Sister Shalita Corndog isn't your everyday nun — but she has the same dedication to love and community

• The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are an order of LGBTQ+ nuns
• Earlier this year, they were enmeshed in controversy at a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are a unique group of nuns drawn into the spotlight for their sometimes controversial celebrations — but what many have yet to learn about is their community work and love for both critics and fans.

They're an order of LGBTQ+ nuns founded in San Francisco in 1979 with a lengthy history of community service to the LGBTQ+ community, especially during the initial decades of the AIDS crisis.

In June, they made headlines again when the Los Angeles Dodgers invited them to receive a community award, uninvited them after conservative backlash, and reinvited them after backlash from the LGBTQ+ community.

While the Sisters received an award at a June 16 Dodgers game, protests led by various Catholic community groups took place outside the stadium. The actions were seemingly attended by members of the Proud Boys and well-known far-right figures, as well as ex-LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. At its peak, the protest grew to nearly 2,000 people, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Despite the incident, Sister Shalita Corndog, a member of the group's board of directors — known out of habit as Juliano Innocenti, a psychiatric nurse practitioner — said in an interview with Business Insider she wanted to move away from dichotomies of "us and them."

Corndog said the Sisters weren't upset about the situation with the Dodgers from the outset.

"We don't do things for public accolade," she said. "We never have, we never will. It's not who we are."

Outside of the incident, the Sisters have received ample criticism from people who think they're an anti-Catholic group. According to Corndog, that's not the case at all — and they don't consider themselves an order of Catholic nuns.

"The Sisters bring light and satire and humor, not to make fun of any religion or religious faith, quite the opposite. We respect them," Corndog said. "What we make light of is the hate-filled rhetoric that spouts from some of these, and I think that gets misinterpreted often by the public."

She said part of their mission is to "promulgate universal joy" and "expiate stigmatic guilt," or the guilt rooted in the human condition in general.

This part of the mission is more difficult since some people carry "painful wounds" from the rhetoric they've heard or experienced in faith communities, Corndog said.

"You're taught that God loves you, that you're surrounded by guardian angels that protect you, that watch over you in the night, very beautiful comforting messages — but then they sneak in at the end of that, 'as long as you're heterosexual,'" she said. "What the sisters do is we make it okay to separate that hate-filled rhetoric from the core faith and belief that that person was connected to."

She also said that while some actions of the Sisters are well-publicized, like their "Hunky Jesus" or "Foxy Mary" costume competitions, other activities, like the Sisters' work with the unhoused and those with substance abuse disorders, or their efforts to connect with lonely or suffering people in their communities, are often overlooked.

Despite their charitable work, the Sisters receive hate mail daily from across the country, Corndog said, which often includes violent and homophobic threats.

"I think the way to confront this kind of hate and divide is in a most loving, divine way. To not fear them, to not hate them, but to truly put into the universe, whether you call it prayer or otherwise, a hope for them to find peace in their heart," Corndog said. "To find a pathway, to correct the error of their ways, and for them to somehow find enlightenment from all of the horrific hatred that they carry in their heart. That must be exhausting."

But this kind of hate doesn't come from a specific hate or religion, Corndog added. Instead, she feels people in power have incorrectly interpreted religious dogma.

"You will never hear a sister say, 'you're wrong to believe that,'" Corndog told Business Insider. "We would never, ever want anyone to feel judged or belittled for having faith or believing in something."

Corndog also said she feels many religious people, if they learned more about the Sisters, would support the group and their work.

She pointed out that Jesus Christ, in the Catholic Bible, often used sarcasm and satire to draw attention to injustice and strengthen their relationships with God.

"Love one another was at the core of his teaching, as well as don't judge yourself and don't judge others. Those are really the only two divine laws," she said. "I'm not sure the people who are spreading this hatred and this fear are aware of how far off track they have gotten from their core belief."

Regardless, Corndog said, she does not wish any ill on people who disagree with the Sisters or send them hate mail and sees many of their beliefs as motivated by fear — specifically, a fear of going against teachings they have been learning since they were young.

Regarding responding to such hateful rhetoric, Corndog first advises people to avoid engagement and keep themselves safe. Additionally, she said, people can get involved in organizations that "combat" hate in an organized, educated manner. She mentioned that, for example, people in the San Francisco Bay area could join movements like the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club or a chapter of the Young Democrats.

"You don't have to go out of your faith to combat this," Corndog said. "There are Catholic parishes and priests and organizations who have publicly come out in support of the Sisters."

She summed up her advice by saying: "Stay alert, stay involved, and know your limitations of what you can and can't handle."

The Los Angeles Dodgers did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.