Ambar Ramirez
First Coast Sisters, Abbey of the Seven Bridges
Words & photos by Ambar Ramirez
The need to connect with others — the natural gravitation towards\ the community — is a shared human experience. And when an idea, moral belief or political stance is challenged, the need for community becomes that much stronger, that much more necessary. It was this very phenomenon that led Ken Bunch (Sister Vicious PHB), Fred Brungard (Sister Missionary Position) and Baruch Golden to march nude beaches in San Francisco, clad in head-to-toe traditional Catholic habits. Their mission? To challenge the dominant “Castro Clone” mentality that was popular in the 1970s. This march along the nude beach in 1979 marked the beginning of a lifelong sisterhood: The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Sister Vicious PHB and Sister Missionary Position along with Hysterectoria (Edmund Garron) and Reverend Mother (Bill Graham), became known as the four founders of this charitable, protest and street performance movement. The more they traveled, the more they met like minded individuals. Individuals that all shared the same mission that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence was founded on: to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt. Through the use of drag and religious imagery, this unconventional sisterhood satirizes issues of sex, gender and morality to fundraise for charity, raise conversations and to share their message.
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) quickly became an international movement. And Jacksonville is home to its very own SPI Chapter, the First Coast Sisters, Abbey of the Seven Bridges.
Kevin Tyrrell, known as Sister CoCo B. Touchindawood officially joined the First Coast Sisters after a year of its foundation in 2015. Like many members, Tyrrell sought a community to express himself creatively.
Folio: What inspired you to become a member of the First Coast Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence?
Tyrrell: The First Coast Sisters are a fully professed member of SPI (Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence). We are a 21st century order queer nuns. Queer as in different. We’re not all gay men. In essence we are sacred clowns! In my secular life I am a registered nurse and work in a local ER here on the First Coast. As an RN, I get some personal fulfillment due to the altruistic nature of working in medicine. However, there is practically zero creativity involved in my job. I am first and foremost an artist, and I crave the creative process. I used to live in New Orleans and was a member of two different gay carnival krewes, and we made amazing Mardi Gras Ball costumes. To be able to design something and then create it — like a quilt or a costume — is like oxygen for my soul! Becoming a Sister has taken care of both of those aspects of my personality needs … altruism and creativity.
Folio: Can you share the story behind your chosen name, and how it reflects your identity or mission?
Tyrrell: Sister names are often very tongue in cheek and can be loaded w/ double entendres. My Sister name originally was CoCo B. DeMille, as in the illegitimate granddaughter of Cecil B. DeMille. Think Norma Desmond, “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up”. But I always had to explain it. I guess it was a generational thing — I’m 60 years old! — so, I changed it to Sister CoCo B. Touchindawood. I chose the first name CoCo as a nod to CoCo Chanel, the designer as she created amazing outfits. I often make the outfits I wear as “Sister DoDo.” Again, the creativity thing comes into play! I chose the letter “B” as my middle initial in honor of Roberta (Bo) Boen, who was the first openly lesbian bar owner here on the First Coast. I chose the last name “Touchindawood” because I’m a gay man!
Folio: Can you describe some of the key initiatives or events the Abbey of Seven Bridges organizes to support the community?
Tyrrell: We have an event coming up Saturday May 17 at Kickbacks on King Street. It’s called Nunway and is a juried costume contest/fundraiser we are holding for NFAN. The concept of Nunway is a spoof of Project Runway’s special materials challenge. “Project Runway: Unconventional Materials Challenge” is a reality show where designers must create amazing clothing items in a short period of time from unconventional materials. For our Nunway, we encourage designers to keep costs down by recycling, reusing, and repurposing materials to create their one-of-a-kind costumes.
The theme for our inaugural Nunway is Fey Folk and Other Mythical Creatures, think fairies, gnomes, trolls, mermaids, and minotaur, etc. I’d love for everyone who reads your great magazine to buy a ticket and attend! The show will start at 8 p.m., but you can come early and eat dinner before the show!
We will also host an annual Pink Party at some point in October starting in 2025. It will be a fundraiser for The DONNA Foundation, a local 501c3 started by our very own mayor, Donna Deegan. It will basically be a big dance party where everyone needs to wear pink with pink decorations, pink food, and pink drinks for everyone.
Folio: What was your first experience as a Sister, and how did it shape your perspective on the work you do?
Tyrrell: Probably the first major event I attended in March of 2015 was Conclave held in Orlando at the Parliament House. There were fellow Sisters from all over the U.S. As a Mission House we were not yet “black veiled” or fully professed, yet we still operated independently as a house. We got to meet and make so many new friends during that weekend. They also held a costume fundraising event called Nunway. The theme that year was Fairy Tales. I based my costume creation on a Japanese fairy tale about a spider. One of my fellow house members wore the look on the runway and I was hooked. I’ve been involved in multiple Nunways across the U.S. since then and have even won a few.
Folio: What does being part of this nonprofit mean to you personally?
Tyrrell: To belong to an organization like the First Coast Sisters is an amazing opportunity. We get to be creative and have fun but are also tasked with making sound fiscal decisions regarding the funds we raise. We need to make sure that the funds we raise go to help the most people we can. As such it is a great responsibility and one that I gladly accept.
Folio: How has your involvement with the Sisters impacted your understanding of community service or advocacy?
Tyrrell: A phrase I often circle back around to is “there go you or I but by the grace of God.” Helping those in need, being of service to others is a cornerstone of humanity. To be able to be a part of that makes me more human. One of the other members — in the Tampa House — has a saying that they always repeat at their functions, “Start the day with love, spend the day with love, fill the day with love, and end with love.” I feel if we can do that and spread love and joy, we’ve had a good day! The First Coast Sisters — and SPI in general —is a secular organization. We have members from every walk of life. Each of us brings different gifts and perspectives to the organization. Some of us are Christian, some Jewish, some pagan, and some agnostic. We are not a religious group, but we are nuns as we take vows for our community, however, they are not vows of chastity or poverty. LOL.
Folio: What do you feel is the most rewarding aspect of your work as a Sister?
Tyrrell: The possibility of me helping others have a bit of joy by seeing me in makeup and costume is a great reward. If I made one person smile by getting all dressed up, then my actions were worth it. There have been times that my heart wasn’t in it, I was tired, I had pain (did I tell you I’m 60 years old?), and my heart wasn’t in it, but I marched on and got ready, drove to the event anyway, it’s at those times I realize the “work” we do is necessary and good.
Folio: What’s a memorable moment you’ve had while serving as a Sister?
Tyrrell: We were invited to attend the first Pride Event in Columbus, Georgia in 2015. When my then-president/abbess, Sister Cookie Bliss, saw me coming down the neutral ground of a busy thoroughfare in full Sister drag, he later told me he was so proud of me. He said I marched right in as if I owned the place, and that’s what you have to do. There’s a House in the Russian River area of California, and they regularly host community wide bingos to raise funds for important community needs bringing all walks of life together for a common good. That’s what I hope we achieve.
Folio: Do you have a favorite event or project that holds special significance to you?
Tyrrell: I absolutely love attending Nunways. As I mentioned before I’ve been a designer and a judge multiple times. It’s an amazing opportunity to be creative and raise money for the community. The Las Vegas House has a SADAP (Sister AIDS Drug Assistance Program) and they routinely raise thousands of dollars a year to assist HIV patients with their HIV prescriptions and doctors’ appointments, as well as help cover costs for PreP and HIV testing. To be able to make a difference in someone’s life like that is amazing. I travel to Las Vegas about twice a year to help out in any way I can. That’s why I want to get an annual Nunway started here on the First Coast, to help our local community as well.
Folio: How do you ensure that your outreach efforts are inclusive and meaningful to diverse communities?
Tyrrell: Since we are a diverse group to begin with, we bring to the table our own personal experiences. We service our entire community here in the First Coast, but we focus on marginalized communities, those communities that are often shunned aside and swept under the rug so to speak. We make sure to promote awareness about issues that the mainstream public might not be aware of. We try to amplify those concerns so that others may hear them. Another phrase I come back to is basic human rights aren’t like pie. You don’t get less when you make sure everyone else has their rights represented.
Folio: What challenges have you faced as a member of the Sisters, and how have you overcome them?
Tyrrell: We started in 2014 with about 10-12 members. We had some attrition as one member passed away and others moved away. At one point we had some toxic members and our house almost fell apart. I rounded up the others, and we decided that we didn’t want to abandon the organization and decided to keep it going. Those toxic members removed themselves from the organization, and we have marched forward, continuing to serve our community. That whole process was a daunting task, but we soldiered on and made it out the other side. Today we have three fully active members and multiple Emeritus members, so this is my call for any people that might want to consider joining.
Folio: How has being a part of this organization helped you grow as a person?
Tyrrell: Becoming a Sister has taught me to be less judgmental, as we never know what someone else is going through. I feel I have grown into a better human because of my work with the First Coast Sisters.
Folio: What do you hope your work as a Sister inspires in others?
Tyrrell: I hope I teach them to be more joyful in life and to be less judgmental of others. I hope I inspire them to volunteer in any organization that helps their community.
Folio: If someone is interested in joining or supporting the First Coast Sisters, what advice would you offer them?
Tyrrell: To quote the famous sports footwear slogan, “Just Do IT!” Come join us and help spread some joy! We would love to have you join our group!
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