The Dodgers disinvited an “order” of queer and trans “nuns” from their Pride Night celebration after several Catholic organizations and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) pointed out the organization’s irreverent nature.
A statement released by Major League Baseball said:
This year, as part of a full night of programming, we invited a number of groups to join us. We are now aware that our inclusion of one group in particular — The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — in this year’s Pride Night has been the source of some controversy. 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 Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence “use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit,” according to their website. They were supposed to receive a Community Hero Award during the June 16 game.
The nonprofit was founded in 1979 when three men dressed in full, traditional nuns’ habits — one of them carrying a machine gun — walked the streets of San Francisco on Easter Sunday.
The Catholic League strongly opposed the Dodgers’ decision to include the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence due to their “anti-Catholic” speech. League President Bill Donohue noted the group is known for “simulating sodomy while dressed as nuns.” They have taken traditions in the Catholic faith and made them into gimmicks such as a “Condom Savior Mass” and the “Latex Host is the flesh for the life of the world.” The names given to the “sisters” include “Sister Homo Fellatio” and “Sister Joyous Reserectum.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) slammed the Dodgers in a letter for being exclusive to Christians by inviting a group with the motto “Go forth and sin some more!”
Rubio wrote in a letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred:
Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being “inclusive and welcoming to everyone” by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians—and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others?
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were disinvited on International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Interphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT).