Less than a week after being kicked off the Dodgers roster, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence accepted an apology from the Dodgers on Monday and will appear at the team’s Pride Night next month to receive the Community Hero Award. Photo: Provided by Bearonce Knows
Less than a week after being kicked off the Dodgers roster, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence accepted an apology from the Dodgers on Monday and will appear at the team’s Pride Night next month to receive a community hero award.
The Dodgers changed their mind about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after a backlash from LGBTQ+ and civil rights groups. Shortly after the drag group was banned from the June 16 Pride Night, three partners in the Dodgers’ Pride Night backed out of the event, saying they would not return unless the drag group was invited back: LA LGBT Center, the ACLU, and the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association.
The Dodgers banned the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after The Catholic League and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, launched a holy war against the team for wanting to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with its community hero award.
“A full apology and explanation was given to us by the Dodgers staff, which we accept,” the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence said in a statement on social media. “We believe the apology is sincere because the Dodgers have worked for 10 years with our community and as well as have asked us to continue an ongoing relationship with them.”
The statement said that Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten attended the Monday morning meeting with Sister Dominia and Sister Bearonce Knows along with government officials from West Hollywood, Los Angeles County, and the state Legislature as well as other members of the LGBTQ+ community.
If similar pressure from outside the LGBTQ+ community aise in the future, the Dodgers and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will “consult and assist each other in responding,” the statement said.
The Dodgers also released a statement on Monday, apologizing for their treatment of the satirical drag group and activist organization that has a 27-year history of raising awareness and money for LGBTQ+ causes and offering comfort and resources to AIDS/HIV patients and unhoused queer and transgender youth.
“In the weeks ahead, we will continue to work with our LGBTQ+ 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.”
On Saturday, Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken tweeted that she invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to join her for Angels Pride Night at Anaheim Stadium on June 7. No word yet on whether they have accepted the invitation.
