Ateneo superstar guard Kiefer Ravena acknowledged the gay rumors that have swirled around him for quite some time.
In an interview on The Bottomline with Boy Abunda last Saturday,
Ravena was asked about the gender sensitivity among athletes in the
Philippines, especially in light of NBA veteran Jason Collins’ recent
decision to come out as gay through an essay in Sports Illustrated.
“Ako nga, minsan kahit papaano natsi-tsimis na ganoon eh,” Ravena said. “Ang daming chismis na, ‘O, si Kiefer, bading ‘yan.”
“So, ano ‘yun, okay lang sa akin ‘yun, it’s their opinion,” he said.
At the same time, there are people who accuse him of being a playboy.
“'Yung iba nagsasabi na, ‘Si Kiefer, papalit-palit ng girlfriend ‘yan,”
he said.
“Hindi ko alam kung saan ako lulugar,” Ravena said. “Pero it’s
something that I accept. Wala, ganoon talaga ‘yung mga tao. It’s
something that’s there, it’s present. Hindi mo siya matatanggal.”
Ravena stressed that as an athlete, he has no problem with
homosexuals and hopes that his fellow athletes will have the same
mindset.
“With gender sensitivity lang siguro dito sa Pilipinas, it’s big. I have nothing against people, I have nothing against lesbian people,” Ravena said.
When Abunda asked is his opinion was shared by other athletes, Ravena replied: “Probably, siguro.”
“I mean, ako, marami akong kaibigan na gay, na kaibigan ko talaga. Tao pa rin naman sila.
Pare-pareho lang kami ng mga gustong ginagawa,” he said.
“Wala akong stand against or with, pero I treat them as normal people.”
