PAC-MAN SAYS SORRY FOR GAY SLUR
MANNY PACQUIAO issued a weak apology yesterday after causing a storm by claiming homosexuals are ‘worse than animals’. The former eight-weight world champion made the astonishing comments in a TV interview in the Philippines, where he is running for a senate seat in the May elections. The 37-year-old 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.’ Pacquiao, who lost the richest fight in boxing history against Floyd Mayweather last year, faced a huge public backlash for the comments. The born-again Christian has been campaigning on the back of conservative views in his homeland, where gay marriage is outlawed due to strong opposition from the Catholic church. He apologised for his controversial opinions yesterday, but reiterated his anti-gay views. He wrote on his Facebook page: ‘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.’ The comments follow the furore caused by Tyson Fury, who equated homosexuality and abortion with paedophilia in an interview with the MailonSunday ahead of winning the world heavyweight title last year. Fury learned in January that he would face no punishment from the boxing authorities, but was reminded of his ‘heavy responsibilities’. Pacquiao is set to retire and says his bout against Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas will be his last. Whether his comments will have any effect on his career in politics remains to be seen.