Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao was in the news for a contentious reason of late - he made comparisons of gay people with animals in a TV interview.

Here's the clip:

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When asked for his views on same-sex marriage, he said this:

"Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals."

His initial comment sparked praise and criticism, and he followed up with this post on his Instagram account:

"I rather obey the Lord's command than obeying the desires of the flesh. Im not condemning anyone, but I'm just telling the truth of what the Bible says. The truth from the Bible is what changed me from my old ways. 1 Corinthians 6:9 "[9] Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men." God Bless everyone i love you all."

Pacquiao subsequently came out to say this:

"I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. I still stand on my belief that I'm against same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I'm not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God bess you all and I'm praying for you."

The latest blow to him, following that apology, was when sportswear giant Nike declared that it was dropping him as their brand's spokesperson and cutting his endorsement contract.

"We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent," Nike announced in a statement. "Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community."

Currently there is a #DropPacman campaign/petition running on Change.org that is asking for people to boycott brands that are endorsed by Pacquaio until they drop him. They are also demanding for Pacquiao to meet with LGBT activists "to discuss the future of the LGBT community in the Philippines."

The petition, started by an individual named Aries Dela Cruz, also demanded that Pacquiao meet with LGBT activists either at or near his home in Los Angeles or in the Philippines by Friday, Feb. 19 or petitioners will next target footwear retailing chain Footlocker to drop Pacquiao.

Closer home, it would seem that netizens in Singapore are split over this topic of whether to support Manny or boycott Nike (snapshot from Straits Times' Facebook post):

But as many of the netizens have rightly pointed out, many major brand names do show their support for the non-discrimination of the LGBT community.

Pacquiao is a two-term Congressman for the Sarangani district in the Philippines. Pacquiao, in 2015, has declared that he wants to run for Senator in the 2016 elections.

Same sex marriage is not legal in the Philippines. 82.9 per cent of the country are Roman Catholics and 11 per cent Muslim, with 10 per cent having no religion.

Top photo from Manny Pacquiao's Facebook page

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