Thousands of religious protesters held a “prayer procession” outside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday night.
The protest came in response to the Dodgers honoring an LGBTQ nun group at their Pride Night event.
The team has been hosting Pride Nights for a decade, but this year’s edition became the subject of high-profile controversy last month.
Amid strong criticism from some conservative Catholics, the team withdrew an invitation to a satirical LGBTQ+ group called Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at Pride Night.
A flyer promoting the event called on protesters to join “in prayerful response to the Dodgers’ ungodly decision to honor the blasphemous, Christ-mocking ‘Sisters of Everlasting Pleasure.’
People march in front of Dodger Stadium after a prayer service Friday in Los Angeles
Pride Night signage is displayed before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium
Devout baseball fans may see their teams’ performances as heaven or hell depending on the quality of the game, but it’s the way the Los Angeles Dodgers approached their annual Pride Night, and not the team’s record, that drives emotional responses from religious people caused
Hundreds of religious protesters held a “prayer procession” in front of Dodger Stadium
The sisters’ performers – mostly men who dress up conspicuously as nuns – are actively involved in protests and charity programs.
A week later, after a violent backlash from LGBTQ+ groups and their allies, the Dodgers reversed course and again invited the Los Angeles Sisters division to be honored for their charity work and apologized to the LGBTQ+ community.
The Dodgers’ about-face was welcomed by LGBTQ+ allies, including some Catholic nuns, but it enraged many conservative Catholics, even at the highest levels of the US hierarchy.
On Monday, the team was severely criticized in a statement by Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the military service.
They urged Catholics to pray on Friday “as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord that we see in our culture today.”
Organized by Catholics for Catholics, the rally of music, speakers and prayers took place in a corner of the stadium car park
A flyer announcing the event called on protesters “to join in prayer in response to the Dodgers’ ungodly decision to honor the blasphemous, Christ-mocking ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgences.’
In early May, controversy erupted when the Dodgers withdrew their original invitation to honor the sisters after receiving backlash from conservatives and Catholic organizations opposed to the group’s use of Catholic imagery
People march outside Dodger Stadium after a prayer service Friday night
“A professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose indecency and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, his Mother and consecrated women cannot be overstated,” the archbishops said. “Not only is this offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy.’
The Phoenix-based organization Catholics for Catholics organized what they called a “prayer procession” in a parking lot in front of Dodger Stadium. Hundreds of people, many wearing red Sacred Heart clothing and holding signs, gathered in the hours before the Dodgers hosted the San Francisco Giants.
The group later walked from the parking lot to the intersection in front of the stadium’s main gate and, under the watchful eyes of the police, dispersed across the entrance to the ballpark.
Catholics for Catholics had urged attendees not to bring children because “we anticipate hostility from anti-Christian protesters.”
The gathering attracted a large presence from the Los Angeles Police Department. Officials stood around and watched as traffic backed up on the way to the stadium. Three helicopters flew overhead.
Pride flags are for sale at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory credit
Several hours before the first pitch was thrown at Los Angeles Dodgers Pride Night, a large group of protesters gathered outside the stadium gates
The sisters are honored for their commitment to LGBTQ+ rights and support for people living with HIV and other causes
A man who refused to give his name prays outside Dodger Stadium on Friday
One woman held a blue sign that read, ‘Vin is sorry.’ In her other hand was a white sign that read, ‘Observe the Dodger Code of Conduct.’ No mocking religion.’
In a brief on-field ceremony with only a few fans still in their seats, the Dodgers presented the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a Community Hero Award. The spokesperson said the group supports food programs in the Los Angeles area, citing “their excellent service to the LBGTQ+ community.”
The sparse crowd cheered as the speaker introduced Sister Unity and Sister Dominia – two men extravagantly dressed as nuns.
Although official Catholic teaching opposes same-sex marriage and same-sex sexual activity, there are many Catholics who would like the Church to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people. Among them are nuns across the US who have empathetically cared for LGBTQ+ Catholics and took note when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence made headlines last month.
One of them, Sister Jeannine Gramick, has been serving LGBTQ+ Catholics for more than 50 years and is a co-founder of New Ways Ministry, which serves them.
Catholics for Catholics announced their intention to hold a four-hour “prayer procession” in the hours leading up to Friday’s game.
Social media videos posted several hours before the game began appeared to show thousands of people holding flags and signs in front of Dodger Stadium
A little less than two hours before the game started, protesters began lining the sidewalks near the stadium and appeared to block one of the entrances to Dodger Stadium
Protesters hold signs before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium at a Catholics for Catholics event in response to the Dodgers’ Pride Night event also attended by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
She publicly released a letter she had written to the Dodgers welcoming her reinvitation to the drag group and saying that its members deserved recognition for their charity work.
“While I’m uncomfortable when the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence use the nuns’ ancient robes to draw attention to bigotry, whether Catholic or not, there is a hierarchy of values in this situation,” Gramick wrote.
“I believe that every group that serves the community, especially those who are less fortunate or on the fringes of society, should be honored.”
However, Sister Luisa Derouen, known for her work on behalf of transgender Catholics, said she was “deeply offended” by the Dodgers’ decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
“I realize that they are doing a lot of good for a lot of people with their philanthropic work, and I thank them for that,” she told the AP via email. “But my biggest passion for it comes from my religious life.”
“I’ve been passionate about helping people understand and respect gay, lesbian and transgender lives for about 30 years,” she added. “Women religious are your best allies in the Catholic Church – we do not deserve to have our lives caricatured in such a humiliating way.”
Pride night isn’t a new tradition at Dodgers Stadium, but it hasn’t generated as much controversy in the past
The San Francisco Giants warm up in the outfield on Pride Night before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium
A Catholic protest took place near the stadium on Friday evening
The Dodgers have held Pride Nights for 10 years, but this year’s Friday night edition has been embroiled in high-profile controversy
The Dodgers’ about-face has been welcomed by LGBTQ+ allies, including some Catholic nuns. But it angered many conservative Catholics, even at the highest levels of the US hierarchy
A counter-protester holds a sign outside a Catholics for Catholics event in response to Dodgers’ Pride Night.
Although official Catholic teaching opposes same-sex marriage and same-sex sexual activity, there are many Catholics who wish the church would be more inclusive towards LGBTQ+ people
“Why can’t they do all their wonderful work without respecting our lives when we’ve done so much to help others respect theirs?”
Robert Barron, a Catholic bishop in southern Minnesota and a former auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, told his 240,000 followers on Twitter that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence “can only be described as an anti-Catholic hate group.”
“I’m a huge baseball fan.” “I even pitched the first pitch at a Dodgers game,” Barron tweeted. “But I would encourage my friends in LA to boycott the Dodgers. Let’s not just pray, let’s make our voices heard to defend our Catholic faith.”
The criticism was not limited to the Catholic ranks. Rev. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, told listeners of his syndicated radio show that the Dodgers had “completely surrendered.”
“The company is completely bogged down with what an author years ago called ‘The Art of the Public Submissive,'” Mohler said.
People listen to a message during a prayer service in front of Dodger Stadium on Friday
The Los Angeles Police Department set up a uniform stage at the front gate to await the protesters at Pride Night
Protesters cross Sunset Blvd as they gather at the main entrance on Pride Night before the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles Police Department sent a unit on patrol before the protesters arrived
MLB pitchers Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals criticized the Dodgers for inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence back and said they resented the group’s mockery of Catholicism. On Twitter, Williams urged his fellow Catholics to “reconsider their support for an organization that allows this kind of mockery of their fans.”
But each pitcher said they had no objection to the broader tradition of Pride Nights.
“This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that,” Kershaw said. “It’s just a group that made fun of a religion.” I don’t agree with that.’
Some conservative religious leaders said they were against the whole concept of Pride Nights.
“MLB teams have nothing to do with sponsoring highly controversial events like Pride Nights, they must instead focus on playing baseball,” prominent megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress said via email.
His church, First Baptist Dallas, is about 20 miles from the home field of the Texas Rangers, the only MLB team not to have Pride Night this season.
“All ‘Pride’ events are attempts to celebrate what God has condemned,” Jeffress wrote. “Christians are right when they boycott corporations and organizations like MLB teams that try to foist their ungodly and abusive schemes on Americans.”
A similar condemnation of Pride Nights came from Brent Leatherwood, leader of the political wing of the Southern Baptist Convention – the country’s largest evangelical denomination.
“These depictions continue to validate how distant our culture currently is from biological and sexual reality,” Leatherwood said, reiterating the SBC’s opposition to same-sex marriage and sexual relations.
In contrast, Rev. Alex Santora, who leads an LGBTQ-friendly church in Hoboken, New Jersey, says Pride Nights are useful for fighting prejudice.
“Pride nights organized by sports teams and pride shows organized by companies show that it is normal in society to accept diversity of sexual and gender orientations,” he said. “It sends a valuable message to children and young people that acceptance is important and contributes to good mental health.”
The Dodgers’ Pride Night saga followed LGBTQ+-related troubles for a few other big-name companies.
Bud Light aligned with a transgender influencer, then attempted to withdraw his endorsement due to backlash. Likewise, Target’s support for the LGBTQ+ community has drawn some hostile, homophobic criticism, as well as calls from LGBTQ+ activists not to cave in to the pressure.
A spokeswoman for the country’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization, Laurel Powell of the Human Rights Campaign, said the spread of Pride Nights – and similar gestures in other sectors of the economy – is encouraging.
“They are an important signal to the LGBTQ community that we are valued by these organizations and that our patronage and faces in the stands are welcome,” she said. “It’s also a signal to other people where their values lie.”