By: Ellen Wang
Dodger Stadium has never looked so full of nothing before.
Just an hour before the big game between the Dodgers and the Giants, there was nobody in sight, save for a few begrudging fans in the stands, making for quite the depressing atmosphere.
The Sisters, Unity and Dominica, ignored the boos as they accepted their Community Hero Award medals with pride and graciousness.
Sister Unity exclaimed that “the stands were emptier than filled, but the mood was warm and happy, people were happy, people were friendly, the sun was shining, the grass was green, and now we have baseball and hot dogs, it’s L.A. at its best.”
The four-minute award ceremony was the result of weeks of controversy. After extending this invitation, the Dodgers were pressured to recall it, only to resend it once again. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a group of drag queens in nun outfits.
Outside was a completely different atmosphere, however. A group of over 1,500 Christians and Catholics joined forces outside of Dodger stadium to speak out against the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and why what they say is a blatant mockery of their faith. For example, there are recordings of one of the Sisters pole dancing on Jesus’ cross, which many people have found offensive.
With signs, posters, banners and t-shirts, they organized a rally leading up to the stadium, along with a speech on how the Dodgers should be boycotted for their outrageous actions.
Although opinions were split over the two sides, the Californian Government acknowledged one of the Sisters–Sister Roma, to be exact, as a leading figure in the LGBTQ+ community–and awarded her for her actions. The Sisters stated that they support AIDS treatment, along with many other acts of goodness for the community, and their goal is to be ‘inclusive, and loving of all’.
Even before this controversy, baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred that he didn’t agree with the idea of putting pride flags one their gear, merch, everywhere. He did not want the players to feel pressured into wearing this, but both the Giants and Dodgers didn’t care, and they smothered the flags on their heads. On their hands. Everywhere. Even if Dodger Stadium has never looked so full of nothing before.