Less than 24 hours after Nike condemned and cut its connection with Manny Pacquiao following his recent homophobic comments, the boxer dug his heels into the ground, reiterating his strong stance against gay relationships on social media and in front of the press on Thursday.
“I am not condemning the LGBT,” Pacquiao said. “What I am condemning is the act. I’m happier because I’m telling the truth ... It’s worse if we will hide the truth. I’m happier that a lot of people were alarmed by the truth.”
Meanwhile, on Instagram, he went further. In a post that was deleted just a few hours after it was published, the 37-year-old quoted a series of Bible verses that discusses homosexuality, including Leviticus 20:13, which includes a death sentence for what Pacquiao referred to as “the act.”
ABS-CBN News was able to grab a screenshot of the post before its deletion.
Pacquiao's original words on the Filipino television station on Monday were as follows: "Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female? The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals."
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