Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw and Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams criticized the former’s Los Angeles Dodgers for holding a Pride Night event that will include a popular satirical drag troupe.
The Dodgers earlier this month rescinded his invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to the team’s annual LGBTQ Pride event on June 16, before doing a second 180 and reinviting the decades-old charitable group of performers, who describe themselves as a «vanguard Order of Queer and Trans Nuns.»
But instead of ending the feud, the Dodgers’ invitation, rejection and recommitment to the Sisters has apparently sparked anger between the two high-profile players, who believe the group is anti-Catholic.
«As a devout Catholic, I am deeply concerned by the Dodgers’ decision to once again invite and honor ‘The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’ at their Pride Night this year,» Williams said in a statement. statement tuesday. «To invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion and the religion of more than 4 million people in Los Angeles County. By itself, it undermines the values of respect and inclusion that any organization should uphold.»
Representatives for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence He could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Last week, at Kershaw’s behestthe Dodgers hastily scheduled a «Day of Christian Faith and Family» at Dodger Stadium on July 30.
The Christian event had been held regularly at Dodger Stadium, with Kershaw as lead organizer, until 2019. It hadn’t been held since the pandemic, and Kershaw said he was set to relaunch the event this year, speeding up planning once it was over. her team went ahead with Pride Night with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
“I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was rushed,” Kershaw told the Los Angeles Times earlier this week. “Picking a date and doing those different things was also part of it. Yes, it was in response to the recognition of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (by the Dodgers).»
Kershaw, a surefire Hall of Fame left-handed pitcher, insisted he has no other issue with the LGBTQ community and will not boycott his team’s June 16 date with the San Francisco Giants.
“This has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community or Pride or anything like that,” said Kershaw, a suburban Dallas native. «This is simply a group making fun of a religion I don’t agree with.»
Williams went a step further than Kershaw and called on Catholics to think twice before endorsing the Dodgers, one of baseball’s oldest and most storied franchises.
«I also encourage my fellow Catholics to reconsider their support for an organization that allows this type of mockery of its fans to happen,» Williams, a san diego native, saying. «I know I am not alone in my frustration, pain and disappointment over this situation.»
Also on Tuesday Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Anthony Bass apologized for asking consumers and their social media followers not to patronize companies, such as Target and Bud Light, that support LGBTQ rights.
“I acknowledge that I made a post yesterday that was hurtful to the Pride community, which includes my friends and close family members,” Bass said in a statement read to reporters, before the toronto game against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. «I’m really sorry about that.»
Bass said he spoke to his teammates about his social media post and vowed to «educate himself.»
“Right now, I am using Blue Jays resources to better educate myself and make better decisions going forward.” he said lowto suburban Detroit native. “The stadium is for everyone. We include all the fans in the stadium. We want to welcome everyone. That’s all I have to say.»
A representative for Major League Baseball could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday and a spokesman for the MLB Players Association, the union that represents players, declined to discuss the matter.