Why Celebrating the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Was a Step Too Far

For many years I have been saying that LGBTQ+ activists will overplay their hand, resulting in a moral and cultural revolution in the opposite direction. The May 31 headline story on Drudge Report, “War on Pride,” replete with a “No” graphic to two men, says it all. The accompanying headlines read, “Anti-Target Rap Tops iTunes,” “Revolt on Chick-Fil-A,” “Bud Light Sales Down 30%” and “Gays Leaving Florida.”

Drudge also could have added some of the backlash to the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrating the Catholic-mocking Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to the list. This was yet another step too far.

The pushback is accelerating, and for good reason.

Of course, to those (or to you) who identify as LGBTQ+ (and to LGBTQ+ allies), all this is the latest manifestation of hatred and bigotry, and people like me are leading the homophobic, biphobic, transphobic charge. We are haters and bigots in your eyes, narrow-minded, uncaring, religious fundamentalists, moral hypocrites who are obsessed with people who do not conform to our norm.

Yes, I get it. And yes, it grieves me that millions of Americans who get up in the morning and go to work and school and take care of their families—everyday people living normal lives—will feel hurt and personally attacked by the very pushback that I celebrate. That gives me no joy or sense of triumph.

But that’s the whole point.

It is not bigotry or hatred that drives me (and others of like mind). It is the incessant, unavoidable, ever-increasing attack on our most basic human values that drives us.

It is bombarding toddlers and young children with the idea that they could be a boy one day and a girl the next.

It is female students fearing to use their own school bathrooms because of the presence of boys who identify as girls.

It is males competing against females in athletic competitions and men wearing women’s swimsuits in ads.

It is drag queens not only reading books to little children but shaking their hips (and worse) in their presence, even to the point of physical touching.

It is the chemical castration and genital mutilation of minors.

It is educators and school counselors undermining family values and going behind parents’ backs.

It is forcing a radical agenda on those who disagree and penalizing them for their failure to comply.

It is celebrating extremist, deeply offensive groups like the anti-Catholic Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. (If you want to see how offensive they can be, not just to Catholics but to all Christians, check out this short video, which I won’t even describe here.)

The fact is that most of the same Americans who are pushing back today have been extremely tolerant and quite patient for many years. But now they are saying, “Enough is enough.”

Think of baseball players like the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (one of the top pitchers in baseball); Trevor Williams of the Washington Nationals, also a pitcher; and Kershaw’s Dodgers colleague Blake Treinen, another pitcher (and former All Star).

All of them are speaking out against the Dodgers’ decision to invite, then, after disinviting, to reinvite and even celebrate the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at a June Pride Night event.

But this is what you have to remember: They endured years of LGBTQ+ Pride nights without speaking out. They didn’t rock the boat, even though they might have been personally offended. It was only when the activists went a step too far. That’s when they spoke out.

As Treinen said, “I understand that playing baseball is a privilege and not a right. My convictions in Jesus Christ will always come first. Since I have been with the Dodgers, they have been at the forefront of supporting a wide variety of groups.

“However, inviting the Sister’s of Perpetual Indulgence to perform disenfranchises a large community and promotes hate of Christians and people of faith. This single event alienates the fans and supporters of the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and professional sports.”

In the words of Kershaw, explaining why the Dodgers will hold a special night to celebrate Christian faith, “I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up. Picking a date and doing those different things was part of it as well. Yes, it was in response to the highlighting of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence [by the Dodgers].”

And in the words of Williams, “I believe it is essential for the Dodgers to reconsider their association with this group and strive to create an inclusive environment that does not demean or disrespect the religious beliefs of any fan or employee. I also encourage my fellow Catholics to reconsider their support of an organization that allows this type of mockery of its fans to occur.”

This is entirely reasonable, and there is nothing hateful or bigoted in these statements. Not in the least.

Can you imagine the uproar if the Dodgers honored a group of white supremacists wearing blackface and called “The Brothers in the Hood”?

Or a group of Gentile antisemites wearing Hasidic Jewish garb and called “The Rabbis of the Foreskin”?

Or a group of gay-hating women dressed as effeminate men and called “The Swishers”?

Or a group of Islamophobes dressed as imams carrying AK-47s and called “Allah’s Holy Messengers”?

These scenarios are so absurd as to be completely unimaginable. Yet, as the inevitable result of decades of LGBTQ+ activism, the Dodgers are celebrating and honoring nun-mocking, Catholic-despising, drag queens.

Too many lines have been crossed, and activists and their allies have overplayed their hands.

That is why the pushback will continue. We will not be silent, and we will not be put in the closet. And no matter what our ideological adversaries think, we will continue to love our neighbors even while rejecting some of their agendas.

On with the revolution. {eoa}

Dr. Michael Brown (askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is “The Political Seduction of the Church: How Millions of American Christians Have Confused Politics with the Gospel.” Connect with him on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.