Thousands of Catholic protesters marched outside of Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday night, uniting against the team’s celebration of the controversial drag group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
The Dodgers are expected to honor the self-proclaimed group of “queer and transgender nuns” by presenting them with the Community Hero Award during the stadium’s Pride Night celebration.
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“This is prayer, not a protest. We are basically praying for the so-called nuns,” protester Jesse Bustamante told ABC7. “We should be tolerant of everyone. Likewise, they should be tolerant of our faith in our feelings.”
The crowd was blocking the main entrance ahead of the baseball game, which was set to begin at 7:10 p.m. local time. Fans attending the game have been detoured around the large crowd by the Los Angeles Police Department.
The Dodgers have been mired in controversy since the team announced its plan to honor the group during its Pride Night festivities. The group’s invitation to the game was condemned by Catholics and Christians who noted that the drag group engaged in displays that included a pole dancing routine on a cross. The group’s motto is “Go and sin some more.”
The Dodgers originally uninvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after several Catholic groups and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) expressed concerns about the team honoring a group that they said uses overt anti-Catholic imagery. But they reinvited the group after it triggered waves of criticism from the LGBT community.
“I love everyone. … Anyone who wants to come in and support the Dodgers, I’m all in, we’re all in,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday.
The protest and Pride Night fall on the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the Catholic Church, which commemorates devotion to the heart of Jesus. Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez urged Catholics in the City of Angels to pray for “an end to prejudice” on Friday, and he held Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for “healing due to the harm caused by the Dodger’s decision to honor a group that intentionally denigrates and profanes the Christian faith.”
The drag group has rejected criticisms that it is mocking the Catholic Church, arguing instead that it is a nonprofit group whose members pledge their lives to help the LGBT community in the same way nuns devote their lives to helping others.
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“The idea of being a fake nun is a little problematic, mostly because we do take vows of service to the LGBTQ community for nonprofit work, and it is the kind of vow that you take for the rest of your life,” Sister Electra-Complex said. “So it is very similar to the kind of care work a nun would do.”
The Dodgers will host a Christian Faith and Family Day at the stadium on July 30 to try to offset recent backlash. However, not many details on the event have been released. The team had previously held Christian-themed days before the COVID-19 pandemic.
