Brothers, sisters and lovers... We gather here today to venerate all that is holy in sex, joy and radical self-expression. Our service will be led by The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence—outlandish drag queen activists who have been serving the queer community since its immaculate conception in 1979.

Born in San Francisco, The Sisters are not a religious order in the traditional sense but they have spent the last 40 years using drag and satire to promote human rights and expose bigotry and intolerance in all its forms. “Dressing in drag has long been a political statement and an act of rebellion against societal norms,” says Gillian Zinser, who directed Bad Habits. “As an art form, it elevates the voices of disenfranchised communities; and in the age of Trump their message has taken on a renewed sense of urgency.”

Bad Habits features interviews from Sister Hysterectoria (Agnes de Garron), Sister Tootsie Tits (Eric Wolf), Sister Rosetta Stoned (Donald Gallagher) and Sister Gladiola Gladrags (Justin Gooding). Combined with archival footage and difficult-to-stomach audio recordings of anti-queer rhetoric, Zinser presents a tapestry of the emotional liberation provided to those who have joined the sisterhood.

“When we don the pancake make-up and fake jewels we step into the role of the clown, for whom the profane is the best weapon against the hypocrisy of all those who pretend that pedigrees and politeness will get the jackboot off our dicks and vaginas,” says Sister Merry Peter, who spent a decade doing activism work in Toronto before being admitted into the San Francisco Order. “Acting this ridiculous is a sacred and necessary way to give permission to everyone else to let their hair down, enjoy life and make more room for joy.”

“What's inspired me most about them is their choice to steer away from the exhaustion and fatigue of rage—a critical and valuable but often unsustainable part of activism,” says Zinser, who first met the Sisters at last year’s Pride parade in New York. “Instead, they place a deep emphasis on using humor and joy because people don’t burn out of it. Their work is about setting an example that allows people to have the space to be whoever they want to be, despite the forces trying to hold them down; an imperative reminder for all in 2020.”