Pet Shop Boys sample gay rights speech

Pet Shop Boys' new track 'The Best Gay Possible' samples drag queen, Panti Bliss, whose speech condemning homophobia at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in February went viral on Youtube.

Pet Shop Boys have sampled a gay rights speech for their new single.

The dance duo's new track 'The Best Gay Possible' features all ten minutes of a speech made by drag queen, Panti Bliss, a leading Irish gay rights activist, who rose to fame after his speech condemning homophobia at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in February went viral on Youtube.

In the speech, Panti says: "To grow up in a society that is overwhelmingly homophobic and to escape unscathed would be miraculous. So I don't hate you because you are homophobic. I actually admire you. I admire you because most of you are only a bit homophobic. Which all things considered is pretty good going."

He adds: "But I do sometimes hate myself. I hate myself because I f*****g check myself while standing at pedestrian crossings. And sometimes I hate you for doing that to me."

Panti - real name Rory O'Neil - took to Twitter to give his nod of approval on the track, as he wrote: "Pet Shop Boys made an amazing track out of my Noble Call speech. Seriously, they did."

Meanwhile, Pet Shop Boys - featuring Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe - will embark on a US tour on April 8 and will also take the stage at Coachella Festival in California.