Biography

For more than three decades, Sister Roma has been one of the most outspoken and highly visible members of San Francisco’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. From fighting on the front lines in the war against HIV/AIDS to taking on social media giant Facebook as the creator of the #MyNameIs movement, Roma has dedicated more than half her life to community service, activism, and fundraising. She is a proud accomplice to the trans and QBIPOC communities and an advocate for LGBTQ refuge and asylum. Rising to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roma partnered with the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and the mayor’s COVID response team to create the Sisters’ #PracticeSafeSix mask campaign to raise awareness and promote health and wellness citywide.

But don’t get it twisted, this Sister is no Saint! Her colorful wit and sharp tongue have made Roma one of San Francisco’s favorite entertainers and emcees, landing her front and center on the main stages of SF Pride, Folsom Street Fair, and Easter in the Park, where she emcees the infamous Hunky Jesus Contest. A frequent guest on television and radio, Roma is blessed to travel the globe as an LGBTQ ambassador and event host, striving to uphold her Sisterly vows to expiate stigmatic guilt and promulgate universal joy.