Commentary: Big Tent Ideas

ZACK SMITH: Here’s What All Religious Americans Can Learn From The Dodgers’ Pandering To LGBTQ Radicals

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The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a hate group. There’s no other way to characterize them after listening to what they say and (unfortunately) watching some of their performances.

It’s a group of drag queens who dress up like nuns to mock Catholics and push their radical LGBTQ+ (whatever that means) pro-transgender agenda. Sam Brinton, the disgraced, non-binary, former Biden nuclear energy official and suspected airport suitcase thief, is a member. His name: Sister Ray Dee O’Active.

The offensiveness of the group’s displays run the gamut, but its most disrespectful display involves a mock crucifixion in which a drag queen gyrates around and uses a cross as the centerpiece of his pole dance routine. This isn’t a one-off event, though.

It happens every year at Easter — the highest, holiest week for Christians around the world. As if that weren’t enough, the Sisters’ festivities also include other activities like “Hunky Jesus” and “Foxy Mary” competitions, along with children’s activities. The group’s motto is “go and sin some more.”

It’s blasphemous to even think about.

Yet, this is who the Los Angeles Dodgers chose to honor with “a Community Hero Award” at a game against the San Francisco Giants on June 16. More specifically, the Dodgers chose to recognize the Sisters “for their efforts to promote human rights, diversity and spiritual enlightenment.”

Clearly, the Los Angeles Dodgers have warped definitions of heroes and of those qualities.

Upon announcing the award, the Dodgers immediately received backlash, and they appropriately — albeit belatedly — withdrew the Sisters’ invitation to participate in their Pride night event.

Not to be outdone, however, the Left applied pressure of its own, and the Dodgers quickly caved and reversed course. In a quisling statement reminiscent of something out of a struggle session, the Dodgers said:

“After much thoughtful feedback from our diverse communities, honest conversation within the Los Angeles Dodgers organization and generous discussion with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the Los Angeles Dodgers would like to offer our sincerest apologies to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, members of the LGBTQ+ community and their friends and families.”

“We have asked the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to take their place on the field at our 10th annual LGBTQ+ Pride Night on June 16^th.  We are pleased to share that they have agreed to receive the gratitude of our collective communities for the lifesaving work that they have done tirelessly for decades.”

“In the weeks ahead, 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.”

What a slap in the face to every devout Catholic — and really to every devout Christian, or anyone with any sense of decency for that matter.

Washington Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams is one such devout Catholic; he issued a statement saying that he is “deeply troubled” by the Dodgers’ decision to “invite and honor a group that makes a blatant and deeply offensive mockery of my religion, and the religion of over 4 million people in Los Angeles county alone.” He urged his fellow Catholics to “reconsider their support of an organization that allows this type of mockery of its fans to occur.”

Dodgers players also spoke up in disdain. Pitcher Clayton Kershaw registered his disapproval, and Pitcher Blake Treinen said that he is “disappointed to see the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence being honored as heroes at Dodger Stadium” because many “of their performances are blasphemous, and their work only displays hate and mockery of Catholics and the Christian faith.”

Moreover, he made clear that this “group openly mocks Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of my faith, and I want to make it clear that I do not agree with nor support the decision of the Dodger’s to ‘honor’ the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence.”

These men deserve praise. They have prioritized their faith and their principles over their careers. Not everyone in their position has had such courage. But fortunately, some have.

Take Jack Phillips for example. He’s a cake baker from Colorado. When he refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, the state told him he had to because his refusal violated Colorado’s law.  The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision, but he’s back in court again.

A transgender activist (who also is an attorney) targeted Phillips and asked him to make a cake celebrating a gender transition. When Phillips refused, the activist filed a complaint against Phillips and ultimately sued him. Sadly, the Colorado courts ruled against Phillips, and his case is now pending before that state’s supreme court.

Even if Phillips wins, he’s still lost a lot. After all, his victories will have come at great personal cost after having been persecuted for his religious beliefs for over a decade.

But the pain is the point. Comply — or else. Those who disagree will bring the full weight of our legal and cultural institutions to bear against you. It’s a position devout Christians — and people of other faiths too — are increasingly finding themselves in, making it even more important that we support them when they speak out and stand up for what they believe in.

So, what can we learn from these few brave MLB players who, like Jack Phillips, are taking a stand? Pray for the people who persecute you. Pray for the people who mock you. But stand firm in your principles.

In the meantime, we should each ask what we will do when push comes to shove. Standing strong against the mob is easy in the abstract, but it’s much harder when facing concrete consequences.

And since groups like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are now receiving awards for their heroism, we all may have to face those consequences sooner than expected.

Zack Smith is a Legal Fellow in The Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.