Members’ clubs in Hong Kong have been asked by LGBTI advocates to refrain from screening this weekend’s boxing match between Manny Pacquiao and Timothy Bradley after Pacquiao made headlines and drew international condemnation for calling same-sex couples “worse than animals.”
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, in particular, has faced calls to cancel its screening of the fight. Bess Hepworth, Out Leadership’s Social Media Manager, told the South China Morning Post that while the club had “a proud history of supporting the LGBTI community,” the decision to continue screening the event, “would be a backward step.”
The Club, which is based in Central, last month hosted a month-long exhibition entitled “Queers of Hong Kong,” a photo showcase focusing on the LGBTI community in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the FCC released a statement saying that it will proceed to show the sporting event as planned,” it does, however, “deplore Manny Pacquiao’s anti-gay comments.”