LGBT

50 Cent is revealing some pretty intense homophobia by attacking Young Buck after the rapper claimed 50 forced him into bankruptcy ... suggesting YB is gay.

Young Buck was on the "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper" podcast when he talked about his fallout with 50, blaming the G-Unit honcho for some legal and recording issues.

Clearly, 50 saw the interview, because Wednesday he posted on Instagram with the caption, "Young Buck, Benzino just embrace who you are but don't pat nobody butt when they score a basket 🏀fool. LOL😆Hahaha, Nah 🤔FOR REAL! PUNK."

The caption was accompanied by an old video which allegedly is a recording of "Love & Hip Hop" star Benzino talking about his sexual preferences. Buck isn't in the video, but 50 obviously made the attempt to tie him in.

Turns out Young Buck also addressed his sexuality during his 'It's Tricky' interview ... saying he's a heterosexual man who "loves women" and "loves p****."

Sam Elliott is backing down from his harsh take on the Oscar-winning movie "The Power of the Dog" -- words many considered homophobic ... something that isn't lost on the guy.

The actor -- who's often cast as a cowboy type, and who apparently has some ties to the rancher community -- apologized for what he said about the flick back in February during an appearance on the 'WTF Podcast with Marc Maron,' where he went on the attack.

On Sunday, however, Sam was given a chance to clarify -- because, frankly, his train of thought was all over the place and hard to piece together. And yes, the guy issued a full mea culpa ... saying he didn't mean to hurt people, including those in the LGBT community.

While making an appearance at Deadline's Contenders TV event, where he was plugging his new show '1883,' Sam said he meant no harm ... and got pretty emotional as he recounted how many friends he has that were apparently offended by his remarks.

ICYMI ... Sam slammed 'POTD' for what he considered as a warped depiction of the American West -- bringing up the fact a lot of farmhands in the movie are portrayed shirtless like Chippendales dancers and seemingly taking issue with allusions to homosexuality.

He also didn't appreciate the fact director Jane Campion shot the film down in her native New Zealand and tried to pass it off as Montana ... so his diatribe was aimed all over.

Benedict Cumberbatch reacted to Sam's comments at the time, saying he found 'em to be "odd" -- which Sam made sure to acknowledge in his apology ... specifically saying sorry to the brilliant cast, but especially to Benedict -- who plays a closeted gay man in the film.

British Cycling is now banning transgender athletes from participating in their races ... just a week after trans cyclist Emily Bridges was disqualified from the women's championship.

It's a bit surprising because British Cycling has a Transgender and Non-binary Participation Policy that seemingly allows trans cyclists to compete.

But, since the incident with Bridges -- when the Union Cycliste Internationale banned her from the April 2 race because she was registered as a male cyclist -- the board voted this week to suspend the policy.

"As a result of this, on Wednesday 6 April the British Cycling Board of Directors voted in favor of an immediate suspension of the current policy, pending a full review, which will be initiated in the coming weeks," BC said in a statement.

British Cycling says its initial policy is "unfair on all women riders and poses a challenge to the integrity of racing."

Bridges' mother was not happy when she received the ruling via email ... saying on Twitter, "Dumped by email."

"We've just received this in our inbox. We will be making a statement at some point during the next 24 hrs."

British Cycling says they will work "tirelessly" to make sure their new policy remains "free of hate, discrimination and abuse in all forms, and that we prioritize the welfare of riders, volunteers, event organizers, commissaries and others that our sport can’t continue without."

"As an organization, we remain committed to ensuring that transgender and non-binary people are welcomed, supported and celebrated in the cycling community, and the inclusion of these groups within non-competitive activities remains unaffected by the suspension."

UFC middleweight Paulo Costa crossed the line when calling out Derek Brunson for a fight ... referring to the fighter as a gay slur -- and now, he's getting bashed over it.

30-year-old Borrachinha has been going scorched-earth on social media recently ... pulling out all the stops in hopes of getting Brunson to get in the Octagon with him.

Costa -- who is 0-2 in his past two fights -- seemingly mocked Brunson for being a former cheerleader ... posting a pic of La'Darius Marshall of the popular Netflix show, "Cheer" and captioning it," Derek F** Brunson. Fight me bitch."

Costa's Twitter followers rightfully called him out for the slur ... saying, "You’re gonna end up getting canceled" ... and "@ufc seriously? This is ok from an employee of yours?"

There's more -- "Aside from being a bigoted and just low IQ middle school level insult, it's pretty rich coming from a guy who got styled on then literally humped by a dude who did Naruto hand signs."

The latter tweet is referencing Paulo's loss to Israel Adesanya ... who then humped his back after the 2nd-round TKO.

FYI, Costa and Brunson are currently (both) the 4th ranked UFC Middleweight ... so a fight between the two would seem to make sense.

Kris Jenner has clearly evolved in her feelings toward Caitlyn Jenner ... because she herself is saying she understands Caitlyn's transition in ways that escaped her when they broke up.

Kris and her fam are hyping their upcoming Hulu series on an ABC show that aired Wednesday night. Kris told Robin Roberts she and Caitlyn are in a good place now ... as she puts it things have "settled down a lot"

There was a lot of tension and anger in the wake of their divorce ... as Kris says she was shocked to find out Caitlyn was transitioning.

Kris says she didn't understand Caitlyn's feelings at first, especially following a 22-year marriage where they shared 2 kids -- Kendall and Kylie. The dynamic between her and Caitlyn today is "fine" though, and she considers them to be friends. The two see each other from time to time at family gatherings.

As you know, Caitlyn came out as transgender in April 2015 -- two years after their split ... while Kris claimed she was unaware of Caitlyn's feelings towards her gender, Caitlyn's 2017 book, "The Secrets of My Life," revealed Kris was more aware than she led on.

Joe Exotic's estranged husband Dillon Passage is willing to sign off on divorcing the 'Tiger King,' but he wants to work out a settlement first.

Dillon's attorneys, Chris Kirker and Holly Davis, tell TMZ … their client is eager to finalize the divorce, as long as Joe agrees to his terms.

His legal team says they actually started negotiating a divorce settlement back in September with Joe's previous lawyer when DP and Exotic were already estranged ... but they hit pause on moving forward when Joe announced his cancer diagnosis.

As we first told you ... Joe ended up filing for divorce last week after more than 4 years of marriage, saying he wants to make their split official so he can marry his new prison lover.

Joe's new divorce attorney, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ … Joe wants to hammer out a deal, and it shouldn't be a problem, as long as Dillon's terms are "reasonable."

As for his terms -- Dillon's attorney says he wants both parties to walk away with what they owned coming into the marriage ... and he wants a permanent injunction preventing Joe from contacting him directly, stalking or harassing him.

Dillon's camp says those are the terms they offered back in September, when Joe's response was, "It will be a cold day in hell before I sign these papers ... You're out of your f***ing mind."

Sounds like it's gonna take some doing to reach a settlement, but Dillon's team stresses he's not looking for any big payday -- and Joe's camp says he wants something simple that allows each of them to take their own stuff and move on.

Joe Rogan says transgender swimmer Lia Thomas competing in college athletics against cisgender women amounts to an "assault on women's sports," and believes it could be "the woke straw that broke society's camel's back."

If you're not familiar with Thomas, she began transitioning in 2019. Thomas, who is in her early 20s, underwent therapy to suppress testosterone. The NCAA declared Lia eligible to compete in women's athletics at the University of Pennsylvania, where she then became the first-ever transgender athlete to win an NCAA title.

Rogan, during a 'JRE' pod with guest, comedian Yannis Pappas, took aim at Thomas, and her effect on women's sports.

"What it is now is not good. What it is now is an assault on women's sports. And the idea that anyone would think it’s fair that someone who was number 4-6-2 as a man, 462 in the nation, is number 1 as a woman a year later. And that’s fair,” Rogan asked on the show."

FYI, Thomas had some success competing against men before transitioning. LT finished in 2nd place in the 500-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard, and 1,650-yard freestyle during the 2019 Ivy League Championships.

But, it's not just Joe. Many believe Thomas has a huge advantage because her body developed as a male, prior to her transition.

"Women are so frustrated, or parents. If your daughter is competing and they're competing against a trans woman, it's just not fair. It's just not fair. No matter what anybody says. There's this nonsense idea, of like well there's outliers, there are outliers, and then there are biological males. That's beyond outliers," Rogan argued.

Joe says he believes the trans community is generally accepted ... but we must draw a line when it comes to sports.

"It's interesting because in all other aspects of society it's pretty much a given that a person can become trans and change their name, and we're all pretty accepting of it," Rogan told Yannis.

"Where people have the most push back is sports. Athletic competition. That's where the real push back is. Where people are like, 'Hey what the f**k? This is not fair. This is clearly not fair.' There is a reason we have a distinction between men and women's sports."

Lia's situation has become so polarizing ... and Joe says he believes it could serve as a turning point for the country.

"That might be the woke straw that breaks society’s camel’s back."

Last month, Florida governor Ron DeSantis refused to acknowledge Thomas after she won the women's Division I national championship in the 500-yard freestyle.

Instead, DeSantis declared the runner-up, Florida native Emma Weyant, the "rightful winner."

A British transgender cyclist says she had to deactivate her social media to stop the "targeted abuse" following her disqualification from a women's championship race.

As we previously reported, Emily Bridges was banned two days before the April 2 women's championship race in the UK by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ... because she's registered as a male cyclist.

Ever since, the 21-year-old says her "privacy has been totally violated" to the point where she had to shut down her social media to avoid mistreatment.

"I've had to deactivate my social media to prevent the targeted abuse I am receiving," Bridges said in a statement, "and block websites to stop seeing them."

Bridges calls out the British media for harassing her as well -- saying reporters have been at her home pressuring her for a story.

"I've had journalists at my front door every day harassing us for comment and story, my privacy has been totally violated over speculation around my eligibility and fairness to compete."

"They attack anything that isn't the norm and print whatever is most likely to result in the highest engagement for their articles."

But Bridges -- who was in contact with the UCI about her status six months before the disqualification -- says she will continue to dispute her ineligibility with the org.

"I am an athlete," Bridges said, "and I just want to race competitively again, within the Regulations set by British Cycling and UCI after careful consideration of the research around transgender athletes."

Joe Exotic is explaining why he finally filed for divorce from husband Dillon Passage ... he wants to get hitched to a new guy he met behind bars!!!

The Netflix star's lawyer, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ ... Joe's new love interest is a man named John Graham, and the prison romance is the reason Exotic recently filed divorce docs from jail.

Joe sums it up this way ... "God works in amazing ways." Yes, He does.

As we first told you ... Joe and Dillon were estranged for more than a year before Exotic filed for divorce, and Dillon's already got a new man in his life too.

Joe's attorney tells us he met John in February 2021 when they were both locked up at FMC Fort Worth in Texas ... and even though John's since been released from custody, it seems he's had a lasting impact on Joe.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, John was in prison for burglary and possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in 2012 to more than 12 years in prison, although prison records show he was released March 15 of this year.

Joe married Dillon on Dec. 11, 2017 ... only 2 months after Exotic's previous husband, Travis Maldonado, died after accidentally shooting himself.

"Jeopardy!" Champion Amy Schneider took a trip to The White House to meet with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, discussing the importance of trans awareness on the Transgender Day of Visibility.

Amy spoke to reporters in the White House Briefing Room Thursday, saying she was invited to meet with Emhoff about advancing transgender visibility and equality in the country ... and on the national holiday that was proclaimed by President Biden the previous year.

The trivia champ was eager to continue her mission spreading awareness of the transgender community, and her time spent with the Second Gentleman was a big step forward.

On the same day as Amy's meeting, Biden announced new measures that, hopefully, make more people feel accepted in the country ... including gender-neutral TSA scanners and the "X" gender option on passport applications.

As you'll recall, Amy was the first transgender "Jeopardy!" contestant to qualify for the show's Tournament of Champions, and is the most successful woman ever in the show's history ... winning 40 games in a row and pocketing $1.38 million dollars!

Emily Bridges -- a British transgender cyclist -- was set to race in a women's event this weekend ... but that has changed after the Union Cycliste Internationale disqualified her on Wednesday.

According to British Cycling, the 21-year-old was eligible for the April 2 race due to the British Cycling Transgender and Non-Binary Participation policy.

But, the UCI informed them since she's registered as a male cyclist -- who started hormone therapy last year -- she could not compete.

"We acknowledge the decision of the UCI with regards to Emily's participation, however, we fully recognise her disappointment with today’s decision," British Cycling said in a statement.

"We believe all participants within our sport deserve more clarity and understanding around participation in elite competitions and we will continue to work with the UCI on both Emily's case and the wider situation with regards to this issue."

Bridges -- who set a national junior men's record over 25 miles in 2018 -- is an example of the ongoing battle between transgender athletes and some people in sports who believe the athletes have an unfair advantage.

"We also understand that in elite sports the concept of fairness is essential," British Cycling said.

"For this reason, British Cycling is today calling for a coalition to share, learn and understand more about how we can achieve fairness in a way that maintains the dignity and respect of all athletes."

Several states in the U.S have banned transgender female athletes from girls' teams. In fact, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis denounced transgender swimmer Lia Thomas for winning an NCAA championship.

J.K. Rowling is back in the thick of the wizarding world ... hitting up the premiere for a new 'Fantastic Beasts' movie after being noticeably absent from the recent 'Harry Potter' reunion.

The author and creator of the wizarding franchise was front and center Tuesday for the world premiere of "Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore" ... wearing a plunging violet gown at The Royal Festival Hall in London.

It's interesting to see Warner Bros. embracing JKR again ... remember, she did not sit for an interview for HBO Max's 20th Anniversary 'Return to Hogwarts' reunion special, which hit the streaming service earlier this year, only appearing in old archival footage.

As you know, J.K. has been in the hot seat for a while ... as a result of transphobic remarks she's made throughout the past year ... comments she's since tried to clean up.

We haven't seen Ezra Miller at the premiere yet, he's in the movie, but he's dealing with legal issues in Hawaii after getting arrested over an incident at a bar.

The Orlando Pride is saying a big sorry to its fans ... after it forced a group of its supporters at its home stadium to take down a banner that had the word "GAY" painted on it.

The National Women's Soccer League team issued the mea culpa on Tuesday afternoon -- explaining it erred when it forced the removal of the sign at its home game on Saturday.

If you missed it, a Pride support group called the "Black Swans" attempted to hang the sign at the team's home game against Washington on Saturday, in what appeared to be a clear effort to oppose Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill.

The Swans, though, said the team made them take it down for "political reasons" -- something they said they were furious over.

But, the Pride "deeply" apologized for the action this week ... saying in a statement it screwed up.

"The organization admits it wrongly focused on signage policies and procedures, instead of allowing the important meaning of this message," said the Pride, who actually have 49 rainbow seats set up in their stadium to honor Pulse nightclub victims.

"It is a privilege and duty to create a safe, inclusive environment at Orlando Pride matches, and the Club deeply apologizes for violating that trust through this incorrect decision."

The team added the Swans will be allowed to hang the banner -- or something similar to it -- at home games moving forward if it wants.

The so-called "gay" dog that was given up by its owners over perceived homosexual behavior now has a new home -- and that pad is very LGBTQ-friendly ... as is his new name!

North Carolina's Steve Nichols tells TMZ ... he and his longtime partner, John, adopted Fezco Tuesday after hearing the story about him getting abandoned by his former human parents ... all because they caught him humping another male pooch.

Nichols says they felt an immediate connection to Fezco, as he explains both he and John have faced discrimination in their own lives. So, they applied ... and were actually chosen.

Now, get this ... Nichols says they've actually gone ahead and rebranded Fezco with a new doggy tag, now calling him "Oscar" instead of his old moniker. We're told they chose that to honor the Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde -- who was also gay.

It's probably for the best, because Nichols tells us his new pet was apparently not well taken care of by his previous owners ... saying the dog wasn't neutered, and had heart worms -- which he's taking care of now by sending Oscar straight to the vet, where he'll be for a bit.

Nichols says the application wanted to make sure that whoever would embrace Oscar would be committed to nursing him back to health, and both he and John certainly are. Word of Oscar's availability came courtesy of WCCB's Morgan Fogarty, who broke the news.

Looks like Oscar will have some company ... the couple already have a furry friend named Harry, who's a Terrier-Chihuahua mix. They expect their two boys will get along just fine.

This is actually a really sad story so hold the chuckles ... a North Carolina dog was abandoned and sent to an animal shelter because its owner thought the pooch was gay.

Fezco is held up at the shelter in Stanly County after his owners caught him humping another male hound.

Of course, the owners' reaction is absurd ... dogs do this for dominance, and even if Fezco was gay, so what?

The shelter has posted Fezco's story on Facebook, assuring prospective owners he's a good boy and kind to people and his peers alike.

The 5-year-old doggie will almost certainly get a home ... and according to WCCB TV, applications are apparently flooding in.

Carli Lloyd might be retired from football, but she could find another career in American football -- 'cause the U.S. soccer superstar tells TMZ Sports she's open to the idea of playing in the NFL!!

Of course, the 39-year-old World Cup champ and Olympic gold medalist went viral in 2019 ... when she was spotted nailing 55-yard field goals while hanging out with the Philadelphia Eagles.

We spoke with the soccer legend -- just a few months after she decided to hang up her cleats -- and she told us thanks to the free time she has now, an NFL push could be in her future.

Lloyd believes one position women can play in the NFL is kicker, and her confidence in that belief was reinforced after her experience with the Eagles.

"Yeah that was wild how that all unfolded," Lloyd said. "Something I never would've predicted would have happened. It was a cool day to go out there and just hit some field goals."

Lloyd said had it not been for her Olympic journey, she would have seriously entertained the idea of being an NFL kicker.

We also spoke with Lloyd about being the first female ambassador for USA Teqball (think Ping-Pong for soccer) ... and she attributes the pandemic -- as well as seeing guys like Beckham, Messi, and Ronaldinho playing the game for sparking her interest.

"I'm thrilled because it keeps me somewhat around the game in a little bit of a different fashion, but its a really, pretty amazing sport," Lloyd said.