A PUB restaurant today brushed aside calls from gay rights campaigners for it to withdraw a faggot pie named after TV presenter Michael Barrymore.

Mad O'Rourke's Pie Factory in Tipton, West Midlands, came under fire from OutRage! for offering a "Barrymore Pie" containing locally-made faggots "swimming in onion gravy".

OutRage! spokesperson Peter Tatchell said he was certain that most lesbian and gay people would find the pie's title highly offensive.

"No restaurant would ever dare use a similar racial slur on their menu," Mr Tatchell said. "Why the double standards?"

Mr Tatchell added: "Any slur against a minority community is objectionable - faggot is the equivalent of the word n****r and P**i when used to deride black and Asian people.

"Homophobic and racial slurs have got no place in a civilised society."

Mr Tatchell also believes that the reference to the faggots - pork offal meatballs - "swimming" in gravy is an attempt to mock the death of a man in Barrymore's swimming pool almost six years ago.

Humour

"The death of a young man in a swimming pool is not an appropriate subject for this kind of joke," Mr Tatchell went on.

But the pub accused those calling for the pie to be withdrawn of lacking a sense of humour and of attempting to bully the establishment.

Its owner, Peter Towler, said he had received just one complaint about the pie's name from the three million customers who had visited the eatery in the past six years.

Mr Towler - who joked that he may rename the pie after Elton John - said: "I am amazed - but we are more than happy with the publicity.

"The thing with the Pie Factory is it's very unusual - we have sawdust on the floor - and the products have all got funny names.

"Under no circumstances are we trying to be offensive to anyone - it's all about having a laugh."

WOULD you be offended if you saw Barrymore's 'faggot pie' on a restaurant menu? Have your say.