Thousands of religious protestors held a “prayerful procession” outside Dodger Stadium Friday night in response to the Dodgers honoring an LGBTQ “nun” group at its Pride Night event.
The Los Angeles Dodgers honored the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a Community Hero Award prior to their game against the San Francisco Giants.
The Sisters are a group of self-described queer and trans “nuns” who focus on philanthropic work while using “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit,” according to the group’s website.
“We’re just here, all the faiths are standing united,” Jesse Holguin, one protester, told KTLA. “We’re very angry that the Dodgers invited this group that mocked our lord and savior Jesus Christ.”
The rally, organized by Catholics for Catholics, featured music, speakers, and prayer, and took place in a corner of the stadium parking lot.
In a flyer advertising the event, demonstrators were urged to join “in prayerful response to Dodgers’ godless decision to honor blasphemous, Christ-mocking ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.’”
The Sisters were honored for their activism on behalf of LGBTQ+ rights and their support for those living with HIV and other causes.
Controversy abounded earlier in May when The Dodgers rescinded their initial invitation to honor the Sisters after receiving backlash from conservatives and Catholic organizations who opposed the group’s use of Catholic imagery.
The decision received major blowback from lawmakers and LGBTQ+ groups.
The Dodgers eventually reversed course and apologized to the Sisters, and reinvited them to be honored at the team’s 10th annual Pride Night.
Dodgers star pitcher Clayton Kershaw and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles were among those who expressed displeasure at the reversal.
“We’re hoping that the Dodgers will see the amount of Catholics and Christians showing up here today peacefully,” said protestor Anthony Rodriguez. “We’re showing that we’re not budging. We’ve drawn a line in the sand and we’re putting our faith first.”
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence said Friday morning that they have no issue with groups that express themselves through protest.
“We have lots of religious people who are Sisters, from Christians, Muslims, Hindus and they also take it very seriously to be a nun,” Sister Electra Complex told KTLA. “It is not a mockery. We see being a nun as a calling, as a lifelong service to the LGBTQ community. We take all kinds of pride in our work, so it is definitely not a mockery of religion in any way. We take it very seriously.”
A heavy presence of LAPD officers were seen in and around Dodger Stadium as the protest and procession were underway. Following the end of the game, the protests remained generally peaceful.
Earlier this month, the Sisters were invited as the personal guests of Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken to attend the Los Angeles Angels Pride Night game.