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The LA Dodgers, currently first in the MLB’s NL West division, have been courting controversy in recent weeks. In preparation for their annual LGBTQ Pride Night, they announced that they would honor a group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a drag troupe that dresses as nuns to bring attention to causes such as AIDS and community activism, but whose street theater mocks the Catholic faith. Now, two of the team’s pitchers have voiced their disappointments with the Dodgers' decision to support a group that mocks faith.
Aleteia previously ran an article that explained the controversy, which began in early May, when the Dodgers announced they had invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. By May 17, complaints from individuals as well as Catholic and Christian organizations made the Dodgers reverse course, withdrawing their invitation to the fake nuns, citing “strong feelings of people who have been offended by the sisters’ inclusion.”
A week later, however, backlash from supporters of the LGBTQ group had the Dodgers changing their minds once more. The team reissued their invitation, along with an apology for uninviting them the week before, to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to the June 17 “Pride Night,” where they would “receive the gratitude of our collective communities” for their charity work. This has been the final word from the team on the matter to date, but now a couple of their pitchers have chimed in.
On March 30, Fox News reported on a statement from 3-time Cy Young winner and Dodgers’ pitching ace Clayton Kershaw, in which he expressed his disappointment in his team’s decision to reinstate their invitation. He noted that his reservations had nothing to do with the fact that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were part of the LGBTQ community, but that they mocked the faiths of others:
"I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions," Kershaw said. "It has nothing to do with anything other than that. I just don’t think that, no matter what religion you are, you should make fun of somebody else’s religion. So, that’s something that I definitely don’t agree with."
The veteran nine-time All-Star said it was “tough” to see the ways the group portrays Christianity. Rather than making a statement to condemn what he does not like, however, Kershaw said he chose to highlight what he supports. He then noted that the Dodgers have a Christian Faith Day planned for the summer, however he noted that his announcement was in response to the current controversy:
"I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up," Kershaw told the Los Angeles Times on Monday. "Picking a date and doing those different things was part of it as well. Yes, it was in response to the highlighting of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence [by the Dodgers]."
A day later, another report from Fox News highlighted a statement from Kershaw’s teammate and fellow pitcher, Blake Treinen. Supporting his starter like all good relief pitchers do, Treinen shared a statement on Twitter in which he expressed his own disappointment that the Dodgers have chosen to honor a group that “displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.”
"I understand that playing baseball is a privilege, and not a right. My convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first. Since I have been with the Dodger’s [sic] they have been at the forefront of supporting a wide variety of groups. However, inviting the Sister’s [sic] of Perpetual indulgence to perform disenfranchises a large community and promotes hate of Christians and people of faith.”
The statement went on to lament that the Dodgers would “alienate” a large portion of fans and he implored them to keep political messages out of sports. He pointed at other recent corporate campaigns which pushed messages to ill effect, mentioning Target and Bud Light, two companies that lost billions on campaigns that promoted the transgender and LGBTQ movements. He ended by reiterating his beliefs:
"I believe Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. I believe the word of God is true, and in Galatians 6:7 it says, ‘do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked; a man reaps what he sows.' This group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger’s [sic] to "honor" the Sister’s [sic] of Perpetual Indulgence.
"'But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' Joshua 24:15."
