Following several days of widespread criticism and outrage, including calls to boycott the event, on Monday the Los Angeles Dodgers organization apologized to the city’s LGBTQ+ community for disinviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from a planned Pride Night in June., and re-invited the group to the event.
“After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization 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 LA Dodgers said in a statement posted on Twitter.
The statement says the Sisters, an activist and charity organization using drag and satirical religious imagery to call attention to bigotry and intolerance, has accepted a reinvitation from Dodgers. According to the statement, the group will appear at the June 16 Pride Night event “to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly.”
In the statement, the Dodgers also vowed to “continue to work with our LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers announced it had caved to a consortium of mostly out-of-state right wing critics, and disinvited the Sisters from Pride Night. The team said it did so because their inclusion “has been the source of some controversy.” Notably, the group was slated to be named among several LGBTQ+ organizations honored that night for their work on behalf of that community.
Instead of lessening the controversy, the team instead magnified it exponentially. The LA Pride organization withdrew from the event in protest, as did the ACLU. The decision was denounced by the LGBT Center of Los Angeles, and Congressman Jimmy Gomez, who represents the congressional district where Dodgers Stadium is located, also condemned the move. And that’s in addition to a wave of public outrage.
“I’m glad to see the @Dodgers take steps to correct this wrong and most importantly apologize to @SFSisters. This incident should have never happened,” Gomez wrote on Twitter after the Dodgers organization’s statement was released. “Thank you to the LGBTQ+ community and allies everywhere for taking a stand. This reversal is a testament to your loud and unwavering voices and commitment to accountability.”
Representatives for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap. The group has not yet issued a public statement in response to the Dodgers organization’s apology.