysterectoria-Agnes convened their friends, chose our name and composed our mission statement: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. Who would’ve known what they unleashed on the world; and at the right mo- ment! The Sisters were on the front lines of the community’s response to the AIDS crisis raising money, distributing condoms, teaching safer sex, caring for the sick & the bereaved long before anyone else! What a legacy of service done in clown white (or not), make-up, glitter, heels, boots, robes and bejeweled wimples = so queer + so right on! Ever mixing the sexy with the spiritual, these divine trannifestations grace our streets, bars, baths with a queer vision of radical integration making space for all of us to embrace ourselves to the core. For many of us who were spiritually raped by organized religions, the Sisters are our response. It’s an in-your-face fuck you to the idea that we are any less divine cuz we fuck ass, or drink cum. The SPI Order has blossomed throughout the world, heralding a new era of spiritual stewardship in our community at large and a path to enlightenment for those who embrace this call to service, activism, and being outrageously gorgeous & funny all the while! In these times of political nightmares, the Sisters are a balm and a call to action. We face uncertain times after the shock to the system, and we have a band of merry warriors at the ready to lead the resistance to forces that would strip us of our civil rights, our political progress, and our value in society. With en- thusiasm we offer you issue #168 and celebrate the Sisters, their mission, and their legacy wearing Righteous Frocks Debonair! —Rosie Delicious, aka Sr. Morta Bella, for the RFD Collective Between the Lines2 RFD 168 Winter 2016 RFD is a reader-written journal for gay people which focuses on country living and encourages alternative life- styles. We foster community building and networking, explore the diverse expressions of our sexuality, care for the environment, Radical Faerie consciousness, and nature-centered spirituality, and share experiences of our lives. RFD is produced by volun- teers. We welcome your participation. The business and general production are coordinated by a collective. Features and entire issues are prepared by different groups in various places. RFD (ISSN# 0149-709X) is published quarterly for $25 a year by RFD Press, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Postmaster: Send address changes to RFD, P.O. Box 302, Hadley MA 01035-0302. Non-profit tax exempt #62-1723644, a function of RFD Press with office of registration at 231 Ten Penny Rd., Woodbury, TN 37190. RFD Cover Price: $9.95. A regular subscription is the least expensive way to receive it four times a year. First class mailed issues will be forwarded. Others will not. Send address changes to submissions@rfdmag.org or to our Hadley, MA address. Copyright © RFD Press. The records required by Title 18 U.S.D. Section 2257 and as- sociated with respect to this magazine (and all graphic material associated therewith on which this label appears) are kept by the custodian of records at the following location: RFD Press, 85 N Main St, Ste 200, White River Junction, VT 05001. On the Covers Front: Photograph by Anne Sophie Fremy Back : Sister Mary Juana. Photograph by Erik McGregor Production Managing Editor: Bambi Gauthier Guest Editor: Sr. Soami Assistant Editor: Rosie Delicious Art Director: Matt Bucy Submission Deadlines Spring–January 15, 2017 Summer–April 21, 2017 See inside covers for themes and specifics. For advertising, subscriptions, back issues and other information visit www.rfdmag.org International Sisters with the Social Networking Sisters of PI, Berlin, Sept 2016 Photograph by Richard Reyes Artists in this Issue Anne Sophie Fremy .........................27, 31,35 Brother Bimbo del Doppio Senso ..................13 Caroline Barbarit ...............................56 Chang Martin. ............................29, 31, 35 David Edwards (Sr. Mary Dazie Chain). .............9 Greg Day. ....................................25, 36 Jean-Baptiste Carhaix ........................15, 23 John Entwistle. ...............................40, 42 Mark Christopher Harvey. ..............17, 18, 20, 24 Max Koo. ...............................8, 11, 32, 38 Mike Chase .....................................12 Richard Reyes ................................2, 47 Sr. Chanel (Gilbert Baker) ........................14 Terry E. Christian. ...............................26 RFD 168 Winter 2016 3 CONTENTS Announcements ................................................................4 Post-Election Rant ........................Tom Seidner ..........................6 Letter to the Community ..................Jicama Fine (Sr. Flora Bundt Cakes) ......9 An Epistle Embracing a Universal Vocation ..San Francisco Mother House ..........13 Nuns Down Under: A Moment in the Illustrious and Sometimes Scandalous History of the Australian Chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence ..........Sr. Mary Anytime a.k.a. Teacosy ........16 Nunsense in the City of Desires ......Peter Mitchell/Sister Mary Sit-On-My-Face ....19 Greg Day: Photojournalist ....................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 An Outlet For Ministry: An Oral History Interview with Sister Ann Wenita Morelove ............Nikita Shepard .......................26 Be Good .................................e.c. patrick ...........................37 Nunstory ................................Sr. Lilith of the Valley .................39 The Sisters from An(other) Academic’s Perspective ...........................Melissa M. Wilcox ....................40 Sisters and Faeries and Glitter. Oh my! ...Sr. Merry Q. Contrary (Morgain Lessloss) ..44 Joy Crucible .............................Sister Mary Peter .....................46 Sister Auction ............................Sr. Sugar le Fae .......................48 Boy-Drag Ministry: Kree ..................Sr. Suffrin Suckotash ..................49 Sisters Dancing ...........................Dragon (Arthur Durkee) ..............50 Bring Forth the Jubilee ....................Dragon (Arthur Durkee) ..............50 Founding the First Florida Order ...........Steven Reigns (aka Sister Fister) ........51 Who Is My Favorite Nun? .................Sister Indica .........................55 Marc Aguhar’s “Litanies of My Queer Brown Bodies” at Le Royal Occupé Theater, Montpellier, France. ...........Caroline Barbarit .....................56 Why I Am a Sister ........................Sisters ...............................58 My Voice ................................Sr. Freida Peoples .....................62 Buzz Bense ..............................Liz Highleyman ......................634 RFD 168 Winter 2016 Summer of Love with Hippie Modernism The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) will launch the region-wide celebra- tion of the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love with Hippie Modernism: The Struggle for Utopia. This major exhibition examines the intersection of the radical art, architecture, and design of the counterculture of the 1960s and early 1970s and the resonance of these innova- tions today. A traveling exhibi- tion organized by the Walker Art Center and assembled with the assistance of BAMPFA, Hippie Modernism will be on view in Berkeley from February 8 through May 21, 2017. The exhibition will coincide with the first anniversary of BAMPFA’s new Diller Scofidio + Renfro–de- signed building in downtown Berkeley. Hippie Modernism charts the evolution of one of the most fertile periods of recent cultural history (c. 1964–74) with experimental furniture, alternative living structures, immersive envi- ronments, media installa- tions, alternative magazines, experimental books, printed ephemera, and films. These works convey the social, cultural, and political fer- ment of the 1960s and 1970s, when radical experiments challenged convention, overturned traditional hierar- chies, and advanced new commu- nal ways of living and working. Hippie Modernism also demon- strates how the counterculture, once dismissed as a social and aesthetic anomaly, introduced ideas and techniques that have profoundly shaped contemporary life, including ecological aware- ness, social justice, and open communication. From yoga and organic foods to the Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter movements, the counterculture’s legacy remains as strong as ever. bampfa.org (510) 642-0808 ANNOUNCEMENTS Special exhibit: “Freaks, Radicals and Hippies: Counterculture in 1970s Vermont” From communes to organic agriculture, progres- sive politics to healthcare reform, alternative energy to women’s and gay rights, no aspect of Vermont life remained the same after the dramatic changes that occurred during the 1970s. This dynamic and thoughtful exhibit offers a look back into this influ- ential time in Vermont’s recent past. Contains Adult content. Open through September 2017. Located at the Vermont History Center at 60 Washington Street in Barre, VT. Regular open hours 9:00 am–4:00 pm, Monday–Friday. Visit vermonthistory.org/vt70s for special extended hours and related programming. Above: “Angels of Light: Portrait of Debra Bauer and Rodney Price,” early 1970s; photo- graph; 20 x 16 in.; courtesy of Debra Bauer. Below: Courtesy Vermont Historical Society RFD 168 Winter 2016 5 Personal Highlights from Standing Rock Being a guest and supporter in an indigenous led movement. Centered in prayer. Reminded multiple times a day. How to stay centered. Harness our focus. Be the peace. Honor the water. Wish well for those on the ‘other’ side. This energy was clean, clear, steadfast. Beautiful. Dignified. Undeniable. • I had the pleasure of walk- ing around, delivering homemade baklava from Jennifer MacDonald of Habibi, who typically makes and sells it so she can buy toys for Syr- ian orphans, as well as Silvermoon chocolate balls made by Truth-i and Aradhana Silvermoon. Wish y’all could have seen people melt- ing as they tasted your treats. (I have pics to share). • As I did the above, I asked each person which tribe they were from. Each and every one was different. At least 30 tribal reps I randomly shared with! I also took these treats to the medics, who could barely take a second (16-hour days), but they were so grateful for the loving support. • Every day, in the medic and food tents I saw handwritten labels: “This (thing) is sent from our community from (town/coun- try) in support and solidarity with Standing Rock—We stand with the water protectors!” And every time, my chest filled with tears (as my eyes are now) because seeing all of that gives me hope. • I was deeply touched seeing Muslim, black, as well as gender queer and trans allies, people hit so damn hard in this country and still (perhaps even more so) choosing to show up. In solidar- ity. With both the indigenous and the water. The depth of what’s happening. Crossroads. Address- ing all oppression. • The brilliance bravery solidity of volunteers leading the nonvio- lent direct action trainings (350 attended the one I went to), as well as the general, legal and media orientations. Very much appreci- ated the inclusive gender language and emphasis on prayer, peace, self responsibility and being clear- headed allies. • Witnessing the power of the recently-formed International Indigenous Youth Council, exces- sively spunky, gender inclusive, spirit-connected, profoundly re- spectful of the elders (mostly, super activated and a depth beyond their years (how old are these souls?). Leadership I’m excited to back. • Watching friends be in service, including Ms. Suzannah Park organized 7,000+ square feet of food (moving pinto beans alone was 1,375 lbs!). And then she coordinated twenty camp kitchens to meet for the first time so surplus can get where it’s needed and donation requests can be updated weekly. This bad ass gal was there for five days only and managed to plug in like that. Oh, and she also heard that one of the grandmoth- ers needed walkie-talkies and proceeded to round up donations, do the research and order thirty of them. Yup, that was day two. • Seeing friends Naima Penni- manxa Alixa Garciaimbi Climbing Poe Tree Chloe Smith Song of Ris- ing Appalachia with the Interna- tional Indigenous Youth Council in a cipher at the Sacred Fire. Tears in our eyes as their words touched all. • Kiddos excitedly jumping in to help, especially on wood chopping. They’d go for hours, completely absorbed. And proud. Reminded me of my time with the hilltribe people in northern Thai- land. Everyone played their part. So integrated. So natural. • Climbing into the tent at the end of the night, recounting the day, snuggling up and passing out with my two maties, Suzannah and Keresey Pearltandingrock #mniwiconi #waterislife #noDAPL #solidarity #respect #loveinaction —Janell Kapoor (Global Sister) Anatolian Land of Goddesses Gathering In the Fall issue of RFD, we who called the Radical Faerie Gathering on the Turkish coast near Dalaman, realized there were some errors in the previous notice. As the situation in Turkey remains volatile with stories emerging every day of further horrendous steps taken by the government against any per- ceived opposition, we are evaluat- ing, in concert with friends in and around Turkey, how viable this gathering will be. We are encouraged by the local people in Turkey who very much want this gathering to take place. We will announce definitively whether the gathering is going to take place, by late December. The dates for the gathering are April 21-30, 2017. For more informa- tion or to stay in touch, email info@faeries.international Photo courtesy author.6 RFD 168 Winter 2016 L et me state first that I think the act of assign- ing blame for the election of Donald Trump is irresponsible and wrongheaded. We need to plan our response, not speculate about the past. But I am going to do it anyway. The right wing of this country is celebrating the election as the just desserts of policies that champi- oned concern for immigrants, repudiation of racial profiling, acceptance of the gay, lesbian and trans communities, and women’s reproductive rights. The horror they describe is that white working class families felt ignored, politicians lived in a bubble, and that something called “political correctness” imperiled the very future of this country. The left is divided. Some largely agree with the right, blaming the Democratic Party. Some blame the Republican Par- ty’s willingness to embrace policies that stigmatize minorities. I think these narratives are comfortable ones for the people voicing them. They use Orwellian lan- guage to make their mes- sage more palatable. They substitute “identity politics” for “civil rights,” “alt-right” for “white power,” and use “neo-liberalism” as an all-purpose put-down. I think all of us in stigmatized communities know that we have not been elevated to a privileged status. We are just as unheard by our politicians as anyone in the Rust Belt. We are aware that a black president and gay marriage do not make up for mass incarcer- ation, huge racial disparities in wealth, suicide rates of gay and lesbian youth, unprecedented deporta- tions, murders of trans people, rising Islamophobia, continued destruction of American Indian land, and violence against women. We are also aware that many on the left who think that tolerance of racism, homophobia and misogyny is the sole province of Trump voters, have been going on for years, oc- casionally being appalled at stories of prejudice and then putting down the paper and forgetting about them. I am as much to blame as anyone else. But I think the real problem is the election process, itself. We have allowed it to become a gladiatorial enter- tainment, rather than a reflection of our values. The primaries were appalling. They were crimi- nally expensive and hopelessly divisive. We had a full year of infighting when each party did their best to destroy their own and then picked the person that was either preordained or dismissed. Their only hope to unify the shambles of the parties they left behind was to attack the other party’s candidate. They knew it was the only thing they and their former rivals could agree on. What that meant was all we heard as voters was the ridicule. Was it any wonder that we had the two least popular candi- dates in history? Whatever their real flaws, that was less about them than what is considered good poli- tics. Half the voters decided the whole thing was so unpleasant they wouldn’t vote at all. And third party candidates who didn’t have primaries looked so much more pure. What was viewed as too contro- versial or boring was for the Democratic candidate to talk at length about policy, as we know she would have liked to. So we ended up with a false equiva- lency of “he’s bad but so is she,” somehow dismissing their stated goals to either be more inclusive or less so. And she still got a record number of votes. But then we all remembered about the Electoral College, seemingly for the first time in sixteen years. It cost Post-Election Rant by Tom Seidner Photograph courtesy author. RFD 168 Winter 2016 7 us an election in 2000 that we are still recovering from. It means that voters in most states were viewed as irrelevant to the candidates. It would give someone in Wyoming four times the impact of someone in California, but only if either of those states was in doubt. When the Electoral College doesn’t decide to go rogue, please let’s not forget about them again. When we let ourselves be audiences for candi- dates, it is much easier for us to let ourselves be swayed by a simple idea rather than a complex one. When we do so, we can forget to ask if there is more to the issue. For example, we seem to have come to a consensus in this election that trade is bad. Trade policies can be very bad. They are largely written by the people who benefit from them. There is very little input from those of us who are concerned for American jobs or whose eyes simply glaze over looking at legal documents. But there are rea- sons for trade. Trade is a means of building bonds between nations and providing motivation for coop- eration rather than war. It tends to raise the stan- dard of living across the globe. We have to question the morality of the United States having less than 5% of the world’s population, but over 40% of its wealth. Aside from the moral question, it is not really in our best interest to live in a world filled with poverty and resentment. Not only does trade reduce prices on goods in this country and provide us with more markets for our own goods, but also the decline of American manufacturing would accelerate without components that are no longer available in this country. We need programs to offset the decline in manufacturing jobs or to develop new ones. But we also need to acknowledge that American peace and prosperity cannot improve while we ask the rest of the world to just suck it up or keep quiet until we are ready to deal with them. We are going to have to make strange alliances in the next few years. A local woman who was instru- mental in the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” said that there was bitter infighting about tactics right until the end. When all was said and done, people largely agreed that every strategy together contrib- uted to their success. Last month in a very different mood, I wrote that government was the only thing that could keep business in check. Now I’m wonder- ing about the government we are likely to have in a couple of months and wonder if business can be our ally. It was business interests that forced Mike Pence to back down on his anti-gay law as well as challenge anti-immigration laws across the country. I believe the single lesson to come out of all this will be a re- evaluation of the word compromise. It is seen now as a moral failing. I think that is because people no longer distinguish between a compromise of their ideals and a compromise of their tactics. I firmly believe that we can find ways to benefit us all but we are going to lose sleep over some of them. We need to listen to each other more. We need to agree with each other less. This can be a very dehumanizing time in our culture and it is very ap- pealing to find people who think like us. But really no one does. We need to trust our own intelligence, research things we don’t know, and benefit from other people’s perspective. But if we interact as groups of self-satisfied tribes it is too easy to dismiss the wisdom of outsiders. And we run the risk of silencing ourselves if our thoughts run counter to our group’s cherished beliefs. When we talk to other people and are willing to learn, we increase the chance they will listen to us. But don’t accept what they say too quickly. There is likely to be more to the story. My rant here deserves to be treated with at least that level of skepticism. � We are going to have to make strange alliances in the next few years. A local woman who was instrumental in the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” said that there was bitter infighting about tactics right until the end. When all was said and done, people largely agreed that every strategy together contributed to their success.Next >