Saintmaking: the 90s 'nuns' who made gay, HIV positive icon Derek Jarman a saint

Saintmaking: the 90s 'nuns' who made gay, HIV positive icon Derek Jarman a saint

This year marks the 30th anniversary of film-maker Derek Jarman’s canonisation by an activist group of gay male 'nuns' known as the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. At the time in 1991, Derek Jarman was the most prominent person in the UK living openly with HIV. He was outspoken, radical and unapologetically queer. The perfect antidote, in the Sisters’ eyes, to Ian McKellen’s acceptance of a knighthood in the 1991 new year honours.