Rejected Rubio ad rips Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence as 'bigots'
An ad from Sen. Marco Rubio’s Reclaim America PAC shows imagery of the anti-Catholic drag group to be honored during Friday night's Los Angeles Dodgers game. (Reclaim America PAC)
EXCLUSIVE: A TV ad slamming an anti-Catholic drag group has been rejected from playing during the Los Angeles Dodgers game where the controversial group is set to receive the team’s "Community Hero Award."
An adviser to Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said his Reclaim America PAC had reserved the 30-second, in-game spot last Friday for the ad to play during the Dodgers' game against the San Francisco Giants on Spectrum SportsNet LA. It said the ad was delivered to the network on Tuesday but was later rejected without explanation.
The Dodgers faced massive backlash from all political sides last month after caving to pressure and reversing a decision to rescind an invitation for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a nonprofit performance group that features drag queens dressed as nuns. The group’s invitation was reinstated, and they are now expected to be honored on the field of Dodger Stadium at Pride Night this Friday.
"The Dodgers are honoring an anti-Catholic hate group as community heroes, but they're afraid of airing an ad showing these so-called sisters out in the community," Rubio told Fox News Digital. "It tells you everything you need to know about the Dodgers, Major League Baseball, and the media. They are no longer demanding tolerance, they now promote intolerance and even hatred of Christianity."
An ad from Sen. Marco Rubio’s Reclaim America PAC shows imagery of an anti-Catholic drag group. (Reclaim America PAC)
CATHOLIC BISHOPS TORCH THE DODGERS FOR HONORING SISTERS OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE DRAG NUN GROUP
The rejected ad shows clips of the group, including footage of a dancer using a crucifix with an individual depicting Jesus Christ attached to it as a stripper pole.
"Tonight the Dodgers aren't celebrating pride, they are promoting bigotry," Rubio says in the ad. "The so-called Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are not community heroes. They are nothing more than an anti-Catholic hate group."
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., leaves the Senate Chamber following a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on May 10, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence attend a memorial service in Orlando, Florida, on June 19, 2016. (Spencer Platt)
"For years, the so-called Sisters have desecrated the Catholic faith," he continues. "Their acts are grotesque and mock the faith of millions in Los Angeles, including many of the players and coaches on the field tonight. Honoring anti-Christian bigots isn't tolerance. It is a celebration of hatred."
The ad comes after Rubio and others first successfully pressured the Dodgers to withdraw an invitation to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, but the decision didn’t stick. The LGBTQ community went into an uproar, and the Dodgers eventually apologized, promising to "better educate ourselves" on LGBTQ issues.
According to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence website, they are a "leading-edge Order of queer and trans nuns" that fundraise for AIDS/HIV prevention and other LGBTQ-related issues.
"We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty," the website states. "We use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit."
The group issued a statement accepting the Dodgers’ apology after meeting with team CEO Stan Kasten and state and local lawmakers.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement Monday calling the Dodgers’ reversal "blasphemy."
"This year, on June 16 — the day of the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus — a professional baseball team has shockingly chosen to honor a group whose lewdness and vulgarity in mocking our Lord, His Mother, and consecrated women cannot be overstated," their statement read. "This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere; it is blasphemy."
"It has been heartening to see so many faithful Catholics and others of good will stand up to say that what this group does is wrong, and it is wrong to honor them," the bishops added. "We call on Catholics to pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart on June 16, offering this prayer as an act of reparation for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today."
The MLB and Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum SportsNet LA, did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment.
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Fox News' Emmett Jones contributed to this report.
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