Dodgers cancel plans to honor Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence during Pride celebrations

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Wednesday that it was uninviting The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence from its Pride Night celebrations at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

The team tweeted Wednesday afternoon that inviting the LGTBQIA+ group has been a "source of some controversy," saying due to this the Dodgers decided to remove the Sisters from this year's group of honorees.

"People are reacting with hate, and it is just unfortunately very typical of the climate that we see today," said Sister Roma, a long-time member of the organization. "The people who are responding this way to the sisters don't know who we are."

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a group of queer and trans nuns who have devoted themselves to community service and promoting human rights.

According to their website, they use "humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit."

"We literally save lives," Sister Roma said. "Our mission has always been to raise money for those who need it. We administer to the sick. We feed the hungry. We support queer arts and LGBTQ trans youth."

The Dodgers did not release details about what "controversy" surrounded the Sisters. However, earlier this week Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sent an open letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred criticizing the league and Dodgers for including the group in Pride Night celebrations.

Sister Roma from San Francisco's Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence tweeted she was disappointed in the team's decision.

California State Senator Scott Wiener took to Twitter to condemn the Dodgers' decision saying, "We expect more from our sports teams - even the Dodgers."

"Senator Marco Rubio and some other conservative organizations attacked the Dodgers and the Dodgers caved in," Wiener told ABC 7 news. "We support our community and we support out LGBTQ people, and this is a really sad day."

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