In a series of Tweets, Lea Salonga has reiterated her support for the LGBT community coming after the Manny Pacquiao debacle.
On February 15, Pacquiao said in a recorded interview that “common sense lang. Makakita ka ba ng any animals na lalaki sa lalaki o babae sa babae? Mabuti pa yung hayop marunong kumikilala kung lalaki o lalaki, babae o babae. Ngayon, kung lalaki sa lalaki o babae sa babae, mas masahol pa sa hayop ang tao (Roughly: It’s just common sense. Do you see animals where a male pairs with another male, or female with female? Animals are better in that they discern if a male is male, or female is female. Now if it’s a man with another man or a woman with another woman, then a human is worse than animals).”
Pacquiao, 37, is currently a member of the House of Representatives and is running for the country’s senate.
In a series of entries in her Twitter account, Salonga said that she has a “hard time taking a tattooed human that quotes Leviticus seriously. Because Leviticus expressly prohibits body ink, too.”
Pacquiao has numerous tattoos, as memes making the rounds online have been highlighting.
One of the memes making the rounds to highlight Manny Pacquiao’s inconsistent use of Biblical verses
Salonga added: “…eating pork and shellfish, wearing clothes with mixed fabrics, shaving a beard. If you ban one thing, be ready to ban everything.”
This is not the first time Salonga expressed her opinion after Pacquiao’s statements that denigrated LGBT people. Earlier, she insinuated that homophobia is unnatural.
Salonga has long been considered a staunch advocate of LGBT human rights.
In 2013, in her column “Backstory” published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Salonga said that “I spend much of my time around gay people. Some of it is purely by circumstance but a lot is by choice”. She added that “it’s time to think of gay people differently.”
Salonga also stressed: “That’s what gay people ultimately are—men and women on this adventure we call life, navigating it with much uncertainty, fear, anxiety and hope. They are our friends, lovers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, coworkers, rock stars, doctors, lawyers, lawmakers, teachers, artists, actors, writers, directors, musicians, authors, businessmen, store owners, designers, athletes, singers, dancers, and students. They are all ultimately human…”
Salonga has over 3.42 million followers in Twitter, where she also earlier stated her pro-LGBT stance, including: “Being gay is not a choice. Who’d choose that knowing how much hatred and prejudice there is? If you are, you were created gay, by God.”; “A new haircut, fashion sense, or pastime doesn’t make someone gay. Only by being gay is one gay. Okay?!”; “Hundreds of species have homosexual specimens. But only one practices bigotry.”; and “I don’t have problems with gay people, only with the sanctimonious and self-righteous that are too quick to condemn them.”
Salonga was earlier cited for her pro-LGBT stance by Outrage Magazine.
