Dodgers rescind Pride Night invite from San Francisco performance group due to ‘controversy’

TheLos Angeles Dodgers are removing the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a San Francisco-based performance organization, from their 10th annualPride Night slated for June 16th after the inclusion of the sisters “has been the source of some controversy,” per a statement the team released Wednesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a charity group that includes drag performers who dress as nuns and “use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit,” according tothe sisters’ website. 
• The Dodgers decided to rescind the sisters’ Pride Night invitation due to “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,” per the statement.
• Other organizations, includingThe American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California andLA Pride, which puts on the LA Pride Parade and Festival, announced they would not participate in the Dodgers’ event in a show of solidarity.

pic.twitter.com/k4v1valfRY

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers)May 17, 2023

Backstory

The decision to remove the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from Pride Night comes after Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubiowrote a letter to commissioner Rob Manfred on May 15 asking if including the performance group would be “inclusive and welcoming to Christians.”

NHL Pride events sparked headlines this season as three teams — theBlackhawks,Rangers andWild — declined to wear Pride jerseys during Pride Night. Multiple players, includingFlyers’ defenseman Ivan Provorov andPanthers’ Marc and Eric Staal, chose not to participate in their respective teams’ LGBTQ+ events.

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The NHL does not have any information to suggest that its Russian players are facing “material” threats, either in Russia or elsewhere, if they choose to participate in teams’ Pride night activities, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic on March 24.

What they’re saying

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence shared a statement Thursday to express “their deep offense and outrage” at the Dodgers’ decision.

The San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Condemn the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Decision to Withdraw a Promised Honor to the Sisterspic.twitter.com/k5KTVRugY4

— The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (@SFSisters)May 18, 2023

(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)