News

Following a letter sent by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), the Los Angeles Dodgers removed an anti-Catholic drag queen group from being recognized during the team’s Pride Night. See press highlights below. 

• @ArchCordileone: “Good question. Thank you @marcorubio for asking this.” 

• @ccpecknold: “Bravo to Senator @MarcoRubio for holding the @MLB Dodgers to account for its disgusting political embrace of anti-Catholic bigotry.”

• @RyanTAnd: “Good work @marcorubio” 

• @SohrabAhmari: “Come on, @MLB, don’t make lewd fun of nuns. It’s the lamest, tiredest, cheapest trope. Good letter from @marcorubio.” 

• @OutKick: “The Dodgers announced today that they will not be giving an award to an anti-Catholic drag group after pressure from Senator Marco Rubio and a letter to Rob Manfred. Finally, a win for sanity and common sense.”

New York Post: Los Angeles Dodgers cancel plans to honor ‘queer and trans nuns’ after uproar (Lee Brown, New York Post, 5/17/2023)

• “Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was among those who sent formal complaints to the commissioner of Major League Baseball, Robert Manfred.”

• “‘I write to ask … why you are allowing an MLB team to honor a group that mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith,’ the Republican wrote.”

• “Rubio said that ‘baseball has always been tied to our nation’s values’ — calling it ‘an outrage and a tragedy if the MLB, in pursuit of modern, secular, and indeed anti-religious “values,” rebuked that faith and the millions of believing fans who cherish the sport.’”

• “After Wednesday’s change of plans, Rubio tweeted, ‘For once, common sense prevailed in California.’”

Washington Times: Dodgers scratch award for drag queens dressed like nuns after Catholic backlash (Valerie Richardson, Washington Times, 5/17/2023)

• “The about-face came after CatholicVote, the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Republican, sent letters to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred asking him to square the decision with his previous vow to ‘keep ourselves as apolitical as possible.’”

• “Erik Braverman, Dodgers vice president of marketing, said earlier this month the team’s Pride Night was intended to ‘foster an atmosphere of acceptance for all,’ prompting Mr. Rubio to ask why the Dodgers had decided to recognize ‘a group that mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith.’”

mrcTV: LA Dodgers Blasted For Giving ‘Community Hero’ Award To the ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ (Brittany Hughes, mrcTV, 5/17/2023)

• “Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sent a letter to Commissioner Manfred asking whether the League is ‘inclusive and welcoming’ to Christians given the Dodgers bestowing an award to a group whose mission is to mock people of faith.”

Huffington Post: Dodgers Drop Drag Charity From Pride Night After Protests By Marco Rubio, Catholic Groups (Ron Dicker, Huffington Post, 5/18/2023)

• “‘Baseball has always been tied to our nation’s values, at the heart of which is faith in God,’ Rubio wrote in a letter to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. ‘It would be an outrage and a tragedy if the MLB, in pursuit of modern, secular, and indeed anti-religious “values,” rebuked that faith and the millions of believing fans who cherish the sport.’”

The Catholic Telegraph: Dodgers Disinvite Anti-catholic Drag Performers From Pride Night After Backlash (Joe Bukuras, The Catholic Telegraph, 5/17/2023) 

• “Cordileone tweeted again on Wednesday supporting Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s letter to the commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB) asking why the league is honoring ‘a group that mocks Christians through diabolical parodies of our faith.’” 

Fox News: Dodgers draw mixed reactions after severing ties with anti-Catholic drag organization (Ryan Morik, Fox News, 5/17/2023)  

• “The Dodgers were going to include the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (SPI) in their June 16 Pride Night celebration. But after Sen. Marco Rubio wrote a letter to MLB regarding the group’s anti-Christian sentiments, the team has backtracked.”

OutKick: Dodgers Remove Award From Anti-catholic Drag Group After Letter From Marco Rubio (Ian Miller, OutKick, 5/17/2023) 

• “Senator Marco Rubio helped bring the Dodgers’ absurd plans to light in a letter earlier this week. Rubio sent the letter directly to Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred expressing his concerns.” 

The Blaze: Sen. Rubio and Catholics blast MLB over Dodgers’ plan to honor bigoted LGBT activist group that ‘intentionally mocks and degrades Christians’ (Joseph MacKinnon, The Blaze, 5/17/2023) 

• “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and a number of Catholic groups are putting Major League Baseball on blast over the Los Angeles Dodgers’ plan to honor an anti-Catholic group of radical transvestites who routinely mock Christians.” 

The Federalist Papers: You’re Out!: LA Dodgers Suffer Huge Backlash, Remove Anti-Catholic Group from LGBTQ Pride Event (Steve Straub, The Federalist Papers, 5/17/2023) 

• “Rubio had previously criticized the decision, saying, ‘It would be an outrage and a tragedy if the MLB, in pursuit of modern, secular, and indeed anti-religious “values,” rebuked that faith and the millions of believing fans who cherish the sport.’” 

The Washington Examiner: Dodgers nix award to anti-Catholic transgender nuns after backlash (Jeremiah Poff, The Washington Examiner, 5/17/2023) 

• “The announcement comes after the MLB team faced criticism from Catholic organizations and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who accused the team of normalizing and perpetuating anti-Catholic bigotry by presenting its Community Hero Award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of self-professed ‘queer and trans nuns.’ The award presentation was planned for the team’s Pride Night on June 16.”

Religious News Service: Dodgers remove ‘queer and trans nuns’ from Pride Night amid Catholic pushback (Alejandra Molina, Religious News Service, 5/18/2023) 

• “Among those who took offense were Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and members of Catholic Vote, who submitted letters to the Dodgers organization and to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles on Twitter shared a Catholic League statement condemning the Dodgers.”

NBC News: LA Pride drops out of Dodgers’ Pride Night after the team disinvites drag troupe (David K. Li, NBC News, 5/18/2023)

• “Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., had complained to the Major League Baseball this week about the Dodgers’ honoring the group. In a letter to the MLB commissioner posted on his website, he called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence an ‘anti-Catholic’ group with members ‘who mock the faith’ and encourage ‘perversion of Jesus’s command to ‘go, and sin no more.’”

USA Today: Dodgers cancel plans to honor controversial LGBTQ+ group on Pride Night (Steve Gardner, USA Today, 5/18/2023)

• “U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) recently joined the criticism, writing a letter of complaint to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and questioning whether the Dodgers and MLB are being ‘inclusive and welcoming’ to Christians.”

News4JAX: LA Dodgers uninvite LGBTQ+ charity to annual pride night over Marco Rubio’s protest (Elizabeth Hunter, News4JAX, 5/18/2023) 

• “On Monday, Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to the MLB commissioner questioning whether the league is inclusive and welcoming to Christians. The senator says the LGBTQ+ charity mocks Roman Catholic nuns.” 

PJ Media: Grand Slam: Dodgers Drop Nun Drag Troupe From Pride Night Honorees (Kevin Downey Jr., PJ Media, 5/18/2023)

• “The rumpus began when two Catholic organizations — and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — voiced their displeasure at the drag troupe’s stage routines which they deemed disrespectful to Catholics everywhere.” 

• “‘The “sisters” are men who dress in lewd imitation of Roman Catholic nuns,” Rubio blasted. ‘The group’s motto, “go and sin some more,” is a perversion of Jesus’s command to “go, and sin no more.” The group’s Easter ceremony features children’s programming followed by a drag show where adult performers dress in blasphemous imitation of Jesus and Mary.’”

Breitbart News: LGBTQ ‘Nuns’ Disinvited from Dodgers’ Pride Celebration After Complaints (Elaine Mallon, Breitbart News, 5/18/2023)

• “The Dodgers disinvited an ‘order’ of queer and trans ‘nuns’ from their Pride Night celebration after several Catholic organizations and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) pointed out the organization’s irreverent nature.”

New York Times: Dodgers Face Backlash After Rescinding Pride Night Invitation (Scott Miller, New York Times, 5/18/2023) 

• “The decision, which has led to several groups pulling out of the event in protest, came about after heavy pressure from conservative Catholic organizations, including the Catholic League and CatholicVote, and after Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, wrote a letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred questioning whether the inclusion of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence would be ‘inclusive and welcoming to Christians.’”

Daily Mail: Dodgers drop plans to honor ‘Catholic hate-group’ The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on its June Pride Night after a backlash led by Marco Rubio (Jack Bezantis, Daily Mail, 5/18/2023) 

• “The Los Angeles Dodgers have uninvited charity drag group ‘The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ from its pride night in June after a backlash led by senator Marco Rubio over perceived anti-Christian sentiments.”

The Tampa Free Press: L.A. Dodgers Yank Invitation To Pride Event From Anti-Christian Group After Backlash (Liam Edgar, The Tampa Free Press, 5/18/2023)

• “Earlier this week, Sen. Marco Rubio and other Catholics wanted the head of Major League Baseball to explain whether it really is ‘inclusive’ to openly embrace left-wing groups that smear Christians, especially Roman Catholics.” 

CNN: Dodgers uninvite drag charity group to Pride Night due to backlash, incite further backlash (AJ Willingham, CNN, 5/18/2023)

• “Bill Donahue, the president of the Catholic League, an organization that says it protects religious and civil rights, released a statement calling the Dodgers’ decision ‘anti-Catholic hate speech.’ Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio wrote a letter to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred questioning if the decision was ‘‘inclusive and welcoming’ to Christians.’”

AP: Los Angeles Dodgers remove gay ‘nun’ group from Pride Night (AP, 5/18/2023)

• “In a letter to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said the sisters dress in ‘lewd imitation’ of nuns.”

• “‘Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being “inclusive and welcoming to everyone” by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians—and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others? the Florida Republican wrote.”

Daily Signal: LA Dodgers Remove ‘Anti-Catholic Hate Group’ From ‘Pride Night’ After Public Backlash (Abigail Olsson, Daily Signal, 5/19/2023) 

• “Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., sent a letter to Major League Baseball on May 15, sharing his opposition and posing several questions. In one question, he pointed out the group’s hypocritical actions. ‘Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being “inclusive and welcoming to everyone” by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians — and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others?’ he asked.”

The Hill: Dodgers facing backlash after disinviting LGBTQ group from Pride Night (Julia Shapero, The Hill, 5/19/2023)

• “The decision comes after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) sent a letter to the Major League Baseball commissioner on Monday, objecting to the group’s award.”

• “‘Do you believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers are being “inclusive and welcoming to everyone” by giving an award to a group of gay and transgender drag performers that intentionally mocks and degrades Christians—and not only Christians, but nuns, who devote their lives to serving others?’ Rubio said.”