There are at least two things we can learn from the fallout that is Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s ill-timed comments on same sex marriage, the latest development of which is the American sports shoe giant Nike’s decision to drop him as endorser.
One, is that the lesbian gay bisexual transgender (LGBT) community had become quite the vocal community here in the Philippines and two, while the mostly conservative Filipinos have come out in force to support him, the rest of the mostly liberalized world have been quite outraged over his statement.
While we can count comedian Vice Ganda and other openly gay celebrities like TV host Boy Abunda and among the most vocal of critics, there are public officials like Mandaue City Treasurer Regal Oliva.
“Disappointed is a civil term… we are angered because I (we) did not choose to be like this. Comparing us with a lower animal is very painful …and if there is a stronger term than condemnation, that’s it,” Oliva, is an advisor of Manpride, an organization of gays in Mandaue City.
Oliva is credited with lobbying for the LGBT Code of Mandaue City which prohibits discrimination against the LGBT community in the city. A similar ordinance was passed in Cebu City.
Again while there are sympathetic voices who joined in the condemnation of Pacquiao, there are also others most of whom are conservative Catholics who supported him.
Pacquiao’s predicament is not unlike that of retired National Basketball Association (NBA) star Tim Hardaway, who was pilloried by both media and his colleagues for issuing anti-gay statements.
While religion and one’s moral values can be a factor in one’s view of Pacquiao’s statement, other factors like his standing as a public official and even his status as a sports hero also come into play.
Pacquiao’s beliefs as a born again Christian, while not to be taken against him, can hurt his standing not only among the LGBT community but also to those who support it. But that’s the least of his worries.
His remarks on same sex marriage as behavior being worse than animals is considered offensive and to the LGBT community as a whole, smacks of bigotry. If he were a Bible-thumping preacher instead of a public official, the context of his remarks would have been easier understood.
But he is a public official and his opposition to same sex marriage, while not popular with the LGBT community, could have been handled better.
Being the politician, Pacquiao remains ever keen to see how his remarks will affect his chances of being elected to the Senate.
But the bigger question is that will the LGBT community’s outrage translate to popular support for same sex marriage? That’s something to watch out for in the coming months ahead.