LGBT

Lia Thomas' participation in women's swimming has reached a breaking point -- because the world's governing body for the sport has weighed in ... and their ruling is against her.

FINA -- French for the the International Swimming Federation -- came down with their decision this weekend regarding transgender athletes (specifically trans women) partaking in elite women's swimming ... and they say it's a no-go going forward, with caveats.

The org's new policy says male-to-female swimmers who transition before age of 12 or before the Tanner Stage 2 of puberty -- whichever comes later -- can compete in women's events. The reason ... they say there's no question a trans female athlete that has already gone through male puberty has an unfair physical advantage over cisgender females.

They reached this conclusion based on multiple studies, reports and presentations by 3 specialist groups, who offered their findings to FINA -- made up of members from 152 national federations -- which then voted ... with a 71% majority in favor of this decision.

In the wake of this coming down, a rep for the Prez of FINA told AP, "This is not saying that people are encouraged to transition by the age of 12. It’s what the scientists are saying, that if you transition after the start of puberty, you have an advantage, which is unfair."

The spox adds, "They’re not saying everyone should transition by age 11, that’s ridiculous. You can’t transition by that age in most countries and hopefully you wouldn’t be encouraged to. Basically, what they’re saying is that it is not feasible for people who have transitioned to compete without having an advantage." They clarified there are no trans women currently competing in elite levels of swimming ... presumably, meaning international competition.

One thing FINA is considering to be inclusive to trans swimmers ... an "open competition" category. It's ill-defined at this point, but they're tasking a team to investigate it further.

It's unclear if FINA's new rules are going to be adopted by agencies like the NCAA, which currently permits people like Lia to compete in collegiate swimming. She made history this year by winning a national title in women's swimming, the 500-meter freestyle.

In any case, some people are welcoming the news ... including Caitlyn Jenner, who's been advocating for such change for a while now -- saying trans female athletes have an undeniable physical advantage over their cisgender competition, as have many others.

She wrote, "It worked! I took a lot of heat - but what’s fair is fair! If you go through male puberty you should not be able to take medals away from females. Period."

"Jeopardy!" champ Amy Schneider says she's gonna take Fox Sports at its word, that they did not intentionally cut out her first pitch at a Giants game celebrating Pride Day at the stadium.

Amy tells TMZ ... "They say the reason they misled their viewers was for cross-promotion, not anything to do with me, so I'll take them at their word." The director of the broadcast reached out to her personally to apologize and reiterate it had nothing to do with her identity. She believed him and accepted his apology.

ICYMI, Amy, the 1st openly transgender "Jeopardy!" champ, was invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Dodgers/Giants game. Problem was ... Amy's pitch never made air. Instead, Fox Sports ran another first pitch from several days earlier ... at the hands of Kurt Busch.

Fox Sports said the video of that pitch was part of a promotional package for an upcoming NASCAR race in Northern California.

They made it clear ... the intention was not to disrespect Amy, adding first pitches are rarely aired on the Network during games.

There are doubters on social media who aren't buying the story, but Amy is taking the explanation at face value.

Reza Farahan says politicians have screwed up priorities, and clearly have no clue what goes on at drag shows since they're trying to make laws blocking kids from attending them.

We caught up with the former "Shahs of Sunset" star in L.A. and asked what his thoughts were about the new potential legislation in Texas and Florida ...  which would make it a crime for parents to bring their children with them to drag revues.

Reza says it's not just misguided, it's heartbreaking -- he doesn't understand why drag shows are being sexualized by folks who know nothing about them. He says, these shows are nothing but a group of people who are expressing themselves and entertaining people in their own way.

He adds, the shows are a form of art ... all about folks living their best lives and expressing love and happiness. Reza insisted, politicians simply love to sensationalize anything related to the LGBTQ+ community.

Texas State Rep. Bryan Slaton recently said he was filing the potential bill after recent footage went viral of kids in Dallas attending a drag show.

Sue Bird -- a 4-time WNBA champion and star guard for the Seattle Storm -- says she's retiring ... announcing Thursday she's hanging up her sneakers for good at the end of this season.

"I’ve decided this will be my final year," said Bird, who shared a photo of her hoopin' as a youngster.

"I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first."

The 41-year-old, who was a 2-time NCAA champion at UConn, was picked #1 overall back in 2002 ... and has played every year since for the Storm.

In her 19 years in Seattle, she piled up 12 All-Star selections ... and became the WNBA's all-time assists leader as well as the league's all-time leader in starts.

Her retirement will mark truly the end of one of the greatest basketball careers ever -- as Bird is one of only six players ever to win an NCAA championship, a WNBA championship, and an Olympic gold medal.

Trick Daddy is super pissed at Ron DeSantis for Florida's myriad financial problems, calling the Governor a "white bigot" ... but he's also blaming voters, or lack thereof.

The "I'm a Thug" rapper is the latest guest on "It's Tricky with Raquel Harper," and he rips into Gov. DeSantis when asked what life is like these days in his home state.

Trick Daddy says he feels for all those seeing their rents raised by hundreds of dollars ... but he's not blaming President Biden, a la Jake Paul, and is instead focusing his rage on DeSantis.

Raised rents aren't the only bone Trick Daddy has to pick with DeSantis ... he's also going after the Governor for Florida's so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill and super strict abortion laws.

The way Trick Daddy sees it ... DeSantis, a prospective Republican candidate for president, is singling out all types of people and their ways of life with "racist and biased" legislation.

As for his rant about DeSantis being "from another country" -- we think TD's referring to the fact his ancestors were Italian immigrants in the early 20th century.

Rebel Wilson's coming out announcement is under a microscope because of what was happening BTS ... including a newspaper's attempt to force her to comment beforehand.

The Aussie actress -- who just revealed she's in a relationship with a woman -- responded to an outraged journalist from Down Under, who couldn't believe what the Sydney Morning Herald seems to be admitting ... namely, that they had RW over a barrel with the story.

The reporter wrote, "So apparently it wasn't @RebelWilson's choice to come out... The @smh/@theage have admitted to giving her a heads up 2 days in advance that they were going to 'out' her." She notes that openly gay men who work at SMH were involved too.

To that, Rebel wrote back ... "Thanks for your comments, it was a very hard situation but trying to handle it with grace ❤️" In other words, she appears to be confirming this perception of an attempt to out her publicly, before she was ready to do so herself.

The article in question -- which details what went into the process of trying to confirm the relationship -- comes across as somewhat angry about the fact that Rebel evaded their questions, which they say they made 2 days in advance, and scooped them herself.

The author writes of the decision to ask her team for comment ... "Big mistake. Wilson opted to gazump the story," adding ... "Considering how bitterly Wilson had complained about poor journalism standards when she successfully sued Woman’s Day for defamation, her choice to ignore our discreet, genuine and honest queries was, in our view, underwhelming."

As a result, many have accused the outlet of trying to out Rebel ... but one of their editors, Bevan Shields, denied that characterization in a follow-up piece -- offering more context.

He says, "[W]e simply asked questions and as standard practice included a deadline for a response. I had made no decision about whether or what to publish, and the Herald’s decision about what to do would have been informed by any response Wilson supplied."

Idaho cops successfully foiled what could've been a repeat of Charlottesville by pulling over a U-Haul truck filled with 31 members of a white supremacist group near a Pride event.

The group is called Patriot Front -- you probably first heard of them during the deadly Charlottesville protests in 2017 -- and on Saturday, nearly 3 dozen of their members were packed into the back of the truck.

Police believe the men -- many wearing white supremacy insignias, face coverings and shirts that said "reclaim America" -- were planning to riot and go head-to-head with people participating in the "Pride in the Park" event.

The city's police chief says someone spotted the group loading into the U-Haul at a nearby hotel, and tipped off police. Ten minutes later, heavily armed officers pulled over the truck and arrested the group without incident.

Cops say the group had riot gear, such as shields, and at least one smoke grenade.

The group's leader, Thomas Ryan Rousseau, was arrested for criminal conspiracy to riot. He and others were being held on $300 bail.

Azealia Banks says she's getting screwed over, and even though her anger doesn't seem to be at fans ... she still took it out on them during a Pride performance in Miami.

Azealia was onstage early Saturday morning -- around 3 AM -- for the Wynwood Pride concert, and was VERY over being there. The controversial rapper -- who performed with her boobs all the way out -- started ranting about promoters jerking her around about her set times and whether she's the headliner.

She brazenly told the crowd, "I'm really not happy to be here." Azealia rambled a little more, and said she knew it wasn't the fans' fault ... but she clearly wanted off that stage. She said, "I'm trying y'all, but it's difficult."

Seems like the concert promoters had enough though, because when Azealia repeated her frustration by saying, "I really don't wanna f***ing be here" ... someone cut off her mic.

That only pissed her off more, and pulled a spot-on mic drop ... and left the stage in a huff.

Now, mind you ... Azealia had only done about 4 songs at that point, so you can hear the crowd get restless -- everyone started booing when they realized she wasn't coming back.

Azealia was already an odd pick to headline the event ... considering she's come under fire, for good reason, from the LGBTQ+ community in the past. Remember, she's called HIV/AIDS patients sex addicts, and dropped a homophobic epithet on a flight attendant.

Rebel Wilson has a very special person she wants the world to meet, coming out in an Instagram post and introducing the world to her new girlfriend.

In a post Thursday, Wilson says, "I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess #loveislove."

The woman is Ramona Agruma, a clothing and jewelry designer, who owns Lemon Ve Limon, based out of Los Angeles.

While it's unclear how long the two have been a thing ... they were spotted together in Los Angeles during Super Bowl Sunday back in February, the big game was held at SoFi Stadium. The two also went to Cabo in March with a group of friends to celebrate Rebel's birthday.

Rebel's recently opened up about her weight loss -- dropping close to 100lbs -- as a personal health decision. However, she said her own management wasn't necessarily down with the decision, she spoke about their hesitation in a recent interview, "'Why would you wanna do that?' Because I was earning millions of dollars being the funny fat girl and being that person."

The plan to introduce a Texas bill blocking children from attending drag shows is sparking debate -- but "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Alyssa Edwards says the move and the timing of it make her embarrassed of her home state.

Alyssa puts it plainly -- the new bill is frustrating, and will cause a setback for young kids. She says decisions like this should solely be left to a parent's discretion.

She's been calling out State Rep. Bryan Slaton -- who said he plans to introduce the bill -- for showing more interest in drag bars than figuring out how to keep school kids safer in the wake of the Uvalde shooting.

Representative Slaton says he's filing the potential legislation after recent footage went viral of kids attending a drag show in Dallas.

Just last year Alyssa appeared on the 16th season of "America's Got Talent" with members of her Beyond Belief Dance Company and made it to the semi-finals. Also, the Netflix docuseries "Dancing Queen" followed Alyssa and her dance students in Mesquite, Texas.

Ray J hit the nail on the head when he said straight men should do more to support members of the LGBTQ community, so says Da Brat, who believes even more can be done when it comes to straight men in hip hop.

Da Brat and her wife, Judy Dupart, joined "TMZ Live" and gave us their thoughts on Ray J's take on homophobia in the Hip Hop community.

Da Brat says she feels Ray's comments are a step in the right direction and believes more artists -- like Snoop Dogg, for example -- who holds legend status in the biz could help too.

ICYMI ... Ray J posted an 11 minute video on IG, calling out straight men for not shouting out folks in the LGBTQ+ enough. In his caption he wrote "GAY PRIDE/ RAY PRIDE!!" and went on to say that the time is now to show more love.

As for Da Brat, who only came out publicly in the last few years, tells us Judy is someone who makes her feel like it's OK to be free and be herself. She says she never felt stuck with her sexuality, but she was conditioned to keep her dating life private as a celeb.

Dwyane Wade says he's scared to death for his transgender daughter's safety ... saying as more states implement anti-trans sports laws, his fear grows even stronger.

The Miami Heat legend spoke about his concerns at the TIME 100 Summit in NYC this week ... when he was asked -- as the father of 15-year-old Zaya -- about the current struggles for trans youth in this country.

"As blessed as it is for my daughter to have parents who can support her, I’m still afraid every moment she leaves our house," Wade said.

"And not just because of gun violence, but because of the way people perceive her in this world."

Wade gave a passionate response about his fears ... while also blasting the idea of trans sports bans -- calling out lawmakers for making rules on things he says they know nothing about.

"To me, it’s a joke," Wade said, "This is our life. We live this."

"When you’re out there making rules and if you’re not experiencing this and you're not living this and you're just out there signing away and making laws, that's not right. That's a joke."

FYI -- Louisiana just became the most recent state to pass a bill preventing trans women from competing in women's sports ... joining states like Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and more.

Wade added, "Come and live a day with my daughter. Come and see how it is to walk through this world as her."

Wade says he is frustrated that we're "losing the humane side of us" ... claiming in reality, he believes people should take the opportunity to educate -- instead of being dismissive.

"We're not gonna close the book on anyone being gay, bisexual transgender -- we can't close the book on that!"

Blac Chyna's trying to pull the plug on a deal she made with her ex, Rob Kardashian, to end their legal war over revenge porn ... at least according to Rob, who now wants a judge to make her stick to the deal.

In new docs filed Monday by Rob's attorneys, he says his ex agreed to drop her lawsuit against him for revenge porn, IF he helped get her dropped from a separate lawsuit. As we reported, one of BC's exes, Pilot Jones, filed suit against Chyna and Rob, claiming they'd outed him as gay, and thereby exposed him to public threats.

According to Rob, the deal between Chyna and himself was that he would get her out of that Jones lawsuit without it costing her a cent ... and she would drop the revenge porn case. Rob says he accepted that deal last month, but now Chyna's trying to get cute.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he says Chyna is threatening to push forward with a trial in the revenge porn case ... exactly what he had hoped to avoid when he struck the deal with her.

Rob says she needs to drop the case altogether, because he accepted the terms of the deal. As a result, he's asking a judge to enforce that contract.

Gotta imagine, Rob's really doesn't want another drawn-out public trial with the mother of his daughter ... having just gone through one over their reality show getting canceled.

Remember, the Kardashians soundly defeated Chyna in that one, but in the docs, Rob says she's itching for a second fight ... in court. The revenge porn trial is scheduled to begin next week.

The judge has yet to rule on Rob's request, but he wants an emergency hearing to address the matter.

Bradley Cooper is living life through the late Leonard Bernstein's eyes while he shoots a movie about the guy's life -- which translated to a kissing scene with Matt Bomer this week.

The two actors locked lips on set Monday in NYC, where they're shooting this new Netflix biopic about the legendary conductor -- titled "Maestro" -- and it seems the smooching went well ... 'cause BC was all smiles during the scene, as was Matt.

Of course, Bernstein was openly gay -- so it's no surprise/NBD the lead star is making out with a dude for the flick -- if anything, it was 100% expected. Bomer just happened to be the lucky man to land the role of romantic interest ... and fun fact, Matt's gay in real life.

What's been getting way more buzz as it pertains to the film is how unrecognizable Brad looks as Lenny ... it seems he'll be playing the Maestro at different life stages, including in old age, and some of the shots of Brad in costume and makeup have gotten double-takes.

There's also been some controversy ... it's been noted that Brad's using a prosthetic to make his nose look longer than it really is, which many have called anti-Semitic -- as they see this as clear "Jew face," as it's been dubbed by some.

"Selling Sunset" Star Chrishell Stause has some new gold, and used her MTV victory moment to thank fans for overwhelming support after going public about dating G Flip.

Chrishell was awarded best reality star at the "MTV Movie and TV Awards: Unscripted" ceremony Sunday night, and admitted she was worried her fans wouldn't be cool with her true self after announcing it to the world.

She says she was nominated before she opened up about her sexuality, and didn't know if that would impact her chances -- but she's clearly taking the win as a show of support from fans.

G Flip was at the award show and planted a big kiss on Chrishell to celebrate her taking home the trophy. Interestingly, her costar, and ex-bf, Jason Oppenheim was in the crowd too ... along with the rest of her castmates.

Tampa Bay Rays players refused to wear the Gay Pride logo on their uniforms this weekend -- saying their religious beliefs wouldn't allow it, but also saying they accept everyone.

The players are all pitchers, and there's 5 of them -- Jason Adam, Jalen Beeks, Brooks Raley, Jeffrey Springs and Ryan Thompson. On Saturday, during the team's Pride Night celebration, they reportedly ditched the custom jerseys/hats featuring rainbow-colored lettering and instead opted for standard unis.

The reason ... "faith-based" purposes. Adam explained ... "So it’s a hard decision. Because ultimately we all said what we want is them to know that all are welcome and loved here."

He adds, "But when we put it on our bodies, I think a lot of guys decided that it’s just a lifestyle that maybe -- not that they look down on anybody or think differently -- it’s just that maybe we don’t want to encourage it if we believe in Jesus, who’s encouraged us to live a lifestyle that would abstain from that behavior, just like (Jesus) encourages me as a heterosexual male to abstain from sex outside of the confines of marriage. It’s no different."

Manager Kevin Cash said the players' decision had sparked some conversation in the clubhouse, but it doesn't sound like things have gotten heated ... and that the team understands.

Adam concluded ... "It’s not judgmental. It’s not looking down. It’s just what we believe the lifestyle he’s encouraged us to live, for our good, not to withhold. But again, we love these men and women, we care about them, and we want them to feel safe and welcome here."

The team was certainly in support of hyping the fact that it was Pride Night, as they've even changed their official logo on social media to reflect the month (as do many companies).