Drug activist Sister Roma, who is as much known for her dramatic face makeup and boa headdress as she is for caring for AIDS patients, promoting safe sex education, and picking up trash across San Francisco, was honored at Monday’s event. . Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Month Ceremony Inside the State Capitol.

But in state legislatures, which are dominated by Democrats, it’s usually a routine occurrence. Currently has the most LGBTQ+ lawmakers in state historyhas become a flashpoint in the culture wars as the Republican Party opposes accepting honors for groups of drag queens for their transgender identity and outreach, seeing them as ridiculing the Catholic religion. there is

“In their public contempt for the Catholic Faith, the Sisters of Eternal Indulgence have shown a disregard for the principles of tolerance and understanding that should guide our society. It would be appropriate and would go against the values ​​we hold dear,” Republican state senators wrote in a letter last week to Senate Majority Leader Tony Atkins. withdraw Rome’s invitation To be honored on the floor.

Atkins, a Democrat from San Diego, is the first LGBTQ+ person to serve as leader of the state Senate. refused their requestIn a letter to Republican lawmakers, he said that Catholics and religious groups had a right to be disappointed by the nomination, but also believed that “in the end, faith is stronger than any parody.”

Despite the criticism, Roma was hailed with standing ovations in both the House and Senate, with some Republicans walking out of the chamber protesting her recognition.

“We do not applaud those who engage in religious prejudice or try to co-opt our faith into what it is not,” said Yuba City congressional Republican leader James Gallagher in a statement.

“I recognize that the sisters have done charitable work in their communities, but their vulgar mockery of our Christian faith is extremely offensive and disrespectful. This is unacceptable,” he said.

The controversy comes after a similar ruckus in Los Angeles. The Dodgers announced a few weeks ago that they would honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with the Community Hero Award, but then withdrew the award after criticism from Catholics and ultimately called for a “better education.” He promised to restore the prize. Strengthen connections with the LGBTQ+ community.

This queer service group is one of the oldest LGBTQ+ advocacy groups in California and has since expanded worldwide. Members pledge to serve their communities through service, education, safe sex campaigns, entertainment and human rights advocacy. In the 1980s, that mission included: fight the AIDS epidemicAnd we accept people who are banished from society and suffer and die alone.

Sister Roma remembers a time when AIDS was so stigmatized that few dared touch, let alone approach, HIV-positive friends and family.

“The sisters would often go find people slouching in dark bars with cocktails, and we would just sit and have a conversation,” Roma told The Times. rice field. “At the end of the story, they would often ask for a hug, and the sisters would always say yes.”

It was then that Rome realized that he had found his life’s vocation.

Since joining the cult in 1987, Roma has become one of San Francisco’s most famous sisters, wearing black and silver eyebrows, white make-up, and a multicolored boa headdress in rotation, making her look like her hometown. Helping this city that calls. Arrived from Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1985. She has led anti-violence campaigns, fought Facebook to win the right to use her chosen name on the platform, and promoted mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Senator Scott Weiner, a San Francisco Democrat and member of the legislative LGBTQ caucus, said he nominated Roma because he was “one of San Francisco’s finest, most capable, and most respected community leaders.” rice field.

Weiner said the Republican backlash reflected a misunderstanding of the sisters’ efforts.

“Catholic groups demonizing the sisters and claiming they are somehow hateful or anti-Catholic are completely backwards,” Wiener said.

While Republicans have voiced their opposition to transgender rights and identity nationally, such culture war issues are rare in the California Senate, where Republicans have only one-fifth of the seats, and institutional Culture tends to be polite. The letter condemning Rome’s presence in the Capitol is one of the most visible signs of division in the Senate in recent years.

Democrats used the backlash to highlight how much work remains to end anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment even in a blue-green state like California.

At a Senate ceremony, State Senator Susan Thalamantes Eggman (D-Stockton) praised the “remarkable progress” the LGBTQ+ community has made over the decades, but called its members a “political punching bag”. He acknowledged the efforts of various parts of the country to do so.

“I happen to be a very proud Catholic,” she added. “And I love the church, but the church doesn’t always love every part of me. But that’s okay, because I don’t always love every part of the church either. .”

Evangelical and Catholic groups scheduled an all-night prayer outside the Capitol while Congress held its Pride Month ceremonies.

“It is disappointing to see the California legislature honoring groups whose characteristics are to ridicule Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular,” California Family Council President Jonathan Keller said in a statement. “By promoting the profane ‘Sisters of Eternal Indulgence,’ these elected leaders are upholding ridicule, hatred, and blasphemy. This ceremony will draw millions across the Golden State.” It’s very aggressive towards Californians.”

Rome rejected the idea that she or any of the sisters were mocking Catholicism or other faith groups.

“We literally serve our communities. We spread joy, we feed the hungry, we provide supplies and care for homeless communities, we serve the sick and we support young people. she said.

“My existence is not an attack on your faith. The problem is that some people are using their faith as an attack on my existence,” Roma added. “My equal rights do not deprive you of your rights, and you have no right to discriminate against me because of your religious beliefs.”