Manny Pacquiao
Eight-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao sparked a firestorm of criticism in the Philippines after describing gay couples as “worse than animals.”
Nearing the end of a glorious decades-long boxing career, the 37-year-old is reinventing himself as a conservative Bible-bearing politician ahead of the country’s May elections, when he is running for a senate seat.
“It’s common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female,” Pacquiao told local broadcaster TV5 in an interview aired earlier this week.
“If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals.”
But following reactions after his statement, the boxer apologised via his Twitter account.
He said, “I’m sorry for everyone who got hurt due to my comparison of gay people (homosexuals) to animals,” he said. “It was my mistake. Please forgive me for those who I’ve hurt.
“But this does not change my position against same sex marriage. That’s what I believe. My only mistake is comparing gay people to animals.”
Gay marriage is outlawed in the Philippines due to strong opposition from the Catholic Church and 80 per cent of the country’s 100 million people subscribe to the faith.
Gay marriages are officiated at small churches but these unions are not recognised by the church or the state.
The country’s most popular gay comedian, Vice Ganda, posted #PrayForMannyPacquiao to his 6.7 million followers on Twitter as he tore at the boxer.
“Some people think they can judge people like God just because they’ve attended a prayer meeting and read the bible,” he said.
“The Senate needs experts on politics and law, not blind prophets,” Vice Ganda added.
Singer Aiza Seguerra, who recently married her actress-girlfriend, called on voters to boycott Pacquiao, who is also preparing for his last boxing fight in April, calling him an “ignorant, bigoted hypocrite”.
