Rod Liddle: 'Poppers and lube are God's way of saying gay sex is unnatural'

Veteran British journalist Rod Liddle has been labelled a "repeat offending bigot" after saying that poppers and lube are God's way of saying that gay sex is unnatural. Writing in The Spectator, for which he serves as associate editor, Liddle argued the government's recent ban on amyl nitrate - otherwise known as 'poppers' - was justified on health grounds, and that Tory MP Crispin Blunt's recent admission that he uses the drug as a sexual aide made him go "eeeeuw". In a column entitled 'Did we really have to hear all about Crispin Blunt’s sex life?' Liddle said that while "heterosexual distaste at the practises of homosexuals" shouldn't be a reason to prevent equality, the use of poppers and lube by gay men was God - and the body's - way of telling them that gay sex is "unnatural and perverse". The former Today show producer, who has a history of making homophobic statements, added that Blunt and other gay men should use a 'jemmy' - the term for a short crowbar used by burglars to force open a window or door - instead. Read his full comments below:

A year or so back my friend and colleague Hugo Rifkind wrote a very good piece in which he argued that the issues concerning gay rights should not be resolved simply by an elongated ‘eeeeuw’. In other words, heterosexual distaste at the practices of homosexuals should not determine general policy towards this minority. A good point and well made and I agreed with much of it. But it shouldn’t stop the rest of us going ‘eeeeuw’ from time to time, nonetheless. So, Crispin Blunt MP feels hurt because laws proscribing amyl nitrate (or ‘poppers’) would criminalise the entire gay community. A jar of poppers and a tube of ‘lube’ are always found in the bedside drawer of a gay man, we are told. I would have thought that the requirement for amyl nitrate to relax the sphincter muscle and lube to accommodate entry was God’s way of telling you that what you’re about to do is unnatural and perverse. Or your body’s way of telling you – your call. So eeeeuw. Amyl nitrate is very bad for you – so ban it. Crispin and others can always use a jemmy instead.

Responding to Liddle's remarks, a Stonewall spokesperson told Huffington Post: "Comments like this are shocking and damaging, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from repeat offending bigots like Rod Liddle. "The Government’s move for an immediate review of whether poppers are harmful is right, but banning them before this review is concluded is unacceptable. "It will cause confusion and drive gay and bi men who use poppers to seek out illegal drug suppliers from April onwards, putting their health at serious risk.’ Meanhile, Labour MP for Exeter Ben Bradshaw has spoken out against the ban, saying it isn't "supported by the evidence". More stories: Porn star Colby Keller bares all in Vivienne Westwood's latest campaign Watch | Filmmaker asks gay men to 'Gay It Forward'