The Grove lifts ban on Manny Pacquiao; Pinoy boxer apologizes to the gay community Read: bit.ly/JK9t6D
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PEP Webmaster (@scoopbox) May 17, 2012Twitchy told you yesterday about the firestorm that erupted over homophobic remarks falsely attributed to boxer Manny Pacquiao.
An outfit calling itself Courage Campaign spread the false quote in tweets such as these:
#MannyPacuiao: Gay men "must be put to death" do @ExtraTV @TheGroveLA @MarioLopezExtra & @MariaMenounos feel the same way? #DropManny PLS RT—
(@CourageCampaign) May 16, 2012
.@MarioLopezExtra #MannyPacuiao: Gay men "must be put to death" do @ExtraTV @TheGroveLA & @MariaMenounos feel the same way? #DropManny—
(@CourageCampaign) May 16, 2012
.@extratv #MannyPacuiao: Gay men "must be put to death" do @TheGroveLA @MarioLopezExtra & @MariaMenounos feel the same way? #DropManny—
(@CourageCampaign) May 16, 2012
You might think that Pacquiao is owed an apology for being smeared. Instead, Pacquiao is the one who is apologizing: “To the gay community, I apologize. I’m against same-sex marriage, but I’m not condemning you.”
Courage Campaign welcomed rapprochement with Pacquiao:
#UPDATE: We welcome @MannyPacquiao's support for #LGBT people. We hope his journey will lead him to see marriage is civil, not religious.—
(@CourageCampaign) May 17, 2012
Courage Campaign did not, however, retract its incorrect tweets or apologize for smearing the boxer. Not exactly courageous.
The Grove rescinded its ban on Pacquiao, but neither The Grove nor its owner, Rick Caruso, has seen fit to tweet an apology. Caruso’s most recent tweet:
Boxer Manny Pacquiao is not welcome @TheGroveLA. @TheGroveLA is a gathering place for all Angelenos, not a place for intolerance.—
Rick Caruso (@RickCarusoLA) May 16, 2012
