The Los Angeles Dodgers have announced that a charity, protest and performance group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will again be welcome at the team’s annual Pride Night. This follows a week-long controversy after the team rescinded its original invitation. The group, which was founded in San Francisco in 1979 and has a Los Angeles chapter, had been set to receive the Community Hero Award at the event.
Last Wednesday, the Dodgers announced that they had removed the Sisters from the group of Pride Night honorees, citing “the strong feelings of people who have been offended” by them. The group is mainly made up of men who dress as nuns. Some conservative Roman Catholics and politicians, including U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, had accused the group of mocking nuns and the Christian faith. The group denied being anti-Catholic, stating on its website that it uses “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.”
The Apology and the Reinvitation
After receiving “much thoughtful feedback,” the Dodgers apologized to the group and the LGBTQIA+ community, friends and families. The team subsequently issued a statement saying: “We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16th. We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades.”
The group will be given the Community Hero Award in a ceremony before the Dodgers’ home game against the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers said they will continue working with “LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family.”
The Dodgers’ decision to disinvite the group sparked its own backlash from LGBTQIA+ groups around the country, with some deciding to pull out of Pride Night. Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken tweeted an invitation for the Sisters to join her for the Los Angeles Angels’ Pride Night on June 7.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to their annual Pride Night event following backlash over the team’s original decision to rescind their invitation. The group, which dresses as nuns and uses humor to address issues of bigotry, will receive the Community Hero Award. The Dodgers have apologized for the initial decision and will continue to work with LGBTQ+ partners to support their diverse fanbase.
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