LA LGBT Center and LA Pride step away from Dodgers' Pride Night after team disinvites group
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers are facing mounting criticism over its decision to withdraw an invitation it extended to a group called The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to participate in the team's annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night.
Ahead of its June 16 Pride Night, the organization decided the nonprofit it intended to honor would no longer be invited due to backlash from Catholic organizations who find the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be "mocking" them.
"I was shocked to be completely honest," said Sister Bearonce Knows of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. "I was shocked that the Dodgers caved so quickly."
Pressure built to exclude the Sisters, which fundraises and volunteers for the LGBTQ+ community. Sister Knows says its mission is to spread joy and end hate. The group does so, at times, in drag, dressed up as nuns.
WATCH: LA LGBT Center steps away from Dodgers' Pride Night amid backlash
"I grew up Catholic, and I can't understand any of the pushback," said Sister Knows, when asked about whether any of the criticism from Catholic groups is justified. "We're not a religious organization. We're also not an anti-religious organization. What we are 'anti-' is people that use their religion as a weapon against our community, in particular against our trans community."
The Dodgers said they removed the Sisters from this year's group of honorees given the strong feelings of people who have been offended, and to not distract from Pride Night.
Backlash came primarily from three directions: out-of-state based organizations Catholic Vote and Catholic League, plus Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's office.
The catholic organizations have publicly applauded the Dodgers' decision.
"They mock the nuns, they mock Jesus, they mock our Blessed Mother, they mock the Eucharist," said Bill Donohue, the president of the Catholic League.
When Donohue learned that the San Francisco-based Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were slated to be honored by the Dodgers at next month's event, he contacted the Major League Baseball commissioner and organized a massive email campaign.
"We'll always get emails that people sent to the person who we claim has offended us. They send some of them to us. We got flooded. I've never seen so many in a long time," Donohue said.
The Los Angeles LGBT center, and LA Pride, however, have not applauded the Dodgers' decision.
Fallout continues over Dodgers Pride Night controversy
"Our community is being used as political pawns in a way that I don't remember in my lifetime," said Joe Hollendoner, CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center. "This is why we need the Dodgers to not bend in the slightest, and in fact be strong in their allyship to us because it's not just about this once instance."
The Center no longer plans to attend Pride Night and encourages the Dodgers to cancel the theme entirely if it sticks to this decision.
"To see them reverse this invitation of an award to an organization that I think is incredibly deserving of it was so disappointing," said Hollendoner.
Beyond Pride Night, Hollendoner says they reached out to the Dodgers in hopes the two organizations could talk.
"We really want to engage them in a conversation about why this was the wrong decision, and help them to understand why it should never happen again," said Hollendoner.
In a statement issued Thursday, LA Pride said the following in response to the Dodgers' decision: "As a longstanding partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, we are very disappointed in their decision to rescind their invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be honored at the 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night. As a result and in solidarity with our community, LA Pride will not be participating in this year's Dodgers Pride Night event."
The Dodgers have not responded to ABC7's requests for comments.
Neither the Sisters nor the LGBT Center are calling on people to boycott the Dodgers or Pride Night.
Both hint at a competing event that's in the works, and support people deciding to spend that night however they choose.
City News Service contributed to this report.
