Our Exclusive Interview With Sister Roma, The Most Photographed Nun In The World™

There is no one else on earth quite like Sister Roma. The most photographed nun in the world™ is a true original who has blazed a trail for love, acceptance, and equal rights for all as a 27 year member of San Francisco's world famous Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. She also spent over a decade as art director for Hot House, a title she retains now as the newly minted art director of Naked Sword. I recently chatted with this creative force of nature for a talk that involved everything from the changes she's seen over the past few decades in San Francisco to what she plans to bring to the table at her new home at Naked Sword, her friendships with other trailblazers like Mink Stole and Chi Chi LaRue to her love of The Wizard of Oz. Prepare to fall in love... 

Vincent Thrice: Did you always have a love of performing or did that naturally grow out of your personality once you came into your own?

Sister Roma: Well you know I actually have always had a love for performing. When I was younger, I was always in the school plays in high school, all the school plays and musicals, and even in college I was in a production of Woody Allen’s Death Knocks, and I played a furrier, so I’ve always sort of had the acting bug. I didn’t really know how to channel it when I moved to San Francisco after college, I hadn’t thought about it really, so I guess that when I joined the Sisters and started doing drag, that just really gave me the outlet.  

VT: You’ve really seen San Francisco change a whole lot over the years. Are there any changes you feel have been for the better, or is there anything you really miss about the old days?

SR: Well, I actually am all for growth and change and development and prosperity, and I feel like I’m seeing a lot of that in San Francisco these days, but I do, at the same time, long for the sense of community, particularly in the Castro, and South of Market areas, and Polk have been decimated by the closing of gay bars and the relocation of the gay community. It’s become very homogenized, and I really miss that sense of knowing that when you go to   The Castro, or especially Folsom and South of Market, that you’re going to see some dirty, sexy, hot, shocking gay bars and gay men cruising the streets, and I really miss that. 

I really feel that it’s at least partially because San Francisco is becoming too expensive and we’re losing some of our lust for the artistic, and the unique, and the sort of kooky individuals that San Francisco is known for, but at the same time, gay people used to flock to San Francisco and New York and Hollywood because they were refuges from the oppression that they were experiencing growing up. I mean, when I lived in Grand Rapids, MI growing up, I was very obviously gay, and in college I was like, you know, the gay guy that worked in the bookstore, but I thought, gee I’d like to be a teacher, you know? But I couldn’t be a teacher in Grand Rapids, MI in the 80s. 

So gay people used to come to San Francisco to escape that, and to be free and be who they are, and now I think that because we’ve come so far with gay rights and homosexuality isn’t as shocking and as freaky as it used to be, that they can grow up in Indiana and Michigan and be gay. They don’t have to come here anymore, so I miss that. (starts to laugh) I mean, I’m glad that we’re reaching a level of acceptance, and understanding, and that it’s not anything to be ashamed of obviously, but I still wish that being gay was a little more avant garde and edgy like it used to be.

VT: You became a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence since 1987. Was there any one impetus for you wanting to join their ranks or was it a combination of factors?

SR: You know, one of my best friends and drinking buddies, we used to go around town and terrorize together, he was a bartender and he was also one of the Sisters, and he never told me until he just sort of revealed himself to me at a club one night. He convinced me to start volunteering with the group and I worked at a gay basketball… I wanna say it was a gay donkey basketball game that was the Sisters vs. the Police Department. So I was volunteering just in, you know, normal boy clothes, and I was selling these black and white pom-poms, and it was just so much fun, it was like nothing I’d ever seen or even dreamed of in my life before, I mean who could even imagine such a thing (both laugh), I mean even today it would be a unique experience, it was just beautiful. 

So then, he introduced me to the group and I talked to some of the other members, and they just awakened in me this sense of urgency in caring about my community, you know? People were dying of AIDS all around us, and there were civil rights and human rights issues which I knew were problems, but I didn’t know how much I really cared about people, and my community, and the quality of life, and equal rights, and they just ignited a real passion in me, and luckily I was able to join the group. And that was 27 years ago.

VT: Wow, yeah, that’s crazy. Do you feel the weight of those 27 years or has it just been such a great experience that it isn’t until you stop and think, I can’t believe it’s been 27 years?

SR: I really can’t believe it’s been 27 years, but I don’t feel any weight from it. It’s just been the most joyous experience and, of course, at this point I can’t imagine my life without being Sister Roma, without being involved with the Sisters, without doing the work in the community, it just really is who I am at this point.

VT: You were a grand marshall of the San Francisco Pride Parade in 2012, and were appointed that position by the community. How validating was that for you to be selected by your peers and fans?

SR: That was completely awesome. Being elected grand marshall by the community was just amazing. They appoint different people for different reasons, there was this celebrity grand marshal that they de-elected, and they told me that it was this large, overwhelming response which made me feel really, really special, and made me feel like, wow, people really appreciate what I’m doing. It’s funny because people will always say, you know, thank you so much for your hard work, and I’m just stand around thinking, are you talking to me, because I feel like I’m not working. This is not work for me, it’s so pleasurable and so much fun. You know, if this is work then sign me up (both laugh).

VT: How did you get hooked up with Mink Stole and begin working with her? Did she discover your work or did you meet her when you got the role in Sleeping with Straight Men?

SR: Oh my god, you’ve done your research. That is so funny, you know, I met Mink Stole through that production of Sleeping with Straight Men through Ronnie Larsen. Ronnie was a big Mink fan, and he convinced her, somehow, to be in this quirky and crazy little production. But then when you get to know Mink, you realize that she loves that kind of stuff, she’s also very good friends with Peaches Christ who is another big queen here in San Francisco, and she does the movie thing. Mink is just such a unique, down to earth, talented, sweet person, and meeting her was obviously one of the highlights of that experience and she remains a good friend today. 

VT: She’s a legend

SR: You know, she is, and she’s got a huge cult following, and she loves her fans, she’s so sweet. 

VT: Do you find that you’re more at home behind the scenes or do you like to be front and center more?

SR: (Laughs) Well, it’s interesting we’ve got fifty or sixty Sisters here in San Francisco, and you know there’s hundreds worldwide now, but everybody has a unique and special talent that they bring to the group. There are Sisters that are so good at the organization and they’re very crucial to the planning and the set-up and the other work that goes in to producing events and the other work that we do.

Then there are Sisters, like me, who have a big mouth and like to get out there, grab the microphone, and talk to the crowd and play with the people, and so I think that I am definitely one of the big mouths (both laugh). I’m definitely more comfortable in front of the big crowds of people or in front of the camera, I am living for this interview right now, this is what I’m all about (both laugh). 

VT: What were the circumstances that led to you becoming art director for Naked Sword?

SR: I became friends with Mike Youens who worked at Falcon Studios, and he introduced me to Chi Chi LaRue, and that sort of got the ball rolling, and once you hook up with ChiChi, you are in thick in the adult industry. I also became friends with Steven Scarborough who had just recently left Falcon and started Hot House, and I worked for a magazine here in San Francisco, and I later went on to own my own magazine, so I was always in need of images to use for the cover and the ads. 

So I went to Steven and asked if I could use some of his images, and he said sure, which led to me doing freelance graphic work with him, and that went on for like a year or two, and he hired me in-house, so I was the resident graphic designer, and then I eventually became the art director at Hot House, and I worked for 13 years in total with Steven and his partner Brent Smith until Hot House was recently acquired by AVN, and now they’re part of the Raging Stallion and Falcon family, and I was part of the deal. Tim Valenti who is the president here at Naked Sword said he’d approve the merger as long as I got to come and work with him.

VT: Oh wow.

SR: Yeah, so that was perfectly okay with me because I had been friends with everyone here at Naked Sword, and Tim and I host the Tim and Roma Show which is produced here at Naked Sword, and we’ve been doing that for close to ten years, so it really feels like coming home to finally be here working with everybody here at Naked Sword. So I’ve been really lucky because it all just sort of fell into place, you know? I found a perfect fit, and had a great career with Steven and everybody at Hot House, and then when things started happening, you just don’t know, when there’s a merger people will say one thing and then oftentimes do another, but everyone has been very true to their word and I’ve been very fortunate to just kind of slip in here. And it feels really good, I love it, we’re having a good time. 

VT: That’s fantastic. So what are you hoping to bring to Naked Sword that they perhaps aren’t already doing?

SR: Well, I’m really big on identifying the brand and promoting the brand, and I’m really lucky too because mr. Pam works here and mr. Pam and I both were probably Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders in our past lives. We’re both really loyal, and I tend to bring a lot of recognition and hoopla and attention to the brand. I’m looking forward to really being an ambassador and the face of Naked Sword at more events in the future. And because I’m so involved with so many various things, and I travel around the United States, and often outside the United States, hosting different parties, and I can bring Naked Sword with me now and promote the brand that way. 

Plus, you know, I’m really talented, I have a really great eye (both laugh). I love cock. I love great big cock and I love to put it on box covers, so that’s gonna be part of it too (both laugh). 

VT: Well hey, it sells right? Why not?

SR: It sure does. Thank god sex still sells. 

VT: Yeah, and I think it always will. I’ve said this many times but I think that the alcohol and bar industry and the sex industry are the two most recession proof industries. 

SR: (Emphatically) Yeah! (both laugh).

VT: So this is kind of a personal question, at least for me, but I just wanted to get your opinion on this. You are a huge fan of The Wizard of Oz… 

SR: I am.

VT: That’s also my personal favorite film of all time. 

SR: Oh my gosh, really?

VT: So, what is it about that particular film that appeals to you, obviously in particular, but 75 years after it came out it still has seems to have this enduring appeal

SR: Well, I think that everybody at one time or another in their life, they feel like they don’t belong, or they’re unhappy, or there’s no opportunity, you know, the grass is always greener on the other side. So people feel like they’re trapped and they don’t want to be where they are in these certain circumstances and they dream of getting away. And Dorothy does that, in a huge way, you know, everything goes from black and white to color, and it’s so fanciful, and it’s just a beautiful movie to watch. 

But then she learns her lesson in the long run, that there really is no place like home. And I think that people value that and it’s a very valuable lesson to learn. And people also see that even if you do leave your home, you can still come back.

VT: That’s very true, it’s just sort of fascinating to me that so many films from that time period have just disappeared altogether, but that one continues to endure.

SR: Well plus I also just love a good wicked witch. I mean, give me a good wicked witch, and still to this day, 75 years later, that is the best wicked witch I’ve ever seen.

VT: Oh absolutely. Every year for Mother’s Day or her birthday, I get my mother something with the Wicked Witch on it, she’s obsessed. 

SR: Oh, you do? You’re kidding me! That’s so cool. 

VT: Yeah, well she finally got an iPhone this year, so for Mother’s Day I got her a Wicked Witch iPhone case.

SR: Oh that’s amazing. So is she a good witch or a bad witch?

VT: Oh she’s a bad witch, for sure (both laugh). She’s got no time for good witches.

SR: That’s so funny.

VT: Is there anyone you haven’t worked with yet that you’re dying to work with?

SR: You know, I know Tera Patrick, my cats are named Tera and Patrick after her, and she knows this, and she says she’s their aunt, and I love the girls in this industry. I love beautiful women. I love great big pretty boobs, and I would just love to be able to work more with some of the adult female stars. That would be such a fantasy come true. I’ve met Jenna Jameson and Savanna Samson, and they’re all so delightful, and so much fun, you know? Those girls… If I could come back in my next life, I’d come back as an adult starlet for sure. 

VT: You know, I have to be honest, it’s fantastic to hear you say that because a lot of times, and this tends to be more with the fans than the performers and directors that I’ve spoken with, but a lot of times, they don’t want women anywhere near the gay porn world. The fans tend to be very protective and want to keep this thing just for themselves and not allow female performers anywhere near the scene. So I’m really pleased to hear you say that because I would like to see more crossover with female performers, even if they’re not doing scenes, to just have them in the films opens up a world of potential.

SR: You know, I totally agree with you on that, and I see a lot of it in the comment section on The Sword. A lot of gay men have a lot of anger and they actually act like they’re repulsed by female sexual organs, and women’s sexuality, and I’m just like, really? Calm down. And that’s another reason that I have to refer back to Chi Chi LaRue because she is a trailblazer and she broke down so many barriers. First of all she was a drag queen, obviously, and she was a director, and that was something where Falcon never wanted any drag queens anywhere near their productions or to be acknowledged at all, and Steven kind of carried that over. When I worked with him at Hot House, Sister Roma was not that strongly associate with his brand.

Today, at Naked Sword obviously, they were there embracing me as Sister Roma, and I attribute that to Chi Chi. But the other thing Chi Chi did was she made a lot of bisexual movies, and she made movies with Sharon Kane and other women that were so hot and so sexy, and I think that if people didn’t have so many hang-ups and could just relax, I think that people are more pansexual than they allow themselves to be. If they would just be really honest with themselves and relax, if straight men would just chill the fuck out and get rid of all their hang-ups, they could admit that they’re attracted to a man. 

And the same thing goes for everybody, across the board, I think people just need to lighten up and embrace it. It’s really about the individual. If a person turns you on, who cares if they’re pink or blue, or young or old, or gay or straight, or male of female, if it’s there and it’s working, just go for it! 

VT: Exactly, yeah, I couldn’t agree with that more. Just personally, that’s something I would love to see more of, it’s all great and awesome. So, my last question is just if there’s anything else you’d like your legions of fans out there to know?

SR: (Laughs) Wow, I didn’t know I had legions. Yeah, just make sure and follow me @SisterRoma on Twitter and facebook.com/SisterRoma. I’ll also be tweeting and interacting more with people through the Naked Sword social media sites too, so look for that.