Kanye asks fans to end homophobia

Kanye West has denounced homophobia and called on his fans to be more open-minded.

The rapper gave a speech on the subject at his show in Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

After ending his gig, West told the crowd: "Open your f**king minds. Open your minds. Be accepting of different people and let people be who they are.

"You know how many people came to me calling me gay cause I wear my jeans the fresh way?

"Or because I said hey, dude, how you gonna say 'f*g' right in front of a gay dude's face and act like that's okay? That s**t is disrespectful."

He continued: "Coming from Chicago, where if you saw somebody that was gay you were supposed to stay ten feet away. It took me time to break out of the mental prisons I was in.

"The stereotypes of the fear of the backlash that I would get if you don't believe what I believe in, accepting people for who they are"

West concluded: "I've flown across the world y'all, and I've come back here to tell you - open your minds and live a happier life."