SACREMENTO, California (LifeSiteNews) — More than 1,000 people gathered outside the California state capitol building in Sacramento on Monday to prayerfully protest lawmakers who honored Michael Williams, a prominent member of the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Williams goes by the stage name “Sister Roma.”
The California Catholic Conference and the California Family Council co-sponsored the event, which featured Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto and other Protestant leaders from across the state. Several GOP lawmakers also joined the vigil after walking out of the ceremony indoors. The crowd included actual religious nuns and brothers, as well as priests, CatholicVote.org reports.
Pride ceremonies are happening at the California State Capitol today.
Sister Roma with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is here in the Assembly, taking selfies with some lawmakers. pic.twitter.com/VRjXFz3BRq
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) June 5, 2023
After Republicans criticized Sister Roma’s invitation to participate at the Capitol’s pride ceremonies, she gets a standing ovation and loudest applause on the Assembly floor. pic.twitter.com/HUTyAwB117
— Ashley Zavala (@ZavalaA) June 5, 2023
Williams, 60, was one of sixteen individuals recognized by legislators. Aside from performing at drag shows, he has also worked at a homosexual porn studio for over 15 years in San Francisco. “Yes, I’m a pornographer,” he previously admitted. Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener extended an invitation to Williams, whom he called a “badass community leader.” Wiener is a self-described “proud” homosexual Jewish man.
Drag activist ‘Sister Roma’ honored on the floor of the California State Legislature pic.twitter.com/XwVK2CswJA
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 6, 2023
California Family Council President Jonathan Keller said in a statement that it is “disheartening” to see California lawmakers “honor a group characterized by its mockery of Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular.”
The California Catholic Conference echoed those sentiments by observing that The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence commit “acts of hate, misogyny, and discrimination against Catholics, and our women’s religious orders.”
The California Catholic Conference has released the following statement in response to the honoring of a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an openly anti-Catholic group, by the California State Senate and Assembly today. #CAleg https://t.co/lQTORc11pS pic.twitter.com/IOnqObIGFj
— California Catholic Conference (@CACatholicConf) June 5, 2023
The eight-member California Senate Republican Caucus likewise expressed dismay over the Williams invitation, and requested that Senate Pro Tempore Toni Atkins withdraw it.
My statement on the invitation to honor ‘Sister Roma’ in the California State Senate. pic.twitter.com/w03uabZBmi
— Brian W. Jones (@SenBrianJones) June 1, 2023
“Were this group to denigrate any other faith, we are certain the Senate would not extend this invitation,” they wrote, only to be ignored.
I continue to stand with the @SFSisters, who do incredibly impactful work for the the #LGBTQ+ community. I look forward to welcoming @SisterRoma to the Capitol as one of the @CALGBT Caucus #PrideMonth honorees. pic.twitter.com/DeunKcKfmj
— Senator Toni Atkins (@SenToniAtkins) June 2, 2023
The controversy over The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence stems from the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team inviting them to their upcoming June 16 Pride Night game. Catholic bishops and lay persons, as well as non-Catholics, have thoroughly rebuked the franchise due to the group’s grotesque sexual performances, which routinely mock Jesus Christ.
According to CatholicVote, Wiener has “introduced bills to decriminalize prostitution and loosen restrictions on sex offenders and pedophiles.” He has also expressed opposition to teachers informing parents about their children’s desire to “change” genders.
Williams has been a member of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since the late 1980s. A former meth addict, he currently hosts a podcast where he analyzes gay porn. In the past, he has emceed various debauched LGBT events in the Bay Area.
This year’s award ceremony was organized by the Democrat Party’s LGBTQ Caucus. Other recipients include, among others, former tennis player Billie Jean King and a contestant on reality star RuPaul’s television show “Drag Race.” Democrats currently hold a whopping 62-18 majority in the California State Assembly and a 32-8 majority in the Senate.