The Los Angeles Dodgers’ Pride Night arrived on Friday, with the presence of protesters and police that one would expect after weeks of controversy surrounding the guests invited to the event.
The Dodgers came under fire from Catholic and conservative figures when they announced they would be giving an award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of people who dress in drag like nuns who were among the first people to offer support to AIDS patients at a time. when such help was sorely needed.
The team reacted to the backlash by uninviting the Pride Night sisters, which prompted opposing backlash from their other Pride Night partners. He eventually apologized and invited the Sisters back, prompting further condemnation from former Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio.
Many, including longtime Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, have criticized the sisters for supposedly mocking Catholicism by dressing up as nuns, which the organization is doing to protest the church’s treatment. to the LGBTQ+ community.
The end result of the controversy was a “prayer procession” held in a parking lot outside Dodger Stadium before the Pride Night game, which ended up closing the stadium’s main gate.
A similar but smaller scene unfolded two years ago when anti-vaccination protesters targeted the team’s mass vaccination site in 2021.
The actual content of the protest would have been confusing, rather than an outright condemnation of the sisters’ method of protest. Members of the far-right group the Proud Boys were would have present, while two participants says Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle they didn’t know if they were protesting the Sisters, Pride Night, or both. Among the statements lobbed through the megaphone were “You either have a penis or a vagina” And “Stay away from our children.”
Alex Villanueva, a former Los Angeles County sheriff ousted in the last election after a litany of scandals, was among the speakers.
There was a strong police presence throughout the sceneas well as on the field, where the Dodgers presented their award to the Sisters in front of a nearly empty stadium about an hour before the first pitch.
Speaking to reporters before the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke in favor of Pride Night, according to The Athletic:
“To me, it’s an existential question for me,” Roberts said Friday, donning a Pride-themed Dodgers hat. “It’s a big overriding question in the sense that my parents raised me to love everyone. Respect everyone. Treat people the way you’d want to be treated. We’re not always going to agree on the everyone’s decisions in life. That’s how the world works. And that’s okay. I think we should all still be able to coexist.
“To me, that always comes down to loving everyone, and as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, a baseball team, I welcome – we welcome everyone who walks through these doors in support of our ball club.”
Roberts said Dodgers players “had conversations” about the event, while San Francisco Giants manager Gabe Kapler said he and many of his players were “very proud to wear the colors of pride tonight.”