Storm over Spanish politician's brothel story

MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish politician's public description of how he lost his virginity in a brothel has angered his female counterparts, who accused him of encouraging prostitution.

Miguel Angel Revilla, head of the government of the northern region of Cantabria, told a television interviewer earlier this week that he had paid the first time he had sex at the age of 18.

Female members of the regional parliament from the opposition conservative Popular Party were outraged. "As the head of the regional government, he should be an example for the young people of Cantabria," they said in a communique.

"Instead he encourages them to pay for their first sexual experience."

Thursday, Revilla, a member of a regional party, accused his critics of hypocrisy and said they were unable to find matters of substance on which to attack him.

"There are major problems which need to be addressed now, not what a poor 18-year-old did," said Revilla, who is now 65, adding: " Ninety-nine percent of Spanish men did it back then."

(Reporting by Jason Webb; editing by Robert Hart)