The Los Angeles Dodgers are under fire for their decision to re-invite the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic drag queen group, to the team's Pride Night on June 16th. CatholicVote, a prominent Catholic advocacy organization, has launched a $1 million campaign against the Dodgers, including TV and digital ads airing in Los Angeles. The ad, titled "The Dodgers Have Lost Their Way," juxtaposes the team's legacy of inclusivity, highlighted by Jackie Robinson's signing, with their current decision to honor a group criticized for mocking Catholic nuns and religious symbols.
The ad condemns the Dodgers for celebrating a group that engages in "vile sexual perversions" and "sexualizes the Virgin Mary and the words of Jesus Christ." It argues that honoring such a group contradicts the Dodgers' historical stance against hate and disrespect. The organization also plans to run Spanish radio ads on Christian stations in LA, mobile billboards around the stadium, and targeted digital ads and text messages.
The Dodgers initially rescinded their invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after facing significant backlash. However, they reversed their decision following LA Pride's announcement that they would no longer participate in Pride Night in solidarity with the drag group. Tommy Valentine, director of the Catholic Accountability Project at CatholicVote, stated that the Dodgers' choice to honor the group is "wildly out of line with their tradition of inclusivity, love, and their history of fighting bigotry." He called for an apology from the team and the immediate rescission of the invitation.
CatholicVote's campaign emphasizes the contrast between the Dodgers’ past actions in promoting human rights and their current embrace of a group that openly mocks Catholics, particularly nuns who dedicate their lives to serving the vulnerable. The organization believes that the Dodgers have betrayed their own values and allowed hate and disrespect to take root within their organization.
