LGBT

John Oliver has mastered the art of trolling, and with the help of a now best-selling gay rabbit ... he's making a laughingstock of Vice President Mike Pence's children's book.

Oliver's new children's book, "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo," is currently the No. 1 best selling book on Amazon. It's basically a satirical send-up of Pence's book, starring Bundo ... but, of course, the Veep's bunny is not out. It's also down at No. 4 on best sellers.

The "Last Week Tonight" host released his bunny tale on Sunday, a day before Pence's release -- to directly compete with the VP -- and, let's be honest, to troll the hell out of his conservative views on LGBT rights.

Oliver's got him beat in the overall category, and in Children's books, where both the hard cover and the Kindle version are dominating over Pence's version.

Yes, you could say John has pulled a rabbit out of his hat.

WWE superstar Lana wasn't satisfied with your average Thursday night out ... so, she hopped on stage at an iconic L.A. gay bar and put on a POLE DANCING CLINIC.

And yes, there was plenty of twerking.

The Ravishing Russian hit The Abbey in West Hollywood yesterday ... and showed off all her best moves in a pair of extra-stretchy denims -- shakin' her hips and droppin' it low like her life depended on it!!

No sign of her pro wrestler husband, Rusev ... guessing this was Ladies Night based on all the screaming chicks in the front row.

Fun fact: Lana was actually a backup dancer for huge stars like Nelly, Usher and Jason Derulo before she crossed over to the WWE.

We like this better.

Tinder says it doesn't ban anyone from its dating service based on gender identity -- as a transgender woman is claiming in a lawsuit.

A spokesperson for the dating app tells TMZ ... the company can't comment on pending litigation, but adds, categorically ... "We do not ban users from Tinder due to gender identity," which is why Tinder offers more than 37 gender options for U.S. users.

The Tinder rep says, "We fundamentally believe that gender is not binary and we support inclusivity and acceptance of all people."

We broke the story ... Ariel Hawkins -- a transgender woman in Oregon -- filed a class action lawsuit claiming her account was deleted after she added pre-op trans woman to her Tinder profile.

Ariel's attorney Ben Meiselas says Tinder's missing the real issue, which is "that Tinder is banning users who are reported by other users because they identify as transgender or gender nonconforming in their profile."

A transgender woman is suing Tinder on behalf of other transgender people living in the Portland area, claiming it rejects all transgender people from the dating service.

Ariel Hawkins claims in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a few days ago she edited her profile to disclose that she was a pre-op trans woman. She says Tinder immediately deleted her account. She says the company sent her email saying she violated its terms of service ... but didn't point her to any term and refused to explain the basis for the rejection.

Hawkins tells us she thinks she got the boot because Tinder is trying to save its brand. She says, "I don't think the company understands trans people and they don't appreciate how we may represent ourselves" ... so she believes Tinder is trying to remove trans people altogether.

Hawkins adds she's on Tinder to find love like so many others, but because it "refuses to provide transgender individuals full and equal access to its app" and has banned her ... she's being cheated of that chance.

In the lawsuit, filed by Mark Geragos and Ben Meiselas, Hawkins is asking a judge for an order prohibiting Tinder from discriminating against non-cisgender Oregon users.

Nafessa Williams -- who plays the first black lesbian superhero on the TV show "Black Lightning" -- says get ready for more black superheroes because an enormous wave's ready to make a powerful splash ... thanks to "Black Panther."

We got Nafessa at LAX Monday (thanks for the elevator ride!) and wanted to know if she thinks if the incredible success of "Black Panther" will boost the entire genre. Remember ... in just 4 weeks, 'BP' grossed more than $1 BILLION at the box office.

Nafessa -- who, on the show, transforms into her alter ego, Thunder -- is adamant her show is part of the wave, but has no doubt "Black Panther" will trigger a seismic shift in TV and movies for years to come.

A former NFL player -- who's openly gay -- has been in contact with the NFL to educate coaches and staff to combat homophobia in the wake of a same-sex interrogation at the NFL Combine.

You may have heard ... NFL prospect Derrius Guice says a rep from an NFL team asked him if he "likes men" in order to test his reaction to an uncomfortable question.

The incident has drawn sharp criticism from the NFL, gay rights advocates and others who say the question is not only inappropriate, but downright homophobic and offensive.

One of those critics is Wade Davis -- who had stints with the Seahawks, Titans and Redskins. He came out about his sexuality after his NFL career.

Davis is now the Director of Professional Sports Outreach for the You Can Play Project -- an organization committed to ridding homophobia in pro sports ... and he tells TMZ Sports he's already working with the league to curb future incidents.

"I have been in contact with the NFL and I’ll be running a training/clinic in the off-season for coaches and staff to address this issue."

Davis says he wants NFL coaches and staffers to make a real effort to make NFL team offices and locker rooms more inclusive for gay players.

He also wants to focus on explaining why questioning player sexuality at the NFL Combine is so problematic and inappropriate.

"[I want them to] understand the physical, emotional and spiritual cost to creating a hostile environment for gay male athletes."

He's got one helluva story ... and if Adam Rippon ever gets the "I, Tonya" movie treatment, he wants Meryl Streep to play him on screen!

"She's the most accomplished and ready for the role," Rippon told us on the way out of 'Watch What Happens Live' in New York.

The only problem ... can Meryl hit a triple axel?!

The Olympic figure skater (who's openly gay) says he's been living it up ever since he came back from South Korea -- where he won bronze in the team figure skating event.

Sam Smith and his boyfriend, Brandon Flynn, were burning up the UK this weekend in more ways than one ... but it was mostly by (tongue in) mouth.

Sam and Brandon were spotted out in London Saturday night with Sam's sister, Lily, taggin' along. As any couple would, the 2 lovers stopped for a peck in the street. Kidding ... it was more like a full-blown movie make-out sesh, actually. Awww, young love!

At some point, Brandon was seen with a lit cigarette in hand -- as was Lily. Can't blame 'em -- something this hot is often followed up by some tobacco and nicotine ... even though smoking is awful.

"Teen Mom 2" star Jenelle Evans is standing by her hubby, saying he doesn't hate members of the LGBTQ community ... and her evidence is essentially, "we know gay people."

David Eason came under fire on Twitter after he said, "Lmao why don't you go tell the homo and transgender parents to start teaching their kids better morals? Oh I forgot thats supposed to be normal." Both "Teen Mom 2" fans and cast members called for his firing from the show.

Now Jenelle's coming to David's defense, telling us, "David didn't understand how offensive people would get or how Twitter even works. Now that he realizes his voice is very strong within media/tabloids he has deactivated his account. He agrees he will keep his comments to himself from now on."

She continues, "David doesn't hate people from the LGBT community. My old manager was gay and used to be one of me and Davids close friends. We attended Farrah's birthday in Miami with a lot of LGBT people there and he didn't act in any type of way. We went had a good time and left."

Evans wraps her statement with, "We are sorry for the comments that were made."

11:16 AM PT -- David's page has been removed from Twitter.

Kailyn Lowry's disgusted by what her "Teen Mom 2" castmate said about gay and trans people, and wants him axed from the show ... TMZ has learned.

Kailyn's responding to Monday's online rant by Jenelle Evans' husband, David Eason, in which he said ... "Lmao why don't you go tell the homo and transgender parents to start teaching their kids better morals? Oh I forgot thats supposed to be normal."

He added he's not going to let his children associate with LGBTQ people or "be that way."

Kailyn tells us she's extremely disappointed in Eason, wants nothing to do with him and doesn't want her kids around him. She says she feels bad for his children for having to "grow up with someone that clearly holds so much hate towards others."

Marlon Brando's son says his dad did NOT bang Richard Pryor ... even though Pryor's widow insists he did.

Marlon's oldest living son, Miko Brando, tells TMZ ... "The Marlon Brando family has heard the recent comments by Quincy Jones and we are disappointed that anyone would make such a wrongful comment about either Marlon Brando or Richard Pryor."

That's in sharp conflict with what Richard's widow, Jennifer Pryor, told us last week ... that the Brando/Pryor hookup DID go down, and Rich was fine with it.

You'll recall, Jennifer said Richard wasn't upset at all by Quincy's comments -- adding the comedian was always very open about his bisexuality, apparently having documented his experiences in diaries he kept.

Miko's gone to bat for his late father before -- most recently when the actor was accused of plotting a real rape during a movie scene. Heck, even Richard's own daughter, Rain Pryor, denied the love affair between the 2 stars in a now-deleted post ... saying Pryor had a relationship with a trans woman once ... but "Daddy did NOT have relations with Brando."

So who's truthin' and who's lyin'?

Malaysia is on the lookout for bearded men who love working out, because they're gay and gay is illegal there ... this according to one of the top newspapers in the country.

It's almost incredible ... the paper published a guide on how to spot gays and lesbians. The article says gay men's eyes light up when they see handsome men.

As for lesbians ... the newspaper says they have a tendency to hug one another and belittle members of the opposite sex.

Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia and carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Soccer legend Abby Wambach doesn't seem too worried for Adam Rippon in his spat with Vice President Mike Pence ... telling TMZ Sports, "I think [Rippon] can handle himself."

Rippon -- an openly gay U.S. figure skater -- has been blasting Pence in the media over the V.P.'s stance on gay rights, even saying he wanted to skip a meet-and-greet with him.

So, when we saw Wambach -- who's also an openly gay athlete -- we had to ask her opinion ... and even though she was trying to play it cool, it was obvious she's got Rippon's back.

Marlon Wayans is taking the news about Richard Pryor and Marlon Brando hooking up in stride -- and he's even got a pretty good idea of how it happened.

We got Marlon Wednesday night at Madeo in WeHo and told him Pryor's widow confirmed Quincy Jones' bombshell about Brando hooking up with her late husband.

Marlon's view -- Richard had good taste! Fact is, Pryor was pretty open about his bisexuality.

Richard Pryor had a lot of sex in the '70s -- and it was with both men and women -- including Marlon Brando ... according to Pryor's widow, Jennifer.

Jennifer confirmed the Richard-Marlon hookup, which Quincy Jones first mentioned in a pretty wild Vulture interview. As Q put it, Brando would "f*** anything. Anything! He'd f*** a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye." The allegation sent the Internet into a frenzy.

Jennifer tells TMZ ... Richard would have no shame about Quincy's comments. She says the comedic legend was always very open about his bisexuality with friends, and documented it extensively in diaries. Jennifer says she'll publish them later this year.

As for Richard hooking up with Brando -- she says, "It was the '70s! Drugs were still good, especially quaaludes. If you did enough cocaine, you'd f*** a radiator and send it flowers in the morning."

Jennifer says she has no doubt Richard would be cracking up if he heard Quincy spilling the tea.

An ex-bartender at the world famous Viper Room -- where River Phoenix partied right before his death -- claims his transgender manager got touchy, feely, and way too revealing about her transition.

The manager's name is Maci Wilson, but she used to go by Mike Wilson before November 2016. Michael Speziali, the bartender, says that's when Maci returned to work and announced, "I'm a f***king tranny! I can say it you cannot."

In a lawsuit, Speziali says Maci demanded hugs and fished for compliments on her looks. He also says she made comments about women with "unnatural" breast implants, and offered to show staffers her "hormone tits."

The bartender says Maci's boob talk, and complaints about "tucking" her male genitals, actually became unwanted rituals around the Viper Room.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Speziali says the harassment only began after Wilson's surgery. In fact, he says Mike Wilson acted like "one of the guys" ... but Maci made him uncomfortable. In particular, he says Maci once summoned him to the office and made him watch while she put on boots with her legs spread wide. You get the picture.