One of the things that Filipino boxing champ and now Senator Manny Pacquiao feels most guilty about is the way he once compared people from the homosexual community to animals. He earlier said that same-sex couples are "worse than animals" because they have sexual relations with one another, much to the chagrin of the LGBT community.
When TMZ got in touch with Pacquiao regarding the matter, Pacquiao maintained his anti-LGBT stance. However, he did express regret that he offended a large number of people.
"I'm not changing my position to what the Bible says," Pacquiao said. "My mistake is comparing them to animals. I'm just human, nobody's perfect."
Pacquiao said in a viral video earlier this year that it's only "common sense" for males and females to mate, and same-sex couples have it all wrong. "Do you see animals mating with the same sex?" Pacquiao asked. "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."
Because of his scathing comments, Pacquiao was lambasted by netizens and he even lost his Nike endorsement. "We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent," the company said in a statement. "Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community. We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao."
Pacquiao later offered an apology video on his Instagram account (@mannypacquiao). The Christian athlete asked for forgiveness from those he hurt. Although he stands on his belief that same-sex marriage contradicts what the Bible teaches, he wanted to clarify that he is not condemning LGBT individuals. He added that he loves everybody with "the love of the Lord," so he is blessing and praying for them.
