Hundreds of Catholics, other Christians and others standing in solidarity showed up to protest outside the Dodgers’ Pride Night promotion on Friday night. The protest represented the climax of a weeks-long controversy stemming from the team’s decision to honor the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” a drag group known for performing sexualized mockeries of the Catholic faith, including the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
While the stadium eventually filled up, the pre-game ceremony where the group was honored failed to draw many fans at all. Footage shot by on-the-ground reporter Savanah Hernandez shows that the stadium was largely a ghost town during the ceremony while a number of fans loudly booed when the group’s name was announced.
DODGER STADIUM-The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” are recognized for Pride night to a mostly empty audience.
Two Dodgers fan nearby begin loudly booing after they’re announced: pic.twitter.com/OO6NT5RIc8
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) June 17, 2023
The Dodgers have posted some of the league’s best attendance figures over the past decade, so the stadium did appear to fill out by gametime. Many have questioned why the team stayed so committed to honoring the group given such minimal interest in the pre-game ceremony, however.
Outside the stadium, hundreds of protesters showed up to voice their frustration nearly 4.5 hours before gametime. Protesters shut down the main entrance to the stadium on Vin Scully Avenue. “They are now lining the sidewalks and have taken over the entire block,” Hernandez reported.
The protesters carried religious relics, flags and signs, many of which were in Spanish. A Jewish rabbi even attended the event to stand in solidarity with Christians, saying ““If you are anti-Catholic, you’re anti-religion, you’re anti-God, I got a problem with that.”
“If you are anti-Catholic, you’re anti-religion, you’re anti-God, I got a problem with that”
A Jewish rabbi speaks in solidarity with the Catholics outside of Dodger Stadium. The crowd has exponentially grown in size and more people are still continuing to arrive: pic.twitter.com/6WiYRIWZvp
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) June 16, 2023
BREAKING: Thousands of Catholics have shut down the main entrance to Dodger Stadium on Vin Scully avenue in protest of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence being honored tonight.
They are now lining the sidewalks and have taken over the entire block: pic.twitter.com/F5CSDvuap8
— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) June 17, 2023
Friday night’s protest was the culmination of a weeks-long controversy after the Dodgers went back on initial plans to exclude the group and opted to not only re-invite, but honor the group. The move sparked outrage among Catholics, many of whom called for a boycott of the team unless they reversed their decision.
This sentiment was echoed by a number of MLB players, including Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams, who called for an outright boycott of the team. Dodgers pitcher Blake Trienen also condemned the decision made by his own team and called on them to rescind their invitation.
Friday’s protests went ahead without an endorsement from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as well. In a memo to priests and deacons of the San Fernando pastoral region last week, Bishop Gerald Wilkerson stressed that planned protests against the team do not have the backing of the archdiocese. “I am aware that some groups are planning various kinds of protests regarding the Dodgers Pride Night. Please note that none of these has the backing or approval of the Los Angeles Archdiocese,” Wilkerson wrote.
Despite the lack of endorsement, the crowd still showed up in force.