Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance with a troupe of drag queens accused of ridiculing Catholicism is coming back to haunt her.
CatholicVote released a six-figure ad campaign Monday showing Ms. Harris celebrating at the 2019 San Francisco Pride festival with “Sister Roma” and “Sister Honey Mahogany” of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag-queen collective known for its profane takes on Catholicism.
“Why is Kamala Harris posing with the founder of an anti-Catholic hate group? They mock our faith,” the 30-second ad says. “The sisters are men who dress in lewd imitation of Roman Catholic nuns that intentionally mock and degrade Christians. A drag queen comes in and sort of pulls Jesus off the cross.”
The ad concludes: “For Catholics, it’s hard to imagine anything more offensive. Kamala Harris doesn’t care about Christians in this country. Kamala Harris stands with they/them, not with you. Christians can’t stay home Nov. 5.”
Ms. Harris, who was a U.S. senator from California in 2019, was also shown on video posted by CatholicVote hugging and laughing with the “sisters,” then posing with them for a selfie.
Kamala Harris has a blatant record of anti-Catholic bigotry, from mocking Christians at her rallies for invoking the name of God to attending rallies alongside one of the most vile anti-Catholic hate groups in America.
— CatholicVote (@CatholicVote) October 28, 2024
One thing’s clear: Kamala Harris has a Catholic problem. pic.twitter.com/pEbRVLUzYU
The release comes with Ms. Harris trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls with Catholic voters as she faces criticism for a series of religion-related missteps.
They include her decision to skip the annual Al Smith Dinner, a Catholic-hosted event traditionally attended by the presidential candidates, and her interview with NBC News in which she said she opposes religious exemptions for abortion-rights laws.
CatholicVote President Brian Burch called on Ms. Harris to “publicly condemn” the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, calling it an “anti-Catholic hate group.”
“Let’s be clear: the ‘Sisters’ are no ordinary LGBT activist group,” Mr. Burch said. “They are a ‘drag’ troupe whose whole purpose is to mock and harass Catholics.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers were hit with a backlash last year after announcing the team would honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a community service award, spurring protests from Catholic organizations and some of their fans.
Mr. Burch said that the drag-queen troupe has also denigrated Catholics by holding “Hunky Jesus” competitions and engaging in performances that include stripteases, simulating sex acts, and mocking the crucifixion.
Their defenders say that the “sisters” have benefited their communities by, for example, raising money for AIDS/HIV treatment and research.
Last week, Sen. J.D. Vance, Ohio Republican, the Republican vice presidential candidate, urged voters to reject Ms. Harris’ “record of anti-Catholic bias” in an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
A Pew Research poll released last month showed Mr. Trump leading Ms. Harris with Catholic voters by 52% to 47%.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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