Manny Pacquiao has said that he is “sorry” for comments that he made calling gay and lesbian people “worse than animals”, as he prepares to make a run for the Senate in the Phillippines this May.
The fighter-slash-politician, who is a conservative Christian, made the remarks to the local TV5 network when asked about his opposition to same-sex marriage. He said:
“It’s common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals.”
The video of his answer has since been viewed almost three million times on Facebook, and many have condemned Pacquiao’s stance, including popular comedian and TV presenter Vice Ganda, who started the #PrayForMannyPacquiao hashtag.
The LGBT is a group of people. We are humans. But not animals. Though we’re no saints we will pray for Manny Pacquiao.
— jose marie viceral (@vicegandako) February 16, 2016
Pacquiao is known for letting his religious views guide his politics; as a member of the House of Representatives, he once made a speech that quoted heavily from the Bible as he stated his opposition to a proposed law giving free condoms to the poor.
Responding to the controversy via an Instagram post, Pacquiao claimed he was not condemning anyone, before proceeding to condemn the “sexually immoral” via a passage from Corinthians.
He later made a Facebook post, maintaining his stance against same-sex marriage but apologising to those he had upset with his comments, saying:
“I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt. I still stand on my belief that I’m against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I’m not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I’m praying for you.”
So in summary, Manny Pacquiao would like to let you know that he’s a chill dude who loves everybody, and would just like to be left alone so he can use his official position to advocate against LGBT civil rights in peace.
Pacquiao, who was beaten by Floyd Mayweather last May, is preparing for his last fight in April.
Source: The Guardian.
Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty.
