The West Hollywood City Council presented the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence a Key to the City on May 31. (photo courtesy of the city of West Hollywood)

The West Hollywood City Council presented a Key to the City to the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The presentation took place at a reception at Heart WeHo on Wednesday, May 31, to mark the kick-off of this year’s June WeHo Pride Weekend festivities as June Pride Month begins. The Sisters accepted the Key in a stage presentation at the event.

“On behalf of my colleagues on the City Council – and in representing the city of West Hollywood – I’m happy to extend a Key to the City to the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” Mayor Sepi Shyne said. “We applaud the Sisters for their passionate dedication to the LGBTQ community, for tireless AIDS and HIV activism, for unequivocally crusading for the rights of all people, and for the love, laughter and flair they inspire.”

During May 2023, the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence became the focus of media and community attention after the Los Angeles Dodgers announced in early May that it would confer its Community Hero Award to the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during its 10th annual Pride Night, but then rescinded its invitation approximately two weeks later. Following conversations with LGBTQ community groups and organizations, the Dodgers reinstated its invitation with sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and to members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families. The Sisters accepted the apology from Dodgers leadership and will be in attendance at Dodgers Pride Night in June to receive the Community Hero Award. A senior representative from the Dodgers was in attendance at the city’s Key to the City presentation recognizing the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

“The Sisters share kindness, love, and laughter everywhere they go and they are an incredible source of empowerment and inspiration,” Shyne said.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have been creating positive change since their first appearance in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, 1979. Since then, the Sisters have established Orders in places such as London, Paris, Wales and more. They have devoted themselves to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity, and spiritual enlightenment.

The Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence work to strengthen community through drag activism by raising much-needed funds for community charities and by bringing about a better understanding of gay spirituality. They also work to unite LGBTQ communities and raise drag awareness among individuals, businesses and organizations that are often ignorant or even hostile to members of the drag population.