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Manny Pacquiao compares marriage to ‘sex between animals’

Boxer is running for the Philippines Senate

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Manny Pacquiao, gay news, Washington Blade

Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao on Feb. 15, 2016, described marriage rights for same-sex couples as worse than “sex between animals.” (Photo by inboundpass; courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Manny Pacquiao on Sunday compared marriage rights to same-sex couples to ā€œsex between animals.ā€

ā€œSame-sex marriage is more disgusting than (sex) between animals,ā€ said the Philippine boxer during an interview with the website Bilang Pilipino.

Pacquiao, who is a member of the United Nationalist Alliance, is running for a seat in the Philippines Senate in national elections that are scheduled to take place on May 9. He has represented the province of Sarangani in the Philippines House of Representatives since 2010.

Jonas Bagas of TFL Sexuality, a Philippine advocacy group, blasted Pacquiao over his comments.

ā€œManny Pacquiaoā€™s reprehensible attitude towards LGBTs and marriage equality shows an appalling lack of understanding of human dignity,ā€ Bagas told the Washington Blade. ā€œHeā€™s not just a popular sports icon, he is also a legislator and a candidate for higher office in the Philippines.ā€

ā€œHis willingness to strip LGBTs of humanity shows heā€™s not fit for public service,ā€ he added.

Dindi Tan, a member of the Quezon City Pride Council board of directors, posted a lengthy response to Pacquiaoā€™s comments onto her Facebook page. The post contained the headline ā€œDay of Infamy for Manny Pacquiao.ā€

ā€œToday will go down in history as that day when you dropped the bomb against your fellow Filipinos ā€” the Philippine LGBT community,ā€ wrote Tan.

Boxer previously said he is ā€˜not againstā€™ gay people

Pacquiao in 2012 criticized President Obamaā€™s support of marriage rights for same-sex couples during an interview with the Examiner.

The article appeared to show him using a passage from the Book of Leviticus that calls for the death of men who engage in same-sex sexual relations. The Grove, a popular Los Angeles shopping mall, banned Pacquiao after the website published the interview.

Pacquiao reaffirmed his opposition to marriage rights for same-sex couples to the Associated Press, but he stressed he is ā€œnot against the gay people.ā€

The boxer noted to the Associated Press that his cousin and other relatives are gay. The Examiner later clarified that Pacquiao did not refer to Leviticus during its interview with him.

Bagas told the Blade in response to Pacquiaoā€™s latest comments that the boxer should no longer receive endorsements from Nike and other brands.

The Blade has reached out to Pacquiao and Nike for comment.

Activist: Pacquiao is a ā€˜bigotā€™

The Philippines national elections will take place roughly six months after a court found a U.S. Marine guilty of killing Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman, in an Olongapo City motel room in 2014.

Laudeā€™s death sparked widespread outrage among Philippine advocates who continue to urge the countryā€™s lawmakers to approve an LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination measure that has languished for more than a decade. The case also highlighted opposition to the U.S. military presence in the Philippines.

ā€œIts time for the ā€˜pink voteā€™ to judge your rightful place in history,ā€ wrote Tan on her Facebook page. ā€œLet us unite to campaign against this bigot. Mr. Manny Pacquiao you may win the Senate but we will make sure that you will also go down in history as one of the most-celebrated cowards of our time.”

Pacquiao on Tuesday apologized for his comments in a video he posted to his Twitter page.

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Congress

Sens. Butler, Smith introduce Pride in Mental Health Act to aid at-risk LGBTQ youth

Bill is backed by Democrats in both chambers

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U.S. Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) speaks at the International LGBTQ Leaders Conference on Nov. 30, 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

U.S. Sens. Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) introduced the Pride in Mental Health Act on Thursday, legislation that would strengthen resources in mental health and crisis intervention for at-risk LGBTQ youth.

ā€œAccessing mental health care and support has become increasingly difficult in nearly every state in the country,ā€Ā said Butler, who is the first Black LGBTQ senator. ā€œBarriers get even more difficult if you are a young person who lacks a supportive community or is fearful of being outed, harassed, or threatened.”

“I am introducing the Pride in Mental Health Act to help equip LGBTQ+ youth with the resources to get the affirming and often life-saving care they need,” she said.

ā€œMental health care is health care,” said Smith. “And for some LGBTQ+ youth, receiving access to the mental health care they need can mean the difference between living in safety and dignity, and suffering alone through discrimination, bullying, and even violence.ā€Ā 

The Minnesota senator added that data shows LGBTQ students are experiencing “an epidemic” of “anxiety, depression and other serious mental health conditions.”

For example, a 2023 study by The Trevor Project found that 54 percent of LGBTQ youth reported symptoms of depression, compared to 35 percent of their heterosexual counterparts.

Joining the senators as cosponsors are Democratic U.S. Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.), Bob Casey (Penn.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Alex Padilla (Calif.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Cory Booker (N.J.), and Tammy Baldwin (Wis.). Baldwin was the first LGBTQ woman elected to the House in 1999 and the first LGBTQ woman elected to the Senate in 2013.

Leading the House version of the bill are LGBTQ Democratic U.S. Reps. Sharice Davids (Kan.), Eric Sorensen (Ill.), and Ritchie Torres (N.Y.), along with 163 other House members.

Organizations that have backed the Pride in Mental Health Act include the Human Rights Campaign, GLSEN, American Academy of Pediatrics, National Education Association (NEA), National Center for Transgender Equality, Seattle Indian Health Board, PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, American Psychological Association, Whitman-Walker Institute, InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth, National Alliance on Mental Illness, American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Mental Health America, and Center for Law and Social Policy.

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District of Columbia

D.C. mayorĀ honors 10th anniversary of Team Rayceen Productions

LGBTQ entertainment, advocacy organization praised for ā€˜vital workā€™

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Rayceen Pendarvis co-founded Team Rayceen Productions. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser today issued an official proclamation declaring Monday, March 18, 2024, as Team Rayceen Day in honor of the local LGBTQ entertainment and advocacy organization Team Rayceen Productions named after its co-founder Rayceen Pendarvis.

ā€œWhereas Rayceen, along with Team Rayceen Productions co-founder, Zar, have spent 10 years advocating for the Black LGBTQI+ community using various forms including in-person events, social media, and YouTube,ā€ the proclamation states.

The proclamation adds that through its YouTube Channel, Team Rayceen Productions created a platform for ā€œBlack LGBTQIA+ individuals to discuss various topics including spotlighting nonprofit organizations and small businesses, voter registration and participation, the state of LGBTQIA+ rights and resources in D.C, gender equality and equity, and the amplification of opportunities to bring the community together.ā€

It also praises Team Rayceen Productions for its partnership with the Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ Affairs in helping to produce ā€œexciting events like the District of Pride talent showcase held each June and the iconic 17th Street High Heel Race celebrated in October.ā€

ā€œWhereas I thank Team Rayceen Productions for its vital and necessary work and am #DCProud to wish you all the best as you continue to support Black LGBTQIA+ residents across all 8 Wards,ā€ the proclamation continues.

ā€œNow, therefore, I, the Mayor of Washington, D.C., do hereby proclaim March 18, 2024, as TEAM RAYCEEN DAY in Washington, D.C. and do commit this observance to all Washingtonians,ā€ it concludes.

ā€œWe thank Mayor Bowser for this special proclamation, which highlights where it all began, with the Black LGBTQIA+ community of Washington, D.C,ā€ Team Rayceen Productions says in a statement. ā€œStarting with The Ask Rayceen Show, Reel Affirmation, and events with D.C. Public Library to Art All Night, Silver Pride by Whitman-Walker, and events with the Mayorā€™s Office of LGBTQ Affairs, we are #dcproud of what we have accomplished in the Nationā€™s Capital,ā€ the statement says. 

“For TEAM RAYCEEN DAY, we thank the diverse group of individuals who have made everything we have done possible by volunteering their time and talents over the past decade ā€“ as online co-hosts, event staff, performers, DJs, photographers, and more,ā€ says the statement.

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U.S. Supreme Court

Supreme Court declines to hear case over drag show at Texas university

Students argue First Amendment protects performance

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The U.S. Supreme Court justices on June 30, 2022. ((Photo by Fred Schilling of the U.S. Supreme Court)

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a First Amendment case over a public university president’s refusal to allow an LGBTQ student group to host a drag show on campus.

The group’s application was denied without the justices providing their reasoning or issuing dissenting opinions, as is custom for such requests for emergency review.

When plaintiffs sought to organize the drag performance to raise money for suicide prevention in March 2023, West Texas A&M University President Walter Wendler cancelled the event, citing the Bible and other religious texts.

The students sued, arguing the move constituted prior restraint and viewpoint-based discrimination, in violation of the First Amendment. Wendler had called drag shows ā€œderisive, divisive and demoralizing misogyny,” adding that “a harmless drag show” was “not possible.”

The notoriously conservative Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who former President Donald Trump appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, ruled against the plaintiffs in September, writing that ā€œit is not clearly established that all drag shows are inherently expressive.”

Kacsmaryk further argued that the High Court’s precedent-setting opinions protecting stage performances and establishing that “speech may not be banned on the ground that it expresses ideas that offend” was inconsistent with constitutional interpretation based on ā€œtext, history and tradition.”

Plaintiffs appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is by far the most conservative of the nation’s 12 appellate circuit courts. They sought emergency review by the Supreme Court because the 5th Circuit refused to fast-track their case, so arguments were scheduled to begin after the date of their drag show.

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