Dodgers Re-Invite Drag Nonprofit Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Pride Night, Apologize to LGBTQ Community
variety.comEthan Shanfeld The Los Angeles Dodgers have re-invited The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to the team’s Pride Night following a public outcry after the Dodgers rescinded the activist organization’s initial invitation to the event. “After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations with 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], members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families,” the team said in a statement, adding that the group has “agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades.” Following conservative backlash — bolstered by Sen.
Marco Rubio’s plea that “drag queen performers should NOT be celebrated for their disgraceful imitation of Roman Catholic nuns” — the Dodgers said in a statement on May 17 that the inclusion of the Sisters in Pride Night had been “the source of some controversy.” The statement continued, “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.” After the Sisters were removed from the Dodgers’ Pride Night, LA Pride dropped out of the event in solidarity, writing, “Pride is a fight for equality and inclusion for the entire LGBTQ community and we’re not going to stop now.” At the time, the Sisters wrote that they were “offended and outraged” by the team’s decision to rescind their invitation
