Pia Wurtzbach says comment on wanting gay child ‘misinterpreted’

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach on Wednesday apologized to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community over her comment on wanting a gay child.

Wurtzbach, who said she was shocked to see negative reactions regarding her recent interview with ABS-CBN’s Tonight with Boy Abunda took to Twitter to say that she does not mean to offend anyone when she said she wanted a gay child. She also said her comment was “misinterpreted.”

“Please don’t misinterpret what I said. I have high regards for the LGBT. It was just a fun interview, guys! Meant no disrespect at all. Mahal ko kayo! Happy holidays everyone! #GoodVibesLang,” Wurtzbach wrote in her tweet.

“[Namisinterpret] lang po (I was just misinterpreted). Meant no malice at all. I didn’t mean to offend anyone. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding,” she added.

On Tuesday, Wurtzbach was asked by Abunda why she wants to have a gay child. The former beauty queen answered that gay children take care of their aging parents really well.

“Because I really believe na aalagaan ka nila kapag matanda ka na (they would take care of you when you grow old). Not to say na hindi ka aalagaan kung straight ‘yung anak mo (this is not to say that you would not be taken care of if your child is straight), but based on my experience, iba mag-alaga ‘yung beki (a gay person has an extraordinary way of taking care of you),” Wurtzbach responded.

“And gusto kong ma-experience ‘yung merong excited na bihisan ako, na ayusan ako, alagaan ako. Parang magiging best friend ko. Nai-imagine ko na‘yung anak ko, best friend ko, at beki siya (And I want to experience having someone who is excited to dress me up, to do my make-up, to take care of me. He would be like my best friend. I imagine my child would be my best friend, and he’s gay),” she added.

This comment of Wurtzbach earned mixed reactions from netizens. Some said her remark speaks about her stereotypical perception of the LGBT community which “belittles” them. Others defended her.

Pia Wurtzbach, another straight girl treating gay men as accessories... ok

— lane (@legmxx) December 27, 2017

I once called out @PiaWurtzbach for her silence on EJK, but this another episode of bashing against her views on having a gay child is just counterproductive. Pia is not perfect okay, and maybe instead of preaching from your pedestal why don’t you guys enlighten her?

— ramon gino chan jr. (@Ginowesome) December 27, 2017

Wurtzbach then said that she would treat the incident as a lesson.

“Lesson learned: always always be cautious with what you say,” she wrote.

The beauty queen is an advocate of HIV awareness and a known supporter of the LGBT community. She recently called out the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and some members of the media for disclosing the HIV status of one of the suspects in a buy-bust operation in a hotel in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.