The annual Dallas Fetish Ball held last Saturday included a performance involving a fake nun and priest who performed sexual acts on a crucifix.
The event, hosted November 11 by the Longhorn Ballroom, featured such experiences as a “Lube Booth,” “C**k Ring Toss,” “Foot Worship Shrine,” and “Electro Play Station.” The main feature was the “Wheel of Pain,” which determined what acts attendees engaged in, such as “hot wax,” “nipple torture,” “spanking,” and “Mistress Choice,” per the event website. The event also had a “dungeon” where no photography was allowed.
One performance, as reported by the Dallas Observer, had a person dressed like a nun and another dressed like a priest who kneeled before a crucifix and performed fellatio on two attached dildos.
The performance was not the only example of Catholic iconography being repurposed in recent months. In June, the City gave the Outstanding Leadership in Arts and Culture Award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a self-described “leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns.” The group was subsequently honored in September at the Cathedral of Hope, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Catholic apologist and speaker Trent Horn previously told The Dallas Express that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence “mock what is sacred to over a billion people through their cartoonish depictions of nuns and by hosting events like ‘Hunky Jesus’ contests.”
Another prominent Catholic leader, Bishop Robert Barren, said in May that the Sisters “can only be described as an anti-Catholic hate group.”
Anti-Catholic sentiments have risen in recent years, according to CatholicVote, which found that there have been 379 attacks on Catholic Churches since 2020. Texas had the fourth most attacks out of all the states at 18.
“The vandalism we are seeing today is quickly rising to levels that haven’t been seen since the late 1800s and early 1900s from organized groups such as the Know-Nothings and the Ku Klux Klan,” CatholicVote president Brian Burch said.
One social media user named “ShinyRigger” posted on X, “The Dallas Fetish Ball was alot [sic] of fun! Texas knows how to throw a party.”
Cervena Fox, a self-described model, tattoo artist, and performer, posted, “What can I say, omgosh Dallas Fetish Ball ur crowd has once again stolen my heart! leaving Dallas sad as I love this city so much, ty to everyone who grabbed some Merch, took photos & cheered for me while I was on stage, it was an utter pleasure to have shown u my craft.”
The vendor area included items for purchase ranging from art to harnesses, sex toys, latex accessories, as well as stickers, leather gear, and jewelry, according to the Dallas Observer.
The event’s strict dress code recommended “Latex, Rubber, Vinyl, Leather, Metal, PVC, Corsets, Uniforms, Drag, Fursona, Cyber, Sci-Fi, Fetish, Gothic Formal.” Street clothes were prohibited.
A “Conduct Code” was also posted: “While we regret the necessity of a conduct code, we expect all attendees to adhere to the following guidelines: Consent is sexy. Absolutely no exposed genitalia. Absolutely no sex, simulated or otherwise.”
The ban on “simulated” sex appeared to have been violated in the priest and nun performance.
