The Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have been very busy this year. We are still conducting and supporting fundraisers for local charities that empower marginalized people, but we have been placing a focused emphasis on spreading universal joy and being a visible presence in queer (and not-so-queer) spaces.
This was the first year that our House sent three representatives to Pride at the Capitol in March, the annual event organized by Equality Florida in which queer citizens and allies go to Tallahassee to lobby and advocate for LGBTQ+ Floridians. This was my third time attending this event, but my first time showing up manifested as a Sister and accompanied by two others.
It was the most attended Pride at the Capitol to date; the energy, passion and resolve were palpable and inspiring. This massive grassroots movement was a large contributor to a wonderful result: every anti-LGBTQ+ bill filed in the 2025 Florida legislative session was defeated. As Sisters, we focused on supporting and uplifting all the attendees who were doing this important advocacy work, serving them as a sounding board, a comforting voice and a source of encouragement.
However, I also must tell you the complete story. It was not all smooth sailing. On our second day in Tallahassee while walking around the Capitol, we ran into a different group of lobbyists who reacted negatively to the presence of the Sisters.
We were startled as they approached us, calling us hostile names with extremely unpleasant tones and demeanor. Even though my elder Sister mentors had warned me that this might happen, I was still surprised because it was the first time that it had happened to me.
In a few seconds, you must decide: how will we react? We decided to react with bravery, but what does bravery look like in this context? Does it look like reflecting their hostility and calling them names too? Does it look like completely ignoring them and hoping they go away?
For us, reacting with bravery meant stepping to the front, creating a barrier between them and our group, and firmly telling them to stay away and to have a wonderful day. That’s it. No back and forth, no conversation beyond that.
Sometimes we think bravery looks like being the loudest voice in the room, but conversations with hostile people who wear homophobia and transphobia as a badge of honor will not be fruitful. These agents of chaos want to get a rise out of you so that they can later mischaracterize it and use it against you. Do not give them that satisfaction. Stay firm and respectful while prioritizing the mission of the day and the safety of everyone involved.
We ran into them several times that day, and the same thing happened every single time. They were persistent in their hate, but we were persistent in staying on course with our big picture goals of allyship and advocacy.
Before we knew it, Pride season came along and we had the opportunity to support Pride all over Tampa Bay, going as far as the city of Lakeland for our first ever visit to Polk Pride. While we certainly love attending large Pride parades like the ones in Tampa and St. Petersburg, there is something special about attending a smaller Pride parade like this one.
The sense of community and togetherness is so uplifting, and local community members get to proclaim their Pride in their own backyard. We met so many charity groups doing amazing work in the region like conducting summer camps for queer youth, providing gender-inclusive healthcare and facilitating support groups for queer groups.
Once again we had a rather unpleasant encounter, however, this time with just one individual. I was walking with one of our postulants (beginners in the Sister path) and a guy on a bicycle came up to us, got a few inches from my face, and started yelling hostilities and unfounded accusations. I got between him and our postulant, stretched my arm and started saying “Have a blessed Pride!” repeatedly until he gave up and rode away. I was not going to let this person kill the euphoric joy that we feel at these Pride events.
I am not sharing these events to scare you or to make myself sound tough. I am sharing this with you because we need to be prepared for situations like these.
We must continue to be visibly queer or visibly allies, going wherever we are needed to advocate for our dignity and our right to exist plentifully. Nevertheless, homophobes and transphobes are feeling particularly emboldened these days due to the current state of world affairs. Therefore, I recommend that you ideally attend these events in groups with a pre-discussed contingency plan and exit strategy in case you encounter hostility.
True bravery means not backing down but also being prepared to prioritize safety and the inclusive values of our mission. At all those events, the positive experiences far outweighed the negative ones so let’s not deprive ourselves of these wonderful community building events, whether it is during Pride month or any other month.
Have a plan, stay together and be vigilant, but most importantly, be your authentic self and spread joy everywhere you go.
Sister Juana Reaction is an educator by both vocation and training. As a fully professed member of the Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, she spreads joy at local queer events and helps with fundraising for many local charities.
