BERLIN (AP) — With a sweep of her pink veil and a flutter of her long purple eyelashes, drag queen Sister Daphne OSPI lifted her hands to offer a blessing to the gathered crowd at Berlin’s inaugural drag march.
Sister Daphne was one of the key organizers behind Friday afternoon’s event, which kicked off one of Europe’s most prominent LGBTQ+ celebrations. Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to fill the streets Saturday for Berlin’s pride parade, referred to in Germany as Christopher Street Day.
“Every step is a declaration, every kiss an act of revolution, every wig is a war cry,” she declared, as roughly 500 drag queens, drag kings, and LGBTQ+ allies cheered before setting off through the city, dancing to the sounds of the Transophonix brass band.
The band performed “Das lila Lied,” known in English as “The Lavender Song” — a celebrated anthem of the gay rights movement dating back to the 1920s — as marchers dressed in high heels, glittering gowns, and bold makeup made their way past the Reichstag parliament building and onward to the Brandenburg Gate.
“We’re combining protest and resistance with joy and celebration,” Sister Daphne said. “That’s what makes us so unique and that’s also what makes our demonstrations so popular.”
Berlin’s annual Pride event honors the 1969 Stonewall rebellion in New York City, which erupted after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar located on Christopher Street in the Greenwich Village neighborhood.
Sister Daphne is a member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an LGBTQ+ organization whose members largely dress in flamboyant nun-inspired attire. She expressed excitement that hundreds of people showed up for the march, with the crowd growing even larger as the procession moved through Berlin’s streets.
The organization traces its roots to San Francisco, where it was founded in 1979. Its German chapter was established in 1991.
“Usually, we sisters are out and about in the nightlife scene, handing out safer-sex materials and collecting donations for people affected by HIV and AIDS, as well as for queer projects,” Sister Daphne explained. “Or we’re out at Pride parades, all over the country — across Germany, and sometimes even throughout Europe.”
Throughout Friday’s march, Sister Daphne wore a broad smile beneath her white face paint, raising her left fist as a symbol of both protest and pride.
“It brings me incredible joy to get ready, put on my makeup and get into the right mindset,” she said. “I really enjoy being out and about the way I am.”
