Mickey Rourke has been forced to dismiss claims he’s homophobic after launching into a foul-mouthed rant about a “fag” he almost punched in New York City

Mickey Rourke has been forced to dismiss claims he’s homophobic after launching into a foul-mouthed rant about a “fag” he almost punched in New York City.

The Sin City actor insists he has lots of gay friends and “faggot” is a word they “toss around” all the time, without any derogatory meaning.

But Rourke has upset many in the Big Apple’s gay community with his potentially offensive comments.

Speaking about a recent near fight with a drunken fan, the tough guy actor said, “He was really, really out of control - some big f**king obnoxious fag. I don’t mean fag in a derogatory way, just like the guy was a f**k off.

“Look, I’m not afraid to say the word fag. I’ve got plenty of gay friends. We toss the word around. If I wanna say fag, I’m gonna f**king say it. And if somebody has a problem with that, they can kiss my f**king a**e.”