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Manny Pacquiao's Antigay Statements Get Him Kicked Out of L.A. Mall 

Manny Pacquiao's Antigay Statements Get Him Kicked Out of L.A. Mall 

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The boxer is not welcome at the Grove after making a series of homophobic remarks recently, such as calling gays worse than animals.

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Manny Pacquiao is banned from shopping at the Grove, an outdoor mall in Los Angeles. "Manny Pacquiao is no longer welcome," Grove owner Rick Caruso told TMZ.

The boxer, who is in Los Angeles training for a fight with Timothy Bradley on April 9, will have to find somewhere else to shop. "A lot of people from the gay community come to the Grove, and they have a right not to feel uncomfortable," Caruso told TMZ of Pacquiao's ban from the shopping center.

The athlete has made multiple antigay comments recently, including calling same-sex couples worse than animals and posting on social media that gays deserve death. Nike ended its endorsement deal with the athlete, while the Filipino senatorial candidate's approval numbers dipped since he made the statements last month.

Pacquiao, a current member of the Philippines' House of Representatives, attempted some damage control last week, hosting an all-expenses-paid trip for LGBT activists to the City of General Santos. Ostensibly, the boxer hoped to mend fences with prominent LGBT advocates, and some did attend -- including transgender leaders and a member of a Pride organization in Quezon City.

HBO -- which condemned the boxer's statements -- will still air his pay-per-view fight April 9.

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Yezmin Villarreal

Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.
Yezmin Villarreal is the former news editor for The Advocate. Her work has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Mic, LA Weekly, Out Magazine and The Fader.