- Many of the Major League Baseball teams are looking to celebrate Pride Month in June, with multiple hosting drag shows, rainbow walks and LGBTQ-themed fireworks.
- The events have come under scrutiny after the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they would be honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an anti-Catholic group of queer “nuns” that regularly mock Christians.
- “I am disappointed to see the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium,” Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Blake Treinen wrote in a statement.
Dozens of Major League Baseball (MLB) teams are planning for their annual Pride Night this month, and several are going the extra mile with drag shows, rainbow walks and LGBTQ scholarships.
The Los Angeles Dodgers came under fire recently after it was revealed that the team would be inviting an anti-Catholic group of queer and trans “nuns” as the guests of honor during the team’s planned Pride event. Out of 30 teams, 29 are set to hold a Pride Night event — the lone holdout being the Texas Rangers — filled with Pride jerseys, drag queen pregames, rainbow walks and even LGBTQ scholarships, according to the event pages. (RELATED: MLB Pitcher Slams LA Dodgers For Honoring ‘Anti-Catholic’ LGBT Group: ‘Mockery Of My Religion’)
The Kansas City Royals are hosting their event on June 16 during their game with the Los Angeles Angles, but beforehand, the pregame will feature the “Divas of Hamburger Mary’s,” with the five drag queens — Genewa Stanwyck, Jaharia, Minti Varieties, EV and Candice Marie — from a local restaurant known for its drag brunches and dinners.
“June is Pride Month, and the Royals are delighted to recognize love and community at Pride Night on June 16th,” the event page reads. “Grab your friends and join us for this special night of summer baseball, celebration, and festivities, featuring the Divas of Hamburger Mary’s. The pregame show will run from 5:45 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the Hall of Fame tent (inside Gate A) and you’ll receive an exclusive KC Pride Flag with the purchase of your theme ticket.”
The following night, the Arizona Diamondbacks will be handing out pride-themed fanny packs, according to the team’s event page. If D-Backs baseball fans purchase a “special event ticket” they will also be able to participate in the pregame Rainbow Walk, where fans can walk around the field’s warning track with pride flags, streamers and other paraphernalia.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is celebrated in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)
On the east coast, the New York Yankees are looking to honor high school seniors through the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship for Seniors and GSA Documentation initiative, which was started in 2019 to commemorate the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. During a pregame ceremony on June 21, five students will each be awarded a $10,000 scholarship to celebrate their “academic achievement and impactful support of the LGBTQ community.”
The students must have demonstrated “commitment to equality, leadership in the area of LGTBQ support, and made significant contributions to the LGTBQ community.”
The team is also offering a “special events package” that comes with a hat emblazoned with a Yankees Pride logo and a meal included, according to the event page.
Ohio fans have an opportunity to join in the festivities at the Cleveland Guardians on June 9, where former Guardians player T.J. House, who came out as gay in 2022, and transgender high school athlete Ember Zelch will throw ceremonial first pitches, according to the event page. The game will conclude with a fireworks show with a “‘Pride in the CLE’ soundtrack, which was curated in partnership with the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been in the news for the past few weeks due to a decision to honor the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group that regularly mocks Catholics by doing drag show performances of the crucifixion and dressing as queer “nuns.” After backlash from Catholics, the Dodgers rescinded the invitation but later announced that they would proceed as planned and give SPI an award for their work with the LGBTQ community during the team’s Pride Night on June 16.
Several baseball players have come out in opposition to the decision, including two of the Dodgers’ pitchers, Clayton Kershaw and Blake Treinen. Kershaw responded to the news by announcing that the team would also be hosting the Christian Faith and Family Day on July 30 to “talk about Jesus.”
Treinen issued a statement expressing his disappointment that the Dodgers would honor a group that “mocks Jesus Christ.”
“I am disappointed to see the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium,” Treinen wrote. “Many of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith … this group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with or support the decision of the Dodgers to ‘honor’ the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.”
The Yankees did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The Dodgers, Guardians, Royals and Diamondbacks could not be reached for comment.
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