After receiving significant criticism for their decision to revoke the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence‘s invitation to their annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night, the Los Angeles Dodgers have changed their stance. On Monday, they expressed regret for their actions and invited the Sisters to attend the event on June 16 at Dodger Stadium. The Sisters accepted the invitation and some boycotting groups have also agreed to participate once again.
Dodgers honor pioneering order of LGBTQ+ nuns with Community Hero Award
The Sisters use humor and religious symbolism to raise awareness about sexual intolerance and identify themselves as a pioneering order of LGBTQ+ nuns. The Dodgers have chosen to honor them with a Community Hero Award, which had been designated for the Sisters in the past.
Lakers Lose To Nuggets, LeBron Feels Impact Of Time
In a statement, the Los Angeles Dodgers expressed their heartfelt apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, LGBTQ+ community members, as well as their friends and families. They arrived at this decision after receiving well-considered feedback from their diverse communities, engaging in candid conversations within their organization, and holding constructive dialogues with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Why It Matters
The Dodgers have considered themselves a symbol of diversity ever since they broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball by bringing Jackie Robinson onboard in 1947. For this reason, their annual Pride Night is of utmost importance to them. However, a decision to retract the invitations of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, following opposition from politicians and religious organizations, has led to severe backlash. As a result, LA Pride, the group behind the LA Pride Parade & Festival, as well as other bodies such as the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the Southern California division of the American Civil Liberties Union, have all withdrawn from the Dodgers’ event in protest.
The LGBT Center went to the extent of demanding that the Dodgers call off the event in case the Sisters were barred from attending..
Less than a year after inviting the family of Glenn Burke, the first openly gay major leaguer, to their Pride Night and acknowledging past failures, the team faced more challenges. Burke, who didn’t conceal his sexuality, declined a $75,000 offer towards his honeymoon from the team on the condition that he married a woman, leading to a trade with the Oakland Athletics. Despite once being a talented prospect, his career ended abruptly, and he passed away in 1995 due to complications from AIDS.
What’s Next
As soon as the Sisters reversed their decision, the LGBT Center wasted no time in declaring its participation in Pride Night. The organization kept its promise and expressed gratitude towards the community in LA for their vocal opposition. Furthermore, they acknowledged the valuable lesson this event offered.
In a statement, the group highlighted that the recent fiasco serves as evidence of the harmful repercussions of political maneuvering aimed at fueling anti-LGBTQ sentiments, especially when our liberties are already being threatened. As a community, we must persist in standing unified to safeguard the rights and acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals in Los Angeles and beyond.
The return of LA Pride has also been confirmed with the group’s statement on Monday night expressing their firm support and solidarity towards the Sisters.
The Dodgers admitted in their statement inviting the Sisters back that they had further efforts to make in rebuilding their connection with the community.
The statement affirmed that they would collaborate with their LGBTQ+ partners in the coming weeks to enhance their understanding, explore avenues to reinforce their relationship and leverage their influence to back every member of the Dodgers family, who represents its diversity.