HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Tensions between two of the state Senate’s most powerful senior members erupted into name-calling on Oct. 6, with a Philadelphia Democrat using a derogatory term for gay men to denounce Republican leaders.

The language shocked members of a chamber that prides itself on decorum, and the following day President Pro Tempore Robert C. Jubelirer, R-Blair, called for an apology from Sen. Vincent C. Fumo.

“He called me a faggot is what he called me. And then I said, ‘What did you say?’ and he screamed it,” Jubelirer said. “That was just wrong. If he has an issue with me, that’s fine, but to use that term, ‘faggot,’ to me was a black mark, not only on him but the institution.”

The incident occurred around 10:00 p.m. after Republicans invoked an obscure parliamentary procedure to cut off debate on a package of changes to the slots-gambling bill passed in July. The move short-circuited the Democrats’ hopes of bringing up amendments of their own, and Fumo went ballistic, according to witnesses.

“There was an animated discussion, which I could not hear. Then, in a very loud voice, Sen. Fumo used the epithet four times that I counted,” said Radio Pennsylvania’s Ray Smith, the lone reporter to witness the entire exchange. He said the shock on senators’ faces was obvious.

The chamber was “at ease,” so video cameras apparently did not capture the incident.

“I guess he believes the stereotype of that ugly word is someone who is effeminate and doesn’t have much courage,” Jubelirer said. “It was disgusting and repulsive.”

Later that night, Fumo told reporters he “made a mistake.”

“I should have called them ‘girlie men,’” he said. “They have no integrity, no guts, and no class.”

Sen. Jubelirer called on Fumo to apologize to the GLBT community and other Pennsylvanians, and a few hours later, Fumo issued a statement saying he had made “a very unfortunate word choice.”

“I am especially sorry about using the term because it is not the way I feel in my heart toward gays,” the statement read.

Fumo also phoned longtime friend Mark Segal, publisher of the 22,000-circulation Philadelphia Gay News and a 30-year lobbyist on GLBT issues, to apologize.

“Vince Fumo has one of the best track records of voting for, sponsoring, and co-sponsoring legislation for gay and lesbian citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania of any senator serving or who has served in the past,” Segal said.

The Republicans’ bill eliminated a provision in the slots law that allowed legislators to own an interest of up to 1 percent in a gambling entity. Designed to allow for holdings in pensions and mutual funds, the 1-percent provision engendered a public backlash in the false belief that it had guaranteed lawmakers a piece of the action.

The Republican amendment that passed 49-1 – only Fumo voted no – also reversed a requirement that casinos buy slot machines from Pennsylvania-based licensed distributors. The House and governor must also go along, which is not a sure thing.

Fumo, on the other hand, wanted to extend the total ban on financial benefits from gambling to the adult children of lawmakers, a move targeted at Jubelirer’s son. Jeff Jubelirer has performed public relations work for a Philadelphia investor who is interested in a slots license.

Fumo spokesperson Gary Tuma said the senator was angered by reports that Jubelirer told Republican colleagues that Fumo intended to have a distributorship.

Fumo and Jubelirer, as leaders in their respective parties, have waged numerous ideological battles over the years. Jubelirer, who joined the Senate in 1974, was an outspoken opponent of legalizing slot machines in the state. Fumo, who has served since 1978, had been an architect of the legalization bill.

Jubelirer recounted an incident a decade ago when “he and I got into it” in the Senate over an election issue.

“He came after me with fist cocked, with my back turned to him. [Former Sen. F. Joseph] Loeper stepped in – it ended up with him being taken by Sen. Loeper and Sen. [J. William] Lincoln and [being] literally physically pulled back while I walked over to my side,” Jubelirer said.

Tuma said Jubelirer’s story is “an outrageous lie. It never happened. He has never been physically violent. He yells a lot, but that yelling is his outlet.”