LA Dodgers apologize to Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, reinvites group to Pride Night event after backlash
LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Dodgers have backtracked on a decision to uninvite the San Francisco-based Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from a Pride Night event following a backlash from the LGBTQ+ community and supporters.
Last week, the Dodgers announced the team had removed the charity non-profit famous for its satirical representation of Catholicism, saying it wouldn't receive an award during the June 16 event, citing the "strong feelings" of people who were offended.
The Sisters raise money for charities and engage in various activities with a mission statement to "promote human rights and respect for diversity." But opponents say the group mocks the Catholic faith.
The decision to remove the Sisters from the event was widely denounced and prompted several LGTBQ+ groups to announce they would skip the June 16 event at Dodger Stadium in protest. On Monday, the Dodgers apologized to the group and said it had accepted the team's re-invitation.
After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families.
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.
In the weeks ahead, we will continue to work with our LGBTO+ 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.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 22, 2023
The group will receive the Community Hero Award in a ceremony before the Dodgers' home game against the San Francisco Giants.
The Sisters say the group is not anti-Catholic and had accused the Dodgers of capitulating to what it called "hateful and misleading information from people outside their community."
The Dodgers' decision to uninvite the Sisters was denounced on social media, with many quick to note how easily the team crumbled to pressure from groups like the Catholic League and Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who wrote a letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred alleging that the group "mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith."