Forty years after the end of the free love decade, there is still a soldier fighting for your chastity. The “Pink Nun, Defender of Purity,” is the creation of performance artist Lisa (she would rather not use her last name). She hides her true identity behind a hot pink habit and fishnet stockings, and she also has a few super powers up her sleeve.
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Since the pink nun doesn’t have a fortress of solitude and I don’t have a super secret lair we had to meet in a Wicker Park restaurant. She’s not faster than a speeding bullet or able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but when it comes to fighting for your right NOT to get down, the Pink Nun has more suitable powers.
NUN: Mine are love and acceptance of people. Something with their eyes seeing through things, seeing the through the lies that we’re told. So, there not maybe conventional superpowers.
That makes sense because she is not a conventional nun. She’s not Roman Catholic, she is married to a man, not God and her hot pink lipstick matches her habit. She spends most of her time not in silent prayer but rather preaching her gospel of sexual responsibility.
NUN: I’m trying to fight the filth that is out there in advertising and in the media and if people want to join me that’s great, but I’m not trying to force it on anybody. But um…I believe that sex is best when you are in a monogamous married relationship and that message is for gay people as well.
Hers is an inclusive theology. For some her message rings so true that they willingly give up their sins and worldly western wear to don pink habits and become members of her convent. At the end of the day they return to their own clothes but not their old ways, vowing celibacy until marriage.
NUN: I made up some vows that were loosely made up of some nun vows. But these were based more on people that want to live in the world and eventually get married and those sorts of things.
The vows speak of avoiding porn and making good decisions about whom you sleep with and when. The convent is called the Priory of Perpetual Purity and members range in age from thirteen to twenty eight. There are even a few men.
NUN: I think it’s awesome when I see guys that respond to the message. You know, it’s unfortunate that more guys don’t.
The Pink Nun doesn’t have a real convent and she no longer lives in Chicago. When she did live here, her home was Wicker Park and her favorite place to reach out to her flock was Belmont Avenue. Now that she lives in Florida she preaches her message not on the streets but on sandy beaches.
NUN: I’m pretty close to Fort Lauderdale and not to far from Miami so I’ve gone around South Beach les sloes blvd and…
FIELDS: so what do you see there that’s different than what you saw here in Chicago?
NUN: Well, It’s a more laid back culture. If I go out and see people they are more likely having a beer on the beach instead of walking around shopping. And the body culture is much more emphasized because are walking around in bikinis, you know the guys are hooting and hollering and whistling at them. So unfortunately a lot of times when I had out postcards to people they might often be kind of drunk and I’m not sure how much of the message retains.
While abstinence is a big part of her message, she says that there is a lot more to it. That’s why she chose not to wear a traditional habit.
NUN: I don’t think that choices are black and white. There are variations in situations in your life as far as what is going to work. But, I guess I’m a little more humorous and the pink is kind of…it grabs people’s attention. Pink represents a child like personality as well as it’s kind of associated with femininity and the white is also kinda of represents innocence as well as something kind of spiritual.
Over time, her message has become less judgmental and more inviting. While her mission - sexual responsibility – is serious her habit is a dead give away that her method is just good pink fun.
I’m Gianofer Fields Chicago Public Radio.