New York, Oct 27 : American actor Denis Leary has earned himself the ire of gays for his slurs, and is currently defending his right to call homosexual men “fags”.

Leary, who had earlier come under attack for making fun of autism, blames his parents and the Catholic Church for his slurs.

In an interview with next month''s issue of gay magazine The Advocate, Leary was made to defend himself after he was grilled about his upcoming book, ‘Why We Suck’, and a chapter titled ‘Matt Dillon Is a Giant Fag.’

“What gives you the right to use the ‘F-word?’,” the New York Post quoted interviewer Brandon Voss as demanding.

Leary answered back: “I also have a chapter called, ‘We’d Hate You Even If You Weren''t Black’.”

“I don''t believe in the power of words. My parents came from Ireland, where the (C-word) is literally a word your mother and father would use to describe the weather or the car: ‘That (C-word)ing car won''t start!’ And I come from a Catholic background where the nuns were always telling you, ‘Don''t do this, don’t say this,’ so any time anyone tells me I shouldn''t say something, my reaction is, ‘Why not?’,” he stated.

Voss next asked Leary about a 2006 Elle interview where he was asked to name a man he''d sleep with if his life depended on it.

“I’d shoot myself in the head,” Leary answered.

“I’d have to have my wife dress up as a man. I never met him, but I always really loved Paul Newman - not only as an actor, but also the way he carried himself . . . So I guess I''d have to dress my wife up as Paul Newman,” he added. (ANI)