Sonoma County Library readies for anti-LGBTQ+ protests over upcoming Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence story time in Guerneville

A weekend story time at the Sonoma County Library’s Guerneville branch with the Russian River Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is drawing attention on a larger stage after an organization of Catholic lay people based in Pennsylvania is calling for an anti-LGBTQ+ protest at the event.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an international street performance organization whose members use drag and religious imagery to highlight sexual-orientation intolerance and satirize issues of gender and morality. Its Russian River chapter is involved in charitable works throughout Sonoma County, including monthly Bingo games that benefit other nonprofits and providing college scholarships.

The group’s story time in Guerneville is set for noon Saturday at the Guerneville library, 14107 Armstrong Woods Road.

But the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property, which includes more than 120,000 members across the country, recently launched an online petition asking Sonoma County Library Executive Director Erika Thibault to cancel the event. Its online petition has gotten more than 20,000 signatures.

“It goes without saying; a group that publicly makes a caricature of Catholics should not be allowed to read to children in a public library,” Jon Paul Fabrizio, a volunteer with TFP said in an email. The organization is known for its protest last summer against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ initial inclusion of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in their Pride 2023 list of honorees.

“Our objective is to alert Sonoma County residents and all Americans that young, innocent children are in the crosshairs of the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” Fabrizio said. “We would like to encourage locals to stand up against this outrage.”

The library has no plans to cancel the event. The Sisters’ charitable work is one of the reasons why the library is standing by its partnership with the group, according to Ray Holley, communications manager with Sonoma County Library.

“The Sisters are a very well known philanthropic organization and we do story hours with them on a regular basis,” Holley said.

Saturday’s event, which is scheduled for noon to 1:30 p.m., is one of about 1,000 story time events the library hosts throughout its 15 locations with various groups over the course of a year.

“This is one story time,” Holley said. “It’s going to be a typical story time. It will be friendly and animated and maybe there will be a song. All story times are intended to promote reading and in that way, this story time will be exactly like all the others.”

Sorenda’ da Booty, a Russian River Sister of Perpetual Indulgence who is set to read during Saturday’s event, said the organization is giving “kids an opportunity to see there are diverse people and cultures and human beings in the world beyond them.

“There are sisters of all types of religions,” da Booty said. “We are doing the work of sisters, which is being a charitable organization that is helping the community. We are doing the same work.”

While Fabrizio did not confirm an official protest for Saturday, he said the organization is encouraging members who are “part of a quick-response team” to protest by praying outside the event.

Holley noted the Guerneville Regional Library branch will have extra staff on hand and that the branch is one of a few with security guards. The Sonoma County Sheriff has also been informed of potential protesters.

Should a protest occur, the library has a plan in place to keep families and children safe.

Da Booty said she plans on the event continuing peacefully if that happens. She has a few books at the ready, including one called, “This Book is Banned,” by Raj Haldar.

Saturday’s story event is the first time this year that the county library system has received an organized objection to its story times or other programming, Holley said. Last year, protests erupted over a separate Sonoma County Library event called Drag Story Hour in Windsor, Santa Rosa and Petaluma.

Amie Windsor is the Community Journalism Team Lead with The Press Democrat. She can be reached at amie.windsor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5218.