Red dresses and white faces will party with a purpose 9 p.m. Saturday, June 23, at Bradley's on 7th in Tampa.
The Tampa Bay Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence host their “Red Dress Ball””symbolizing the red ribbon of HIV/AIDS awareness”as the promotion project of Tootie Truly Grateful, making her a full member of the order.
Launched in 1979 in order to give San Francisco's gay community a cast of players encompassing more than Tom of Finland, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have spread around the world”in and out of whiteface”and eight years ago in Tampa.
It was the first order of sisters in the southeast and has since been joined in Florida by a full-fledged house in Orlando and a “mission” in Fort Lauderdale.
Tootie is truly grateful for finally living in a city with an order of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a community service organization with an uncommon focus on performance and having fun.
“I knew right away at the first meetings that this was what I wanted to do, this was the right group for me,” Tootie said, who requested his legal name be withheld from publication.
“We work anonymously and give back to the community anonymously,” said Sister Merry Widow, Tootie's “big sister” who will oversees her work at the ball.
Part of the anonymity is the group's signature whiteface. It's a practice dating back to the origins of the sisterhood, whose founders included several members with high-profile jobs.
“The whiteface is about anonymity but it's also a conversation starter,” said Tootie. “People just look very different in whiteface.”
Also dating back to the beginning of the group, order members choose colorful names, and becoming a member is a year-long process similar to that of becoming a nun.
Culminating Tootie's tutelage under Sister Merry is the Red Dress Ball, which features Jell-o shots, a 50/50 raffle, drawings for gift baskets and a drag show featuring Bradley's entertainers. A $10 suggested donation will be requested at the door.
“Although if you ask Sister Monica Muffdiver, she's always willing to do a number,” Tootie said.
The proceeds of the event will benefit St. Pete Pride and Francis House.
Before moving to Tampa, Tootie lived between St. Paul and Chicago, and worked for the Illinois Department of Health on its HIV/AIDS task force.
“I was always two and half hours from an order of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” said Tootie, who's been aware of the group since her college days.
Sure, the sisters like to have fun.
“But the indulgence also means having a good time with friends and being able to help,” she said.
The Sisters also raise money for the American Cancer Society with their wig drive for cancer patients as well as passing out condoms and providing safer-sex education.
The Red Dress Ball coincides with the launch of the Sister's revamped website”TampaSisters.org“which will offer interactive video explaining what the group is about.
