Orange Is The New Black's Lea DeLaria publicly rants at subway preacher who attempts to tutor her carriage about 'the sin of homosexuality'

The Orange Is The New Black actress says that ‘people have a right to think other things’

Don’t cross Lea DeLaria is the resounding message, from footage that’s emerged of her confronting a preacher against “the sin of homosexuality”.

The Orange Is The New Black actress, who plays Big Boo is the popular US television series, was on the New York subway yesterday morning when a religious man began loudly telling commuters about the bible.

DeLaria, the first US openly gay comic to appear on late night television, initially attempted to shout down the preacher by singing a rendition of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”.

The man responds by saying, “This is the reason America’s in trouble” – presumably alluding to DeLaria’s resistance in listening to his rant.

“This is not why America’s in trouble,” said DeLaria. “Religious fanatics are the reason America’s in trouble… You are the reason America’s in trouble.”

She follows him up and down the train, yelling over him as her fellow commuters furiously document the proceedings on their phones.

“Other people have the right to believe other things in this planet, in this world,” she said.

“We do not have to be force-fed this man’s religious beliefs. Jesus never said for you to do this – not anywhere in the bible. Show me anywhere in the bible where it says it’s ok for you to do this.”

He starts to interject with a biblical passage, but DeLaria silences him.

“Don’t come at me,” she said. “Because I went to f**king Catholic school for 12 years, and I know every line [of the Bible].”

He then references the “sin of homosexuality”.

“Here we go,” shouts DeLaria waving her hands above her head. “Now he calls me a dyke, everybody.”

The man eventually gets off the train.

“Thank God,” said DeLaria to applause from commuters. “And notice I thanked God.”

Earlier this year, the actress, who led Manchester’s Gay Pride in August, said that society needs to end the negative stigma associated with “being a butch lesbian”.

“Being butch is still a dirty little secret, but it’s how some of us are,” she told The Independent. “We can’t forget where we came from. We need to put a positive face on it and it all comes from this international homophobia, that are only certain things are good; that you can’t be that type of lesbian. It’s important for me to communicate that there’s nothing bad about being gay.”