Exorcism Targets FL’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws, Politicians Says Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Reacting to Florida's slate of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in recent years, the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence has organized an exorcism of the state at St. Petersburg City Hall set for Sunday afternoon.

Starting at 2 p.m., the group, which is not a religious order, will gather at the steps of city hall for live music, a sing-a-long, drag performances — including Creecher, Lilith Black and Ericka PC — and skits about "casting out demons" inspired by real-life politicians from the Sunshine State, Sister Wanda Ita Schrum told Patch.

"We're going to call forth some demons that may or may not look familiar to many Floridians, I'll say. The names have been changed to protect the guilty," she said. "We're not going to name names or parties or anything like that, but let's just say, you're going to know who these demons are."

The event is a direct response to how the LGBTQ+ community has been treated in Florida, she added.

"We're definitely going to have drag because that's one of the things demons hate the most — people being queer in public," Sister Wanda said. "If you've picked up a newspaper in the past year or more, you've seen that trans people, gay people, drag performers are under attack for no other fact than they seem to be an easy target for people's political gain."

She and other members of the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence feel the right response is to be more "defiantly visible."

"No one is going to make us go away. Nobody is going to make us disappear," she said. "It's about our expression of queer joy defiantly against people who want us to just go away."

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence got its start in San Francisco in 1979.

“Kind of just as a joke that spiraled out of control into something amazing,” Sister Wanda said. “We take on religious imagery and we dress like nuns. We do that to get people’s attention to point the finger, so to speak, at institutions and their privilege.”

Since the group’s start, it’s grown into a worldwide movement with thousands of sisters across the globe. Though it launched as a group of gay men, today the organization welcomes members of “all sexual orientations, all genders and all gender expressions,” she said.

With Florida’s laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community, the Tampa Bay-area chapter has recently seen an influx of new members.

“This past year alone there’s been an explosion in numbers because of what’s going on in Florida right now with the fascism,” said Sister Wanda, who became a full sister in February after her apprenticeship. “A lot of us responded in this way. It’s really empowering and I’ve been able to channel a lot of my energy in a way that’s really unique.”

The group primarily serves as a charitable organization, raising more than $10,000 for local grassroots nonprofit organizations in the region last year.

In recent years, “the spirit of activism” has become integral to the group, “especially in an election year,” Sister Wanda said. “It’s very important to get a fire under people’s feet a little bit.”

For those wondering what Sunday’s exorcism will entail, people should picture “a medieval passion play,” she said. “Something that would go on at the steps of the cathedral where people from the town dress up like Bible characters and act out as something to express something the community needs to hear.”

Ultimately, the “exorcism will be a celebration of Floridian values — equality, kindness, joy,” Sister Wanda said. “I think you’re gonna see a real show of unity and community strength. I think you’re gonna see how necessary it is for us to be brave in the face of evil. There’s no other word for it. It takes courage. That’s part of what being a sister is all about.”