In 1979, a small group of gay men in San Francisco began wearing the attire of Catholic nuns in visible situations using camp to promote various social and political causes in the Castro District.

From the original organization in San Francisco, the Sisters have grown throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe, and South America, and are now an international network of autonomous orders.

They have also protested many Christian, and specifically Catholic, events perceived as anti-LGBT, including the visit of Pope John Paul II to the United States.

[7][8] At the same time, religious participation in politics appeared in the late 1970s with the activism of Anita Bryant, and Jerry Falwell's establishment of the Moral Majority.

The Castro District had been publicized nationally as a major gay neighborhood and was targeted by evangelists who took weekly trips to loudly preach to the residents about the immorality of homosexuality.

Initially they made postcards and greeting cards depicting them in their habits which they handed out with a requested donation to cover costs.

[9][18] The next day at a larger evangelical event including a Christian band the sisters joined in the dancing and flirted with the evangelists.

[20][21] Members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence include people who identify with a variety of sexual orientations and genders, although the majority are gay men.

Potential members are encouraged to attend organizational meetings as aspirants, and told that if they are not intending to make a lifelong commitment they should seriously reconsider.

[22] After showing intent and being approved by the order, an aspirant is promoted to a postulant and is expected to learn about the history of the organization and continue to work behind the scenes for at least six months.

Postulants are not allowed to wear nun's attire, but may instead dress in "festive garb that fits in with Order", according to the Sisters' website.

The San Francisco House (SPI, Inc.) also holds the registered trademarks for "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" and the "laughing nun head" logo.

[26] Only in San Francisco could the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence not only make their first appearance, but become interwoven in the cultural and political fabric of the city, according to scholar Cathy Glenn in the journal Theory and Event.

[22] Glenn uses the examples of San Francisco as a society of hyperpluralism, where all the groups who have called the city their home have successfully maintained their individual identities, creating a culture defined by counterculture and at times marked by political violence.

Sister Phyllis Stein, the Fragrant Mistress of Sistory, asserts that there is a clear distinction between drag queens and members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: "We're not dressed as girls, we're dressed as nuns... We definitely minister to the spiritual needs of our community, while drag queens sort of focus on camp and fun within our communities.

"[27] The organization of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence occurred at the same time HIV/AIDS began appearing in the Castro District and New York City.

[32] The zine was illustrated with comics of nuns, colored in black, white, and pink, and was one of the few campaigns at the time to use humor, rather than rules and sex negativity, to talk about AIDS and STIs.

[33][34] The pamphlet included a section on Kaposi’s sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia, two symptoms of what would later be described as AIDS, explaining them as part of a host of severe immune system problems that had started to affect some gay men in large cities over the previous two years.

The pamphlet also explained gonorrhea, syphilis, herpes, hepatitis, venereal warts, scabies, crabs, and intestinal parasites.

The pamphlet explained guilt's symptoms as "feeling bad after a trip to the baths, bushes, or tearooms; low self-esteem.

[41][42][43] Once founded in 1979, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence attracted local attention by attending major LGBT events in the Castro District dressed as Catholic nuns.

[47] The Sisters claim the action, also taking place in Union Square, earned the organization a spot on the Papal List of Heretics.

The outrage grasped the entirety of the local LGBT community, with the city's newspapers and activist groups ridiculing the pope and publishing mocking cartoons.

[49] In 1999, some of the city's Catholic community criticized San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano after the Board of Supervisors, at Ammiano's request, granted the Sisters a permit to close a block of Castro Street for their 20th anniversary celebration on Easter Sunday, which included a "Hunky Jesus" contest among other activities.

[55] In 2011, gay Catholic writer Andrew Sullivan criticized the organization for hosting its annual "Hunky Jesus" contest on Easter Sunday and described the group as "smug liberal bigots".

[58][59] Members of the San Diego Order have made a presence at a Christian fundamentalist youth revival meeting called Teen Mania Ministries from 2006 to 2008.

Sisters Iona Dubble-Wyde and Freeda Sole stood outside Cox Arena in full regalia to intercept pastors and attendees.

[1][3][4] The Los Angeles LGBT Center, ACLU, LA county supervisor Lindsey Horvath, city councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, state senator Scott Wiener, and US representative Robert Garcia called to reverse the disinvitation or cancel Pride Night if it would not feature the Sisters.

Pride, the partner organization helping the Dodgers host the event, pulled out in protest, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center called for a boycott.

[24][77] The next year, the Sisters hosted a costume-mandatory dance named HallowQueen in a South of Market gay nightclub, which raised over $6,000 for charity.