Manny Pacquiao is steadfastly refusing to yield to the force of human dignity and decency and is sticking by his homophobic public comments.
Having been dropped by Nike for saying that homosexuals are "worse than animals" - comments Nike termed "abhorrent" - Pacquiao said that respected the decision but is sticking by his views, saying that "I'm happier because I'm telling the truth ... It's worse if we will hide the truth. I'm happier that a lot of people were alarmed by the truth".
Pacquiao is a staunchly conservative Christian and justifies his beliefs by referring to the Bible.
Yesterday morning, Pacquiao posted a staggeringly archaic and insulting quote upon his Instagram, that has since been deleted. Here it is:
If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
The quote is from the Book of Leviticus from the Old Testament. It is a book that is horrendously obsolete. To highlight that obsolescence even further, here are a few of the other things Leviticus preaches:
Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, "Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the LORD will be angry with the whole community".
Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales.
Keep my decrees. Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.
Pacquiao's promoter has said that his comments were made to appeal to the conservative Christian right in the Phillippines, where Pacquiao is running for the Senate.
In terms of Public Relations in the Western World, if you find yourself in the intersection of a Venn Diagram of 'Public Figure' and 'Old Testament', you're in trouble.
