Manny
Pacquiao, one of the most popular Filipino athletes, got embroiled in a
controversy after stating his disagreement on same-sex marriage. Being a devout
Evangelical Christian, Pacquiao was firmly against same-sex marriage since by
default it connotes a sexual relationship between two persons of the same sex.
I respect this opinion and I am also against the formation of sexual
relationship between persons of the same sex, a belief also heavily-influenced
by my religious beliefs.
Pacquiao was,
in my opinion, overstepped his criticism when he compared members of the LGBT
(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) as worse than animals. “It’s common
sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female? The
animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we
approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals.”
he said. This is actually a result of misinformation since it has been
scientifically proven that there are some species that exhibit homosexuality.
Although I am
a conservative regarding courtship and marriage, I would like to reiterate have
nothing against the LGBT community. I also believe same-sex marriage per se runs against the Family Code of
the Philippines, enacted in 1987. It specifically states that ‘marriage is a
special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance
with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life.’
Thus I am
appealing for calm upon both sides since it appears that Pacquaio’s expression
of his opinion conjured up a storm especially among netizens. I believe there
are more important problems to be solved and that we should simply respect
Pacquiao’s religious beliefs (it’s not like he’s actually forcing LGBT people
to stop being themselves).
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