Los Angeles Dodgers Reversing Course, Reinviting Drag Charity Team to Pride Night Event

CNN
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The Los Angeles Dodgers apologized and issued a new call to the towing team. Didn’t call them earlier The team’s upcoming Pride Night at Dodger Stadium.

The Dodgers initially intended to honor the Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag group that spearheads philanthropic and activism efforts in the city, with a Community Hero Award at their Pride event on June 16. The group last week removed the sisters from its list of honorees because of the group’s use of Catholic icons and other religious garb in drag.

The conclusion that Canceling the call prompted another round of criticism — this time LGBTQ advocates, fans and allies expressed disappointment that the group caved to pressure from anti-LGBTQ critics.

On Monday, the Dodgers reversed course again, announcing in a statement that they would be adding the sisters, after all.

“After honest conversations with our diverse communities, within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, we would like to extend our sincere apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the Los Angeles Dodgers, LGBTQ+ community, and their friends and families,” the MLB team said. .

The drag team confirmed that they will accept the Community Hero award.

On Monday, two board members of the organization met with Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten and leaders of Los Angeles LGBTQ community organizations and local government officials, where “a full apology and explanation was given to us by the Dodgers staff,” the sisters said. A statement.

The sisters said they believed the apology was genuine. “In the future, should similar pressures arise from outside our community, our two organizations will work together with other LGBTQ community members to consult and assist each other,” the group’s statement said.

There were those who were shocked by the recognition of the sisters Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio and Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League, an organization that claims to protect religious and civil liberties.

Inside Donahue A statement It called the sisters an “obscene anti-Catholic group” and dismissed the Pride event as “hate speech”.

The experiment was “an opportunity to learn with Mercury,” the sisters said.

“Our team has been strengthened, protected and elevated to a position where we can deliver the message of hope and joy to more people than ever before. We thank each person and organization that has voiced for us with great love and respect,” their statement said.

The Dodgers said, “We will continue to work with our LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen relationships, and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family.”