Manny Pacquiao, a Nike-sponsored professional boxer who was on the cover of Time Asia, is not happy about President Obama's endorsement of marriage equality. The boxer, who lives in Los Angeles and has many American sponsors, sat down with the Examiner's Granville Ampong and had some harsh words not only for the President but also for the gay community.
From LA Weekly:
Manny Pacquiao, who lives and trains in Los Angeles, is probably in deep shit in this liberal city of brotherly love. That's because the boxing champion said that gay men "must be put to death." Really. In a recent interview with the National Conservative Examiner the fighter quoted the Bible in relaying his feelings about President Obama's support for same-sex marriage: "If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." Um. Okay. He was quoting Leviticus 20:13. Pacquiao also said: "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."
Well isn't that lovely.
Pacquiao also happens to be a newly-elected member of the Philippine congress, where he has been a conservative hardliner on social issues. Ampong notes in the interview:
Pacquiao, bearing a conservative stance on the Reproductive Bill which is still pending in the Philippine Congress for approval even after contemptuous debates, believes the sweeping campaign of Obama favoring the gays and lesbians to legally marry is nothing more than a direct attack on the moral society and against the creative power and will of God.
It should be noted that Pacquiao
is rumored to be "adulterating" his
own Catholic marriage with a certain Filipina actress named Krista Ranillo. But at least it doesn't involve icky butt sex, right?
Pacquiao has had a special relationship with Nike since at least 2008. As shown above in the image above, in 2009 the company hosted an "Under the Hood" event spotlighting the boxer. To this day, he enjoys a line of sportswear named in his honor available on the Nike website.
Rick Jacobs of the Courage Campaign is quoted as saying:
I do think that American sponsors are going to have to look very carefully about whether they can continue to pour money into his apparently rather empty soul. Not only does he live in L.A., he makes a lot of money thanks the United States and sponsors here in particular.
He's right. It's time for sponsors to give serious thought to their support for this asshole.
By the way, Pacquiao is on Facebook if you want to give him a piece of your mind. You might want to tell Nike how you feel, too. Their number is 1-800-344-6453. Also, feel free to sign the change.org petition calling on Nike to drop their sponsorship of Pacquiao.