Drag nuns and dramatic bishops
Pride month special: What the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence get right about Catholic faith
The editors at Sojourners asked me to weigh in on the kerfuffle involving the Sisters of Perpetual indulgence and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which is a crossover I never could have conceived in my wildest imagination. If you read my last book The Defiant Middle, you might remember I have a long-standing interest in the secret queer histories of Catholicism (and if you haven’t yet read it, our overlord Jeff Bezos has marked it down to a very affordable price).
So, in honor of Pride month, here’s a snippet from my Sojourners essay. You can read the whole thing at this link. And if anyone sees someone dressed as St. Wilgefortis at a Pride event, please let me know.
In the Venn diagram of sports and religion, there is no easy overlap. Early in May, the professional baseball team the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they would be giving a community service award to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a group of “drag nuns” who began ministering to people with AIDS decades ago, and who continue to work with the LGBTQ+ community today.
The reaction from conservatives was operatic in scale, with everyone from Sen. Marco Rubio (R.-Fla) to Bishop Robert Barron decrying the invitation. Barron went so far as to refer to the Sisters as an “anti-Catholic hate group.” In other cases, conservatives called the decision “disrespectful” to Catholic nuns. But when the Dodgers rescinded the invitation on May 17, the outrage from liberals was equally strong. Openly gay California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D.-Calif.) praised the Sisters’ “lifesaving work,” and pressure against the Dodgers’ disinvitation was so widespread that team management issued an apology and reinvited the Sisters to the stadium.
As Pride month begins, it’s worth reflecting on some facts about Catholic history that have been lost in the finger pointing. Historically, there have been many Catholics who have pushed back against gender norms. But like modern conservatives who focus on the outrageous aspects of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence while ignoring the group’s tireless work caring for the sick, homeless, and poor, the Catholic hierarchy has also attempted to mute the stories of gender-nonconforming people throughout its history. And in doing so, the church hierarchy has often ignored the acts of mercy so central to Catholic teaching.