—> See our story update right here on the aftermath of the Pacquiao vs. Obama & gay marriage controversy
Manny Pacquiao has been in the news quite frequently over the past week, but not for his June 9th fight against Timothy Bradley, which would surely be the preference of his promoter.
Instead, he’s been causing a stir for his recent public stance against gay marriage, after U.S. President Barack Obama gave his public backing to the cause. Pacquiao’s anti-gay marriage stance popped up just days after tabloids and blogs across the globe came out with reports that his wife, Jinkee, filed for divorce prior to his third fight against Juan Manuel Marquez this past November.
According to an interview with Examiner.com, and a subsequent story on Politico.com, Pacquiao refers to gay marriage as an “abomination”. Pacquiao is quoted as saying:
“God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married, only if they so are in love with each other. It should not be of the same sex so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah of Old.”
He also apparently makes allusions to Leviticus 20:13 which, amongst other notable verbiage, calls homosexual relationships “detestable” and notes that such individuals “must be put to death.”
OK then, Manny. Thanks for chiming in.
Close your eyes and imagine that Floyd Mayweather said the same thing. Can’t you already hear talking heads the world over lambasting him, as they did for his infamous remarks about Jeremy Lin, and when he made derogatory racial remarks directed towards Pacquiao himself? So, where’s the public and fan outrage about Pacquiao’s stance?
Showtime announcer and boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein shared such a sentiment on Twitter, saying:
“So why has there been so little blowback on Manny Pacquiao'[s] homophobic and fairly outrageous comments? Floyd’s anti-Asian Comments rightfully resulted in him getting roasted by media. How is this different?”
I know, I know… but Manny Pacquiao is a Filipino congressman! He’ll likely be president of the country one day should he continue pursuing his political aspirations. So he has a right to take a political stance, right?
That’s true enough, but this isn’t about how Pacquiao and Mayweather get treated by media and by the public, or even whether Pacquiao, as both a public figure and a politician, should make such a statement to begin with.
So what’s it really about, you ask? A hypocritical track record which makes this particular political and moral stance fall somewhere on the spectrum from phony to misguided to bizarre.
Pacquiao’s wife filed for divorce last year – the couple has since reconciled their differences – leading the boxer / congressman / moral compass to a religious revival of sorts.
A chief reason for the divorce filing, according to a quote from trainer Freddie Roach in a Complex.com story, was a busy lifestyle filled with “girls and everything that goes with it”.
So it’s not as if the guy has been carefully living a life based upon the sanctity of his marriage, a life which also included such pastimes as owning a cockfighting farm and endorsing Hennessy in television commercials.
Now he’s quoting the Bible and partaking in frequent Bible study sessions, preaching to the Filipino masses on his television show, warning us about the perils of gay marriage, and bringing his spiritual advisor (pictured with Pacquiao, above/left) to training camp.
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I believe that every human being on the planet deserves equal rights, and I make a concerted effort to avoid falling into stereotypical or prejudicial thought patterns, beliefs and ideals. I also don’t believe on forcing my thoughts on others, because ultimately, everyone is entitled to their own beliefs even when I don’t agree with them. And certainly, you don’t come to this website for my moral or political views.
Suffice it to say though that I don’t turn to adulterous, alcohol-endorsing, gambling politicians who own cockfighting farms for their moral stances. Maybe you shouldn’t either.
