Do LGBTQ people really need allies like

the Dodgers?

Team displayed homophobia by caving to ubio’s bullying

On Wednesday of this week I reported Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio issued a statement on Monday that condemned the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise for a scheduled “Community Hero Award” to be given to the LA Chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag group during Pride month in June.

By Wednesday, the Dodgers folded and walked away from a total commitment to the L T community by “uninviting” The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence ludicrously claiming that the team felt it would be better to hold Dodger Pride Night without the “controversial” elements that honoring the drag group raised.

Let’s consider this for a moment, just the optics for example, a senior vice president of the team is openly gay AN married. n addition to that, one of the team’s minority owners is — wait for it — a LESBIAN! The team would rather cater to the manufactured rage of the conservatives, not wishing to offend the faithful of a religious group whose priests have been convicted of molesting thousands of children over multiple centuries, mostly male victims, rather than honor a drag group with a long established record of charity and philanthropic efforts Oh and NO record of molesting kids either.)

have published the understandable and ustifiable anger and critique by community leaders in Los Angeles and beyond. The Los Angeles LGBT Center’s CEO noted in his statement:

“ uckling to pressure from out-of-state, right-wing fundamentalists, the odgers caved to a religious minority that is perpetuating a false narrative about L T people. They have been fed lies about the Sisters of Perpetual ndulgence, and have therefore contributed to the ongoing, anti-L T smear campaign happening in this country. n a year where over pieces of anti-L T legislation are on the books many of them targeting freedom of speech, expression, and the bodily autonomy of our community the fight for L T rights is as critical as ever, and unfortunately the Dodgers chose to bow to the religious right rather than stand with our LGBTQ community.”

As I write these words, Texas lawmakers are considering yet another bill banning drag or severely limiting the ability of drag performers to practice their art, that state joining the dozen plus other states that have banned or are considering bans on drag performances.

This year has seen attacks on drag, attacks on trans healthcare, attacks on LGBTQ kids, book bans, a plethora of hate yet here in California, in Los Angeles no less, even with the aforementioned senior staff and owners being L T themselves, the odgers are tossing the LGBTQ community, its people, and THEIR fans out on the rubbish heap because of fake rage by people who don’t even live in LA. Seriously hy even bother holding a Pride night ou either back us entirely or you don’t. And if you don’t ell then recommend that LGBTQ baseball fans and our community allies consider cheering for and backing the Angels, the Padres, the Oakland Athletics, or the Giants.

My message to the Dodgers is simple: Screw you if you cannot support people who are in a battle for their very existence every. single.day ou are displaying what can rightly be considered outright homophobia. ou literally are allowing the L T community to be bullied. eally Honestly ou all suck.

(Note: After this piece was originally published online, the Dodgers reversed course on Monday and reinstated the invitation to The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.)

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ISAAC AMEND (HE/HIM/HIS)

is a trans man and young professional in the D.C. area. He was featured on National Geographic’s ‘Gender Revolution’ in 2017 as a student at Yale University. Amend is also on the board of the LGBT Democrats of Virginia. Find him on Instagram @isaacamend.