Manny Pacquiao apologized today for comments he made against members of the LGBT community after he, along with other Philippine Senate candidates, was asked about his views on same-sex marriage on a local TV network. The former star boxer said: "It's just common sense. Have you seen any animal having male-to-male or female-to-female relations?"
He further remarked that animals were better because they recognized gender differences, and "if you have male-to-male or female-to-female (relationships), then people are worse than animals," according to the Associated Press.
Pacquiao, who holds a seat in the Philippine congress and is currently running for senator, has since apologized for his comments, but stood by his opposition on same-sex unions "because of what the Bible says" and he is "not condemning LGBT."
Gay marriage is forbidden in the Philippines because of the strong opposition from the Catholic Church, which has 80 percent of the population pledged to the faith.
While these are not recognized by the state or mainstream churches, there are some small churches that have officiated gay marriages, according to AFP.
