Mediaboss Marketing

Former Vice President Mike Pence voiced his disagreement with the Dodgers inclusion of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence in the clubs Pride night on June 16 against the San Francisco Giants, tweeting Wednesday that the invitation was deeply offensive and calling on Major League Baseball to apologize to Catholics across America.

Pence, who is expected to announce his campaign for the Republican nomination for president next week, called the Sisters a hateful group that blatantly mocks Catholicism.

Last summer the MLB moved their All-Star Game out of Georgia over a lie about voter ID and now they are apologizing and welcoming anti-Catholic bigots back to Dodger Stadium with open arms, Pences statement continued. The MLB should not be apologizing to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, they should be apologizing to Catholics across America. Americas pastime should respect the faith of every American no matter what.

The Dodgers declined comment. Major League Baseball did not respond to a request for comment.

MLB moved the 2021 All-Star Game and Draft out of Georgia after the state passed voting restrictions thatprovided less time for voters to request absentee ballots and provided more control over the elections board to the Republican legislature, and was expected to disproportionately affect Black voters.

Since its founding in 1979, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a charity group that includes drag performers who dress as nuns and use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit, according to their website.

The Dodgers initially planned to honor the group in their Pride night plans but rescinded the invitation due to the strong feelings of people who have been offended by the sisters inclusion in our evening, and in an effort not to distract from the great benefits that we have seen over the years of Pride Night. That list of public critics included Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), who wrote a letter to MLB questioning the decision.

Our use of religious trappings is a response to those faiths whose members would condemn us and seek to strip away the rights of marginalized communities, Rosie Partridge said in a statement from the San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence after the Dodgers rescinded the invitation.

The Dodgers re-invited the organization last week after facing public pressure from LGBTQ+ advocates and local elected officials. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence issued a statement of their deep offense and outrage to the initial retraction.

Longtime Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw told The Los Angeles Times this week he disagreed with the Dodgers decision to invite the group, and that the decision accelerated his announcement that the club would be relaunching its Christian Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium on July 30. The event had already been in the works, serving as an annual part of the Dodgers promotional schedule before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that, he told the Times. This is simply a group that was making fun of a religion. That I dont agree with.

Kershaw, who declined further comment when approached by The Athletic on Tuesday, said he does not plan to boycott the Pride night.

Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams, who pitched in Los Angeles on Monday, also expressed his disapproval of the Dodgers decision in a tweet on Tuesday, saying he was deeply troubled by the Sisters inclusion and encouraging fellow Catholics to reconsider their support of an organization that allows this type of mockery of its fans to occur.

NHL Pride events sparked headlines this season as three teams the Blackhawks, Rangers and Wild declined to wear Pride jerseys during Pride night. Multiple players, including Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov and the Panthers Marc and Eric Staal, chose not to participate in their respective teams LGBTQ+ events.

(Photo: Scott Eisen / Getty Images)

Read the rest here:
Mike Pence calls Dodgers inclusion of Sisters in Pride night deeply offensive - The Athletic