By Joanie Juster–
Imagine my surprise when two of my greatest loves, baseball and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, made worldwide headlines together recently.
Much has been written about the boneheaded move by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had promised to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence with a community service award at their annual Pride Night—only to rescind the honor and disinvite the Sisters after receiving pushback from right-wing extremists from outside California. Their decision to cave to the haters was shockingly rude and disrespectful toward the Sisters and to all LGBTQ+ people, and it turned out to be a major public relations nightmare for the Dodgers.
The backlash against their decision was swift, fierce, and monumental. The Dodgers heard from the community—wow, did they ever. And a few days later (on Harvey Milk’s birthday, no less) they issued a very humble public apology to the Sisters, the LGBTQ+ community, and their friends and family. They re-invited the Sisters to be on the field for their 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16 (playing the San Francisco Giants), and will be honoring them with an award for their decades of outstanding work in the community. Their public statement went on to promise “we will continue to work with our LGBTQ+ partners to better educate ourselves, find ways to strengthen the ties that bind and use our platform to support all of our fans who make up the diversity of the Dodgers family.”
It would be so easy to blow off their apology as meaningless damage control; it is always tempting to be dismissive or cynical about such a move. But this is where the story gets really interesting. The Los Angeles Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence rose above these temptations, and showed that they are professionals at playing ball themselves. After meeting with the Dodgers’ leadership, local LGBTQ+ community leaders, and government officials, they issued their own public statement, graciously accepting the Dodgers’ apology and offering to work with them going forward. They wisely negotiated a key strategic point with the Dodgers: “In the future, if similar pressures from outside our community arise, our two organizations will consult and assist each other in responding, alongside our colleagues at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and others from the LGBTQIA2S community.”
The grace and forgiveness the Sisters offered to the Dodgers organization is emblematic of their commitment to expiating guilt and promulgating joy. Instead of fighting back with hate, they saw an opportunity to educate the Dodgers and the community, and to turn a tense situation into a positive experience. They chose to set an example of how to work together to bridge differences, advocate for marginalized communities, and understand each other better. As ever, they chose to lead with love.
Sadly, extreme conservative Catholic organizations didn’t take the hint, and have responded with vicious attacks on the Sisters. One fringe group, CatholicVote, announced they were launching a $1 million campaign to boycott the Dodgers and buy billboards and ad space for a smear campaign. They call the Sisters “detestable, vile, and perverse,” and claim their whole purpose is to mock Catholic sisters.
Clearly, they neither understand nor care to understand the real work the Sisters do, but they seem to be calling for an all-out, scorched-earth war against them.
I have been a fan of the Sisters since they were founded, and have had the great honor and joy to work closely with them throughout the years. I have witnessed the extraordinary work they do in the community, and have personally experienced the blessings and comfort of their true ministry on many occasions. The work they do in the community—day after day, year after year—is important, worthwhile, and lifesaving. They deserve our respect and support. They need us to stand up for them.
How they handled this difficult situation in our deeply divided country is a lesson for us all. Defy and defuse hate by spreading joy and love.
Joanie Juster is a long-time community volunteer, activist, and ally.
Published on June 8, 2023
Recent Comments