It’s not the beginning of a bad joke, but a group of gay ‘nuns’ and the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team have been in a colourful feud for the last week.
It all started when the team revoked an invite to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a prominent LGBTQ+ rights group in San Francisco with roots dating back to the 70s, meaning it wouldn’t be allowed to participate in an upcoming Pride Night.
The group self-describes itself as an order of queer and trans nuns, who believe “all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty.”
The Sisters were prominent figures throughout the AIDS crisis in Los Angeles, and are best known for their dragged-up looks. Think Sister Act with bigger hair and heels.
However, their glittery habits and rhinestoned wimples have attracted criticism from Marco Rubio, US Senator for Florida.
In a statement on May 15, he said “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence features men dressed like Catholic nuns who mock the faith with the motto 'Go forth and sin some more!'”.
Shortly after, the Dodgers announced that the group would no longer receive an award before a game next month.
“Given 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, we are deciding to remove them from this year’s group of honorees.”
The response was swift from other groups.
LA Pride said that it would no longer take part in the event, saying: “Pride is a fight for equality and inclusion for the entire LGBTQ community and we’re not going to stop now.”
In response to backlash from the LGBTQ+ community, the Los Angeles Dodgers have backflipped.
"After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organisation 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," the Dodgers said in a statement.
"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."
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