Man dressed as Catholic nun at USD drag show

The Vatican's Congregation for Education is supporting local Catholics who believe an annual drag show held at the Catholic University of San Diego is scandalous and damaging.

Catholic Action for Faith and Family is reporting that the Congregation, whose jurisdiction oversees houses of formation and institutions including universities, issued a letter stating their disapproval of the drag show which not only promotes homosexuality but openly mocks Catholic teaching on this and other social issues.

" . . . (I)n view of the gravity of the case, it is worth mentioning that in light of the show and the scandal that it caused, this congregation intends to act through administrative channels to the competent ecclesiastical authority in San Diego," the letter reads.

The two men responsible for bringing the matter to the Vatican's attention are attorney Charles LiMandri, who founded the website www.AlumniforaCatholicUSD.org, and Thomas McKenna, Founder and President of Catholic Action for Faith and Family. The two filed canonical petitions in the wake of the "Drag Superstar 2" event held on the USD campus in April 2013.

They got involved when students from the University, who objected to the show, reached out and asked for their support to stop it. Charles LiMandri, an alumni and past President of the USD Alumni Association, initially contacted the University asking them to stop the show. He pointed out that "it was not in line with Catholic principles nor the Catholic values and vision of the University's founders."

The administration responded by defending the Drag Show.

"The event supports the Church's teaching on the innate dignity of the human person, and by illustrating cross-dressing, it does not promote either behavior or lifestyle that is contrary to the teachings of the Church," the university wrote.

However, the drag show witnessed by both men did exactly that. They observed many examples of behavior and statements on moral issues which contradicted or ignored magisterial teachings.

For instance, as LiMandri explains on his website, the architect of the show is an openly lesbian theology professor named Evelyn Kirkley.

"She told the attending students that they were now 'revolutionaries' in support of the gay agenda," he stated.

LiMandri goes on to explain that another openly lesbian professor named Lori Watson was prominently involved.

"She ensured that the students on hand got a good dose of anti-Catholic indoctrination.  Once again, the theme of the drag show was that your gender is what you perceive it to be, rather than the one that God bestowed on you.  In fact, according to Dr. Watson’s twisted logic, we are all in drag," LiMandri reports.

Present in the audience and even serving as judges in the show were USD faculty and administrators.

Some of the contestants in the 2013 show included two young women named "Brett and Kevin" who were dressed as Mormon missionaries and gave a lewd performance of a song mocking Mormons. Another man named "Amber Alert" was described by LiMandri as being dressed "like a cross between Beyonce and the Little Mermaid" with a flaming orange wig. "Madge Matronic" was another man wearing a wig, tight dress and high heels who performed Madonna's Like a Prayer.

Following the first drag show, which was held in 2012, LiMandri and McKenna went to Rome and consulted with Vatican officials from various Congregations who encouraged them to pursue this action.

They returned after the "Supreme Drag Show 2" in 2013 to make their case and provide extensive and well documented exhibits. "The Vatican personnel viewed the case very seriously and had their experts review the material as well," McKenna stated.

This led to the Congregation's response promising "to act through administrative channels to the competent ecclesiastical authority in San Diego."

After consulting with Vatican officials this week, LiMandri and McKenna decided to make the Vatican's position public because a third drag show is scheduled for April 10, 2014. They have once again written to USD president Mary Lyons asking that the show be cancelled.

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