The Los Angeles Dodgers apologized to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and re-extended an invite to their Pride night.
The Dodgers met with members of the drag group known for its nun attire and said they would work to “better educate” themselves in LGBTQ+ issues.
In a statement, the Dodgers said:
“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 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.”
The Sisters accepted the Dodgers’ apology, calling it sincere. The group also said they would appear at Dodger Stadium to accept the community award as was originally planned for the June 16 Pride Night.
The Sisters’ statement read:
“We, the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, are proud to accept the Community Hero Award from the Los Angeles Dodgers for our twenty-seven years of service to the LGBTQIA2S Community.
“This morning our Abbess, Sister Dominia, and another Board member, Sister Bearonce Knows, met with the Dodgers President and CEO Stan Kasten, heads of leading Los Angeles LGBT community organizations, and members of government from West Hollywood, Los Angeles County and the State of California Legislature.
“A full apology and explanation was given to us by the Dodgers staff which we accept. We believe the apology is sincere because the Dodgers have worked for 10 years with our community and as well they have asked us to continue an ongoing relationship with them. In the future, if similar pressures from outside our community arise, our two organizations will consult and assist each other in responding, alongside our colleagues at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and others from the LGBTQIA2S community, now more closely tied with the LA Dodgers than ever before.
“This affair has been an opportunity for learning with a silver lining. Our group has been strengthened, protected and uplifted to a position where we may now offer our message of hope and joy to far more people than before. With great love and respect, we thank each person and each organization that have spoken up for us. Thank you, and may your hearts be blessed with pure joy.”
The Dodgers uninvited the Sisters last week after public pressure from Florida Senator Marco Rubio and catholic organizations. They called the Sisters disrespectful and Rubio wrote a letter to Major League Baseball, accusing the league of not being “inclusive and inviting” to Catholics.
A day after the Dodgers’ decision to drop the Sisters, L.A. Pride said it would not participate in the Pride Night events after a 10-year partnership with the team.
As of this writing, L.A. Pride has not announced if they will return for the stadium festivities.
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