News
Manny Pacquiao compares marriage to ‘sex between animals’
Boxer is running for the Philippines Senate

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 “sex between animals.”
“Same-sex marriage is more disgusting than (sex) between animals,” 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.
“Manny Pacquiao’s reprehensible attitude towards LGBTs and marriage equality shows an appalling lack of understanding of human dignity,” Bagas told the Washington Blade. “He’s not just a popular sports icon, he is also a legislator and a candidate for higher office in the Philippines.”
“His willingness to strip LGBTs of humanity shows he’s not fit for public service,” he added.
Dindi Tan, a member of the Quezon City Pride Council board of directors, posted a lengthy response to Pacquiao’s comments onto her Facebook page. The post contained the headline “Day of Infamy for Manny Pacquiao.”
“Today will go down in history as that day when you dropped the bomb against your fellow Filipinos — the Philippine LGBT community,” wrote Tan.
Boxer previously said he is ‘not against’ gay people
Pacquiao in 2012 criticized President Obama’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 “not against the gay people.”
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 Pacquiao’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 ‘bigot’
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.
Laude’s death sparked widespread outrage among Philippine advocates who continue to urge the country’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.
“Its time for the ‘pink vote’ to judge your rightful place in history,” wrote Tan on her Facebook page. “Let 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.
I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. God Bless! pic.twitter.com/bqjRcWqp8R
— Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) February 16, 2016
World Pride 2025
Pabllo Vittar to perform at WorldPride
Brazilian drag queen, singer, joined Madonna on stage in 2024 Rio concert

A Brazilian drag queen and singer who performed with Madonna at her 2024 concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach will perform at WorldPride.
The Capital Pride Alliance on Thursday announced Pabllo Vittar will perform on the Main Stage of the main party that will take place on June 7 at DCBX (1235 W St., N.E.) in Northeast D.C.
Vittar and Anitta, a Brazilian pop star who is bisexual, on May 4, 2024, joined Madonna on stage at her free concert, which was the last one of her Celebration Tour. Authorities estimated 1.6 million people attended.
Federal Government
RFK Jr.’s HHS report pushes therapy, not medical interventions, for trans youth
‘Discredited junk science’ — GLAAD

A 409-page report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services challenges the ethics of medical interventions for youth experiencing gender dysphoria, the treatments that are often collectively called gender-affirming care, instead advocating for psychotherapy alone.
The document comes in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order barring the federal government from supporting gender transitions for anyone younger than 19.
“Our duty is to protect our nation’s children — not expose them to unproven and irreversible medical interventions,” National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said in a statement. “We must follow the gold standard of science, not activist agendas.”
While the report does not constitute clinical guidance, its findings nevertheless conflict with not just the recommendations of LGBTQ advocacy groups but also those issued by organizations with relevant expertise in science and medicine.
The American Medical Association, for instance, notes that “empirical evidence has demonstrated that trans and non-binary gender identities are normal variations of human identity and expression.”
Gender-affirming care for transgender youth under standards widely used in the U.S. includes supportive talk therapy along with — in some but not all cases — puberty blockers or hormone treatment.
“The suggestion that someone’s authentic self and who they are can be ‘changed’ is discredited junk science,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement. “This so-called guidance is grossly misleading and in direct contrast to the recommendation of every leading health authority in the world. This report amounts to nothing more than forcing the same discredited idea of conversion therapy that ripped families apart and harmed gay, lesbian, and bisexual young people for decades.”
GLAAD further notes that the “government has not released the names of those involved in consulting or authoring this report.”
Janelle Perez, executive director of LPAC, said, “For decades, every major medical association–including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics–have affirmed that medical care is the only safe and effective treatment for transgender youth experiencing gender dysphoria.
“This report is simply promoting conversion therapy by a different name – and the American people know better. We know that conversion therapy isn’t actually therapy – it isolates and harms kids, scapegoats parents, and divides families through blame and rejection. These tactics have been used against gay kids for decades, and now the same people want to use them against transgender youth and their families.
“The end result here will be a devastating denial of essential health care for transgender youth, replaced by a dangerous practice that every major U.S. medical and mental health association agree promotes anxiety, depression, and increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts.
“Like being gay or lesbian, being transgender is not a choice, and no amount of pressure can force someone to change who they are. We also know that 98% of people who receive transition-related health care continue to receive that health care throughout their lifetime. Trans health care is health care.”
“Today’s report seeks to erase decades of research and learning, replacing it with propaganda. The claims in today’s report would rip health care away from kids and take decision-making out of the hands of parents,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of NCLR. “It promotes the same kind of conversion therapy long used to shame LGBTQ+ people into hating themselves for being unable to change something they can’t change.”
“Like being gay or lesbian, being transgender is not a choice—it’s rooted in biology and genetics,” Minter said. “No amount or talk or pressure will change that.”
Human Rights Campaign Chief of Staff Jay Brown released a statement: “Trans people are who we are. We’re born this way. And we deserve to live our best lives and have a fair shot and equal opportunity at living a good life.
“This report misrepresents the science that has led all mainstream American medical and mental health professionals to declare healthcare for transgender youth to be best practice and instead follows a script predetermined not by experts but by Sec. Kennedy and anti-equality politicians.”
The White House
Trump nominates Mike Waltz to become next UN ambassador
Former Fla. congressman had been national security advisor

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he will nominate Mike Waltz to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
Waltz, a former Florida congressman, had been the national security advisor.
Trump announced the nomination amid reports that Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, were going to leave the administration after Waltz in March added a journalist to a Signal chat in which he, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and other officials discussed plans to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States ambassador to the United Nations,” said Trump in a Truth Social post that announced Waltz’s nomination. “From his time in uniform on the battlefield, in Congress and, as my National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz has worked hard to put our nation’s Interests first. I know he will do the same in his new role.”
Trump said Secretary of State Marco Rubio will serve as interim national security advisor, “while continuing his strong leadership at the State Department.”
“Together, we will continue to fight tirelessly to make America, and the world, safe again,” said Trump.
Trump shortly after his election nominated U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to become the next U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Trump in March withdrew her nomination in order to ensure Republicans maintained their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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