Anaheim mayor invites Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Angels Pride Night, calls out Dodgers

ANAHEIM, Calif. (KABC) -- The mayor of Anaheim has invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Angels Pride Night following the Dodgers disinviting the group to their own pride night, causing controversy.

The Los Angeles LGBT center and LA Pride have pulled out of the Dodgers Pride Night scheduled for June 16 after the team disinvited the Sisters of Perpetual of Indulgence, who some Catholic groups claimed was "mocking" their religion.

The Sisters were scheduled to not only attend Dodgers Pride Night, but also receive an award for their work.

The Sisters are a nonprofit that fundraises and volunteers for the LGBTQ+ community. They also sometimes dress in drag as nuns. But the group says they are not anti-religious, and that its mission is to spread joy and end hate.

"I'm inviting the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to join me for @Angels Pride Night at Anaheim Stadium on June 7. Pride should be inclusive and like many, I was disappointed in the Dodgers decision," Mayor Ashleigh Aitken tweeted on Saturday.

Aitken also spoke to Eyewitness News about her decision to invite the Sisters as her own personal guest to the Angels Pride Night.

The Dodgers decision, she said, was a missed opportunity for the organization to stand up for inclusivity.

"I think it was a missed opportunity to really err on the side of being inclusive and err on the side of standing up for our marginalized communities, especially on the eve of Harvey Milk Day. Especially on the eve of Pride Month," said Aitkin.

The Dodgers have not responded to ABC7's request for comment, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and other L.A.-based LGBTQ+ groups have not responded to the mayor's invitation as of yet.