LGBT rights advocate to Manny Pacquiao: ‘I lost all respect for you’

By Chelle Lhuillier

I would like to start by saying I was an avid fan of Manny Pacquiao. I watched almost all of his fights on Pay-per-view and followed his boxing career, win or lose.

But now I will categorically say: I am not your fan anymore, and I just lost all respect for you, Congressman Manny Pacquiao, because of the hurtful words you addressed my people, my very own LGBTQ community.

May you find peace in your heart and seek knowledge and wisdom for you have committed the biggest mistake of your life: your wrong choice of words, hate, bigotry and ignorance.

The greatest commandment God left us before he got resurrected was “Love one another as I have loved you.” He never said he loved only straight people, male or female. Love and relationships know no label, no boundary, no color, no size and no gender. Love and relationship are accepting and all-encompassing.

When Adam and Eve committed the first sin by partaking of the fruit in the forbidden tree of life, people began to interpret the Bible in many different ways to cater to their own faith-based agenda. Homosexuality is certainly not a sin. Being gay is not a sin because we are born this way.

It’s not even environmental. One won’t become gay by getting close to another gay person. Being gay is in the blood, blame it on human fertilization or the blending of egg and sperm cells produced by our parents who created us.

If only animals can speak the language of humans, they will scream at you, Mr. Pacquiao: ‘Shame on you, Manny Pacquiao, shame on you for your low blow diss on the LGBT people.’ You have crossed the line and boundary of decency and respect by comparing us to animals. That is worst kind and the highest level of ignorance.

The author is a gay rights advocate with the Human Rights Campaign of NYC

For your information and enlightenment, according to scientific research and studies around 1999, about 500 species of animals — ranging from primates to gut worms — have been engaging in same-sex behaviors. In 2006, such pairings have been observed in 1,500 species. As a matter of fact, sexual diversity is very common in the animal world, according to a Wikipedia entry on ‘homosexual behaviors in animals.’ Contrary to what you have asserted in your interview – and which you now withdraw by way of an apology — homosexuality in animals reflects the naturalness of homosexuality in humans.

Mr. Pacquiao, please be very careful and think thoroughly before you speak. Your wrong choice of words have caused so much pain to a lot of individuals in my community. You may be the People’s Boxing Champ or trying to be the Champion of the Masses by offering scholarship grants to the poor but don’t you dare forget there are other less fortunate people. Some in the LGBT community come from the masses as well.

You are not the kind of leader the Philippines needs. You need to educate yourself to gain a better understanding of diversity and the LGBT community. We are all equal in this world and we will always fight for our dignity and humanity.

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