Pitchers Trevor Williams, Clayton Kershaw protest anti-Catholic trans group at Dodgers Pride Night

Two major League Baseball pitchers are voicing their concerns about Los Angeles Dodgers’ handling of their Pride Night because one of the groups invited has mocked the Catholic faith.

In this instance, the Washington Nationals right-hander, Trevor Williams, expressed frustration about the Dodgers’ re-invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a trans group that ridicules Catholicism to call attention to sexual intolerance.

The group, which uses religious imagery, was initially invited by the Dodgers, uninvited and then re-invited to their LGBTQ+ Pride Night.

The Nationals pitcher tweeted that he was “deeply troubled” by the Dodgers’ invitation to honor the group because of its disrespect toward the Catholic faith.

“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, undermines the values of respect and inclusivity that should be upheld by any organization,” Williams wrote.

Williams wants the Dodgers should re-think their decision because he believes the team’s invitation violates its discrimination policy, and other pitchers have joined in to show their support.

Los Angeles Dodger Clayton Kershaw also joined in, saying he also felt the group was being discriminatory.

“I don’t agree with making fun of other people’s religions,” he said. “It has nothing to do with anything other than that. I just don’t think that, no matter what religion you are, you should make fun of somebody else’s religion. So that’s something that I definitely don’t agree with,” he told the Los Angeles Times in a May 29 interview.

To remedy the problem, Kershaw has come out swinging for the team to re-launch its “Christian Faith and Family Day.”

“I think we were always going to do Christian Faith Day this year, but I think the timing of our announcement was sped up,” Kershaw toldthe Los Angeles Times. “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,” he said.

After the Los Angeles team initially rescinded their offer to invite the group, LGBTQ+ groups protested, and LA Pride said they would withdraw from participating in the team’s Pride Night.

The Dodgers then re-invited the Sisters and lauded their “lifesaving work” in a May 22 statement.

Williams has asked the Dodgers reconsider their invitation of the Sisters.

“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.”

On May 26, the Dodgers announced they would hold a Christian Faith and Family Day Event on July 30.

“Excited to announce the relaunch of Christian Faith and Family Day at Dodger Stadium on July 30th,” Kershaw tweeted on Friday. “More details to come – but we are grateful for the opportunity to talk about Jesus and determined to make it bigger and better than it was before COVID. Hope to see you on July 30th!”