US politician's tirade sparks backlash

A Philadelphia politician has been accused of bigotry after taking a colleague to task when he briefly laid a hand on his forearm.

State politicians were discussing a run-of-the-mill land bill on Tuesday when Democrat Matt Bradford touched the arm of conservative Republican Daryl Metcalfe as he spoke.

Video shows how as Bradford continued speaking, Metcalfe interrupted with:

"Look, I'm a heterosexual. I have a wife, I love my wife, I don't like men — as you might. But stop touching me all the time."

The Republican’s words drew giggles and smirks from some other politicians gathered in the committee room.

But he continued with his outburst:

"Keep your hands to yourself," said Metcalfe, a veteran Republican who chairs a committee overseeing civil rights law.

"If you want to touch somebody, you have people on your side of the aisle who might like it.

"I don't."

An online biography says Bradford is married to a woman and has four children, reports philly.com.

The footage has sparked widespread condemnation and accusations of gender discrimination.

Pennsylvania's Democratic Party branded Metcalfe a “walking, talking embarrassment to Pennsylvanians” and called for him to resign, reports philly.com.

In a Facebook post, the state’s first openly gay legislator, Brian Sims, called Metcalfe the Republicans’ “head bigot”.

And state Governor Tom Wolf said Metcalfe should be stripped of the chairmanship of a committee responsible for civil rights legislation.