On the heels of a back-and-forth controversy over the invitee list to an upcoming Pride Night event, the Dodgers have announced a relaunch of its “Christian Faith and Family Day.”
The event, which was tweeted out by star pitcher Clayton Kershaw on Friday, is set for July 30 at Dodger Stadium. Details remain unclear, but the team’s Twitter account said the game between the Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds will be part of a day of worship.
The Dodgers last held the faith-themed event in 2019, and Kershaw wrote that “we are grateful for the opportunity to talk about Jesus and determined to make it bigger and better than it was before COVID.”
The announcement comes in the wake of a controversy in which the Dodgers invited, then uninvited, then reinvited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to its 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16.
One of California’s most recognizable drag groups, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence serves as a charity, protest and satirical performance organization that uses humor, drag and religious imagery to call attention to religious intolerance and raise money for LGBTQ+ causes.
As part of the event, the team originally planned to honor the drag group’s L.A. chapter with a Community Hero Award in a pregame ceremony but quickly came under fire from conservative Catholic groups, who took umbrage at the Sisters’ nun imagery.
Soon afterward, the Dodgers uninvited the group but quickly drew more backlash — this time from Angelenos, elected officials and local LGBTQ+ groups. The team reversed course days later, reinviting the Sisters and issuing an apology. The Sisters accepted.
“We’re happy to receive it,” said Sister Unity, a founding member of the Los Angeles order. “Our community is concerned with performative allyship, but we believe this is very sincere. The Dodgers invited us to have a continuing relationship with them.”
Tickets to the Pride Night game include a rainbow-colored Dodgers jersey. The event page for the faith day on July 30 says to check back soon for details and information.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
