Dodgers Apologize, Reinvite Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to Pride Night

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be honored as part of the Los Angeles Dodgers' June 16 Pride Night after all.

Los Angeles released a statement Monday revealing as much and offering apologies after initially disinviting the charity organization:

"After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversations with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussions with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and family.

"We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16. We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades."

AJ Willingham of CNN noted the Dodgers' original plans for Pride Night included presenting the group with the team's Community Hero Award.

As Willingham noted, the group is well known for its charity work, has raised money for breast cancer survivors, promotes safe sex and did critical work to help people during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s and 1990s.

Yet much of the conservative backlash to the Pride Night celebration focused on the inclusion of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and their use of Catholic imagery. Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio even wrote a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred criticizing the choice to recognize the group.

In response to such backlash, the Dodgers released a statement on Wednesday that said, in part, "Given 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, we are deciding to remove them from this year's group of honorees."

Organizations such as LA Pride and the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California responded to that decision by saying they will not attend Pride Night in support of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

"The Dodgers, which broke the color line in baseball in 1947 by signing Jackie Robinson, were champions of inclusion," ACLU Southern California wrote. "Seventy-six years later, they take a giant step backward banning a long-standing drag charity."

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence also released a statement that said, "The Dodgers capitulated in response to hateful and misleading information from people outside their community, who target not only the LGBTQ++ community but also women's autonomy over their bodies, people and communities of color, and other faiths and nationalities."

Yet the Dodgers have reversed course and will once again honor the group.

Willingham provided some context to the criticism the group has received, noting "the nun habits and crosses they don are recognized by LGBTQ communities as commentary on the fact the Roman Catholic Church considers homosexuality a sin and does not affirm or ordain openly LGBTQ people."

The Dodgers will face the rival San Francisco Giants during their Pride Night celebration.