Ron DeSantis lied about protestors ruining LA Dodgers’ Pride Night

Florida Gov. and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis (R) claimed anti-LGBTQ+ protesters caused the Los Angeles Dodgers stadium to be “virtually empty” during the team’s Friday night Pride event. Right-wingers opposed the event because the team used the occasion to honor the drag nun activist group The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

In reality, the Dodgers’ Pride Night actually had higher attendance than the team’s average game nights.

Related:

MLB quietly forbids most teams from wearing rainbow jerseys on Pride Night

But this isn’t necessarily a victory for anti-LGBTQ+ right-wingers…

In a June 17 tweet, DeSantis wrote, “Good on the thousands who showed up at Dodger Stadium to protest this anti-Catholic hate group. The virtually empty stadium for the game itself was a powerful image – Americans are fed up with the nonsense and are fighting back.”

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His post linked to a New York Post article about the protests. The article had numerous photos of the stadium’s empty seats.

However, Twitter attached a message to DeSantis’ deceptive tweet, which said, “The photo was taken an hour before the opening pitch. The Dodgers reported attendance for June 16 was 49,074.” The number was based on the number of tickets sold rather than the unknown number of people who passed through the stadium’s turnstiles.

That didn’t stop other right-wing Twitter users from repeating DeSantis’ lie.

Good on the thousands who showed up at Dodger Stadium to protest this anti-Catholic hate group.

The virtually empty stadium for the game itself was a powerful image – Americans are fed up with the nonsense and are fighting back.https://t.co/Caabq9rNlO

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 17, 2023

No one was around to see the #Dodgers recognize an alphabet hate group at the stadium. pic.twitter.com/MWqvSBV6Ci

— CJ Grisham, Esq. 🇺🇸🏛⚖️☮️👌 (@cjgrisham) June 18, 2023

DODGER STADIUM-The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” are recognized for Pride night to a mostly empty audience.

Two Dodgers fan nearby begin loudly booing after they’re announced: pic.twitter.com/OO6NT5RIc8

— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) June 17, 2023

A group called Catholics for Catholics organized a pre-game protest that reportedly attracted “thousands” of protesters. Together, they held a “prayerful procession” outside of the stadium entrance, according to KTLA-TV.

However, the protest didn’t keep the stadium empty.

In fact, 49,074 is a pretty large number considering that Dodgers Stadium has a total of 56,000 seats — that means the Dodgers’ Pride Night event sold out over 87% of its seats. The right-wing watchdog group Meidas Touch pointed out that the teams’ Pride Night sales were higher than the stadium’s average ticket sales of 47,800.

Republicans are lying and saying Dodgers Stadium was “empty” last night during Pride Night.

Their evidence? Videos and photos taken before the game.

In reality, the game was sold out and photos and videos taken during the game show a packed house. Data shows that the Dodgers… pic.twitter.com/74asegnqqf

— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 17, 2023

It makes sense why DeSantis and other right-wingers would want to proclaim victory: It helps further the narrative that LGBTQ+-inclusive marketing is “toxic” to brands. Right-wingers have admitted that this narrative has driven their protests against Bud Light and Target’s recent queer-inclusive marketing.

Catholic conservatives claim that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence “mock” their religious faith because the group’s members dress like Catholic nuns and take on irreverent names. However, the group says its nun personas are a response to the Catholic Church’s anti-LGBTQ+ stances. The Sisters have religious members and have fundraised for marginalized groups — like people with HIV and homeless transgender youth — for decades.

“We have lots of religious people who are Sisters, from Christians, Muslims, Hindus and they also take it very seriously to be a nun,” Sister Electra Complex told KTLA. “It is not a mockery. We see being a nun as a calling, as a lifelong service to the LGBTQ community. We take all kinds of pride in our work, so it is definitely not a mockery of religion in any way. We take it very seriously.”