The Los Angeles Dodgers came under attack recently for their decision to honor an LGBTQ activist group next June. Due to the nature of the organization and their costumes, one particular religious group was quick to voice its displeasure.
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, via 60 Second Docs YouTube
The team will be joining the group LA Pride in recognizing the “10th Annual LGBTQ+ Night” at Dodger Stadium. As the name implies, this has become an annual tradition for the club without incident.
But this year, the Dodgers originally planned to include a group known for dressing up like nuns. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence lampoons the Catholic faith (though they deny it), prominently displaying bastardized versions of the traditional habits worn by various nuns. It’s a statement made to intentionally draw the ire of religious conservatives, and in this instance, it’s apparently done just that.
Catholic League president Dr. Bill Donohue initially slammed the move in a statement, arguing that the group’s methods are blasphemous. Therefore, he reasoned, the promotion was essentially “rewarding hate speech.”
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, via 60 Second Docs YouTube
The Dodgers’ inclusion of the Sisters of Indulgence would be akin to “promoting bigotry, not fighting it,” Donohue argued.
“By rewarding anti-Catholicism, the Dodgers have broken bread with the most despicable elements in American society today. These homosexual bigots are known for simulating sodomy while dressed as nuns. They like to feature a ‘Condom Savior Mass,’ one that describes how the ‘Latex Host is the flesh for the life of the world.’”
Due to the backlash, the franchise has made the decision not to invite the group to take part in the event on June 16.
“Given the strong feelings of people who have been offended by the sisters’ inclusion in our evening, and in an effort not to distract from the great benefits that we have seen over the years of Pride Night, we are deciding to remove them from this year’s group of honorees,” the Dodgers said in a statement.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center ripped into the Dodgers’ decision, demanding that they reverse this decision or just cancel Pride Night altogether.
They released a statement that partially read:
“Buckling to pressure from out-of-state, right-wing fundamentalists, the Dodgers caved to a religious minority that is perpetuating a false narrative about L.G.B.T.Q.+ people. They have been fed lies about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and have therefore contributed to the ongoing, anti-L.G.B.T.Q. smear campaign happening in this country.”
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence first appeared in San Francisco in 1979 in the Castro District as a whimsical protest over local and LGBTQ+ issues. The group’s mission statement says the non-profit is devoted “to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment.”