LGBT

Velma's into women -- the character's been confirmed as lesbian after years of fan theories -- in a new cartoon 'Scooby-Doo' movie ... and the LGBTQ+ crowd is all about it.

Velma's sexual orientation was revealed in a new clip from the animated flick "Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!" which hit streaming services Tuesday. It shows Velma encountering a costume designer named Coco Diablo ... and she's instantly smitten.

You see Velma blush as she takes in the sight of Coco, with her glasses fogging up and romantic music playing. Velma is also shown as admiring other characteristics of Cocos beyond just her looks, including her fashion sensibilities and intelligence.

Interestingly enough, Velma has been depicted as straight in the past ... with a rebooted version of the series showing her as being in a relationship with Shaggy, although it's been suggested by showrunners he was actually just a beard for her.

Of course, people are overjoyed ... including those in the gay and lesbian communities, who are praising the explicit depiction and the on-screen representation.

FWIW, it seems Coco's lesbian too -- and she also appears to be into Velma, calling her "cute" in another scene where they show a little affection and flirting.

Velma being lesbian has long been suspected by the fan base -- and it's actually been stated as true by some creatives who've worked on 'Scooby' projects over the years ... including James Gunn, who helmed the live-action adaptations, and producer Tony Cervone.

Billy Eichner's new romcom completely bombed at the box office -- and he appears to be chalking it up to homophobia across the country.

The comedian-turned-actor took to Twitter Sunday to acknowledge the low ticket sales -- the movie only raked in $4.8 million domestically, placing 4th this weekend -- and he's definitely bummed by the underwhelming turnout ... despite the fact the film is objectively solid.

He writes, "Last night I snuck in and sat in the back of a sold out theater playing BROS in LA. The audience howled with laughter start to finish, burst into applause at the end, and some were wiping away tears as they walked out. It was truly magical. Really. I am VERY proud of this movie."

BE also went on to claim that -- despite 'Bros' being hailed as one of the funniest comedies in recent memory -- a theater chain called Universal to say they were pulling the trailer because of the gay content. He says Universal was able to convince them to keep it.

Billy adds, "That’s just the world we live in, unfortunately. Even with glowing reviews, great Rotten Tomatoes scores, an A CinemaScore etc, straight people, especially in certain parts of the country, just didn’t show up for Bros. And that’s disappointing but it is what it is."

His final thought hits his point right on the head ... "Everyone who ISN’T a homophobic weirdo should go see BROS tonight! You will have a blast! And it *is* special and uniquely powerful to see this particular story on a big screen, esp for queer folks who don’t get this opportunity often. I love this movie so much. GO BROS!!!"

Billy's right about one thing ... the movie was positively reviewed by critics and normies alike -- so by all accounts, it's pretty darn good. As for why it did so poorly, it's hard to say. It was marketed fairly heavily by the studio ... with the trailer getting a lot of play in theaters and billboards all around the L.A. area.

The prosecutor who put Jeffrey Dahmer behind bars is pushing back against the narrative Netflix puts forth in its new show -- namely, that cops ignored obvious clues because the case involved gay and/or Black people.

Former Milwaukee D.A. Michael McCann -- who personally prosecuted Dahmer in the '90s -- tells TMZ ... the notion that MPD officers turned a blind eye to Dahmer's victims because of their race or sexual orientation is ludicrous, despite what "Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" portrays.

The true crime drama is getting a lot of buzz right now, and while McCann says he hasn't seen it yet ... he's aware of how Netflix and co. are playing things -- very anti-cop and leaning into perceived racial and homophobic bias throughout the episodes.

McCann is flatly denying that characterization, saying neither race nor sexual orientation had influenced how police investigated Dahmer. He insists if they'd known they had a serial killer in their midst, they would've moved in immediately to put a stop to it ... regardless of the victims' backgrounds.

He explains Dahmer's M.O. simply didn't allow for them to discover the truth any sooner than they did in 1991 -- when one of his victims escaped and brought cops to Dahmer's apartment.

McCann notes Dahmer didn't leave a lot of obvious evidence lying around, and covered his tracks well.

He also thinks there's something to the fact that Dahmer's victims were men -- saying women who went missing back then were investigated by assuming the worst. On racism and homophobia generally, he acknowledges it's been a problem historically in law enforcement ... but is still adamant that it played no role in how officers went about handling Dahmer.

Of course, not everyone will buy what McCann's selling here ... especially seeing how Glenda Cleveland -- played by Niecy Nash -- alerted Milwaukee PD to Dahmer's behavior many times before he was eventually captured. Many suspect cops wrote her off because she was Black.

Lamar Odom is not romantically involved with transgender actress/model Daniiellè Alexis ... despite a few social media posts sparking speculation they're dating.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... the former NBA player is currently single and is not seeing Daniiellè, but they do know each other and are friendly -- which is pretty clear from her social media.

We're told Lamar and Daniiellè met back in June when he was in L.A. for the BET Awards. Our sources say Lamar was shopping when a car pulled up, Daniiellè hopped out and asked for a photo ... and afterward, they exchanged numbers.

They kept in touch, and when he recently moved back to L.A. they grabbed lunch together because they were both in town. Daniiellè's an aspiring actress, and our sources say they typically chat about the industry.

Daniiellè's posted a couple photos of Lamar, which got the dating rumor mill going ... but we're told they are just friends.

BTW, our sources also tell us Lamar has no problems with the transgender community, in general, and obviously has no issue with Daniiellè being a transgender woman -- there's simply no romantic spark between them.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards has been fined $40K for making a homophobic comment, the NBA announced Tuesday morning.

"Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards has been fined $40,000 for using offensive and derogatory language on social media. Edwards has acknowledged that his actions were inappropriate," Byron Spruell, President of League Operations for the NBA, wrote in a statement.

Edwards got himself into hot water when he posted video of several shirtless men embracing each other, saying ... "Look at these queer ass n****s, man. Look at the world I came to."

AE also captioned the video ... "Dese n****s different." In the background of the video, a woman was heard laughing while Edwards spoke.

There was almost immediate backlash and, as the league noted, the 21-year-old former first overall pick (2020 NBA Draft) seemed to offer a heartfelt apology for his actions, saying sorry on social media.

"What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!" the NBA star said.

But, the NBA clearly felt a fine was still in order.

A meteorologist is looking to clear the air about why he got canned from his job ... saying it's all about what he did on a webcam site that's extremely NSFW.

Two-time Emmy nominee Erick Adame took to Instagram Monday to address his recent termination ... saying he wants to share his truth, "rather than let others control the narrative of my life."

He says he secretly appeared on an adult webcam website while still being employed with Spectrum News NY1 ... stating he acted out his "compulsive behaviors, while at home, by performing on camera for other men."

Erick claims the interactions were "100% consensual" ... noting he didn't make any money for the things he did on camera.

He goes on to apologize to his employers at Spectrum, who eventually found out about his actions ... as well as his audience, family, friends, and coworkers for any embarrassment he's caused.

He makes it clear, though -- "I don't apologize for being openly gay or for being sex-positive."

He goes on ... "My psychiatrist calls my actions, "compulsive behavior," others would call them reckless, stupid or brazen. I'm not in a position to argue with any of these descriptions."

He gives a final message to potential future employers ... saying "Please judge me on the hundreds, thousands of hours of television that I am so proud of ... not the couple of minutes of salacious video that is probably going to soon define me in out 'click-bait' culture."

Ezra Miller allegedly thought of themselves as a Jesus figure -- and apparently ran with a posse of misfits while also retaining an arsenal fit for a small war ... this per a new bombshell exposé detailing what was going on surrounding their 2022 arrests.

Vanity Fair has a new piece out titled, "Ezra Miller's 'Messiah' Delusions: Inside The Flash Star's Dark Spiral" -- and it's as juicy and drama-filled as the headline suggests.

The story is bonkers ... claiming, through several unidentified sources who were purportedly in Ezra's inner circle these few years, that Ezra essentially ran a harem/convent of sorts at his Vermont ranch ... where they apparently have multiple firearms and other weapons.

People cited in the lengthy article describe bizarre rituals that Ezra would allegedly host -- touting themselves as a real-life superhero, akin to his fictional character of the Flash, and supposedly even had an altar at their home where they'd host sermons and burn sage.

One wild anecdote says Ezra went ballistic during one of these meetings, demanding that Susan Sarandon come to pay tribute at the altar for snubbing them from a dinner party.

The piece also describes Ezra as becoming more and more erratic as the pandemic was getting underway -- evidenced in the video of them apparently choking a woman in Iceland -- and completely spiraling in 2022 when they went to Hawaii with a young activist ... whose parents have alleged Ezra was controlling via insidious tactics, which the kid has denied.

VF's story details all sorts of out-there tales about things Ezra has allegedly done over the past few years -- outside of their legal issues, which are well-documented -- including wandering the streets in search of downtrodden young people to rope into their way of life, arming themselves to the teeth/having weapons sprawled out everywhere, tormenting those closest to them via diatribes/firings/scoldings and more. It's a disturbing deep dive, for sure.

Another fascinating aspect ... the notion that people close to Ezra say they question whether they're legitimately queer or not -- it's known Ezra publicly identifies as non-binary -- and even suggest they weaponize their identity when it suits them ... but seemingly not minding being misgendered in private when they're in a state of calm, behind closed doors.

BTW, speaking of Ezra's legal troubles -- Vanity Fair reports that a majority of those cases have virtually dissipated ... suggesting Ezra and/or their team have paid off most of their alleged victims, citing at least one NDA they viewed and others they've heard about.

Of course, the backdrop of all this is Ezra's movie, 'The Flash,' which they are apparently very interested in salvaging ... as is Warner Bros. Ezra has since said they're seeking treatment for mental health issues, and they apologized for their erratic behavior of late.

At this point, it sounds like Warner has decided to plow ahead with the release of this film in 2023 -- despite all the problems that have arisen ... which this story crystalizes quite well.

Bill Maher begs to differ with the maxim, "There's no time like the present," because he says the past is being unfairly dragged.

Maher made a case against the concept of "presentism" -- making moral/ethical judgments about the conduct of people in the past based on current norms.

His argument is laced with some pretty hysterical jokes, like people who think they're better than George Washington because they have a gay friend and GW didn't. As he said, if GW were alive today, he'd probably have gay friends and if the people today were alive back then they wouldn't.

Now speaking of Washington -- whose legacy is tarnished by the fact he was a slave owner -- Maher tries to make the case that -- despite the fact slavery is horrendously wrong -- it has been the norm throughout history, pointing to the Egyptians, the Romans, the Greeks, the British ... and then he lands an hysterical joke, which you gotta watch.

As he put it half jokingly, human beings are generally terrible people.

Short story -- he thinks judging people from the past using current standards is stupid, and we shouldn't start altering, dismissing or ignoring history to conform to present values.

The death of a famous Philadelphia drag queen is getting national attention ... due to the tragic manner in which she died.

25-year-old Valencia Prime passed away after performing as part of a drag show ... according to Shaniyah Banks, an investigator for Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office.

A rep for Philadelphia PD tells TMZ they got a call about someone who had collapsed at Tabu Lounge & Sports Bar around 11:15 PM Monday night ... they were pronounced dead just before midnight.

We're told the causes of death were determined to be cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity.

The venue paid tribute to Valencia, posting a statement online about "the loss of a very bright and rising star in the performance community." They also said they're talking with her family about hosting a show in her honor in the future.

She's been met with tributes left and right since her passing ... drag queen Brittany Lynn wrote on Facebook, "You will be sorely missed ... keep twirling, ma'am," while drag artist Aloe Vera said, "I love you with everything in my heart Valencia. Rest in power.”

Valencia was 25.

Anthony Edwards should NOT be canceled for the homophobic remarks he recently made -- and that's coming from one of the biggest LGBTQ organizations in the world, which tells TMZ Sports it wants to sit down with the NBA star and believe he can be an ally going forward.

PFLAG -- the leading organization for LGBTQ+ people, families and allies -- tells us it saw the IG video posted by the Minnesota Timberwolves guard, where he made offensive comments about a group of shirtless men hugging each other on a sidewalk.

"Look at these queer ass n****s, man," Edwards said in the clip posted this weekend, adding ... "Look at the world I came to."

Edwards apologized after the video circulated on social media ... saying his actions were "immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry."

Some have accepted the apology ... while some haven't.

Jean-Marie Navetta -- Director of Learning and Inclusion for PFLAG National -- says while the video is "an unfortunate reminder that equality and inclusion are still an elusive goal," there's a partnership that can now be formed that benefits all.

"The impact that public figures like professional athletes have is tremendous, and in this case, the message that was sent was of shame and ridicule. But, PFLAG believes that allies are all on a journey, and we hope this will be the beginning of a journey towards allyship for Anthony Edwards -- and we're here and ready to help."

It's not that what 21-year-old Edwards said wasn't bad ... it clearly was homophobic. In fact, Navetta calls the behavior "disappointing and hurtful," but there's nothing to be gained by cutting Anthony off.

The group would also like to see the NBA step up and make clear it values the LGBTQ community.

"While no organization can possibly manage the beliefs and behaviors of everyone employed, when situations like this one arise, it's a powerful opportunity for organizations to step up and affirm their values, contrast them with what transpired, and spotlight the work happening inside the organization."

Anthony Edwards is apologizing for a homophobic comment he made ... saying there's no excuse for what was said.

The Timberwolves guard took to Twitter Sunday, writing ... "What I said was immature, hurtful, and disrespectful, and I’m incredibly sorry. It’s unacceptable for me or anyone to use that language in such a hurtful way, there’s no excuse for it, at all. I was raised better than that!"

He's referring to a video that was posted to his Instagram Story in the past day or so -- where he's in the car looking at a group of shirtless men on the sidewalk across the way.

Some of the guys are hugging and embracing each other, and AE says ... "Look at these queer ass n****s, man. Look at the world I came to." There's a woman with him laughing in the passenger seat. There was a caption too ... "Dese n****s different."

It's unclear where exactly he was when he shot this, or when exactly it was filmed ... but in any case -- it appears to have been briefly featured on his very public page.

Sanjaya Malakar says he wants to be involved in the LGBTQ community in a big way after coming out as bisexual ... years after he was advised to hide his sexuality to not lose fans.

The former "American Idol" contestant -- who was a polarizing figure on season six -- tells TMZ ... he wants to help LGBTQ youth who are experiencing the same struggles he faced as a teen, with his main message being, "no one can navigate your sexuality but you."

Sanjaya, now 32, stepped out of the limelight years ago and now works as a pastry chef in Montana. He's ready to come back to Hollywood but is treading lightly, as he's not looking to become a punchline and only wants to focus on positive messages benefitting kids and teens.

He tells us some of the ways he envisions himself helping LGBTQ youth is by working with kids one-on-one, singing at fundraisers dedicated to helping the LGBTQ community and making TV show appearances where he can elaborate on how he navigated his sexuality during "American Idol."

Sanjaya says some of the most rewarding work he's done has been working with kids ... following 'AI', he volunteered at an after-school program helping kids with stage fright.

If you missed it, Sanjaya recently appeared on "The Adam Sank Show," where he explained during his time on 'AI' his publicists encouraged him to keep his sexuality secret, after fans speculated he was gay. Sanjaya says the experience was traumatizing ... but feels compelled to take control of his narrative now that he's comfortable with his sexuality.

Caitlyn Jenner is getting put on BLAST by a transgender artist who's getting ready to step in the ring ... and she's calling Caitlyn out to be her next victim.

CJ was challenged by recording artist BraydBunch at a recent face-off event for the Fake Drake celebrity boxing match, which is set to go down in October.

As Brayd faced off against Mike Mazza, she says she hopes her courage will bring others like her into the boxing scene -- even saying she'd love to take Caitlyn down next.

The insults were FLYING -- calling her an oldie whose Olympic status won't mean squat once she's done with her ... she's craving the opportunity to "shut her up," and thinks she can get it done in the ring.

Caitlyn has some experience in the ring, but it might not have been as legit as it looked -- she fought and "beat" bodyguard Mark Behar back in '09 for a charity match ... Mike later claimed the fight was staged for their reality show.

FYI -- the Fake Drake boxing event was supposed to end the night with a big brawl between the imposter himself and Lamar Odom, but the basketball star recently backed out and was replaced by YouTuber M2thaK.

Britney Spears' ex-fiancé, Jason Trawick, is not gay -- despite the fact an IG post on his account stated otherwise -- because it turns out one of his pals pulled a fast one.

JT tells TMZ ... "Ha no, it wasn’t me – this is what happens when you leave your phone unlocked and unattended at brunch with a gay guy friend that thinks he’s being funny and cute. I am not gay."

Jason's referring to this IG Story that read, "At my boyfriends apartment Out and proud Finally living my true self This is me people." The text was over a photo of a living room, which happened to include a portrait of Brit on a wall.

Remember, Jason was temporarily a co-conservator of Britney's way back in the day ... so TikTok has been running wild with theories that Jason's alleged coming out meant his engagement to Britney was just a ruse to get her out of the conservatorship.

She'd been in it for about 5 years or so when she and JT got engaged in 2011.

That theory didn't make much sense -- they were romantically linked from 2009 to 2013, but of course, Brit remained in the conservatorship far longer than that.

Brittany Aldean is doubling down on a hot take that some are calling transphobic -- publicly hitting back at a couple fellow country contemporaries who are outraged.

BA -- who's Jason Aldean's wife -- screen-grabbed responses to an IG post of hers from a few days ago, when singers Cassadee Pope and Maren Morris each criticized Brittany for thanking her parents for not deeming her a boy when she was young.

In the OG post, Brittany is showing herself getting dolled up -- with a caption that reads, "I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life."

CP took to social media and replied ... "You’d think celebs with beauty brands would see the positives in including LGBTQ+ people in their messaging. But instead here we are, hearing someone compare their “tomboy phase” to someone wanting to transition. Real nice."

MM chimed in too, commenting under Cassadee's tweet ... "It's so easy to, like, not be a scumbag human? Sell your clip-ins and zip it. Insurrection Barbie." Morris seems to be referring to the fact that the Aldeans have spoken out strongly about Jan. 6.

Well, Brittany caught wind of it all -- backlash beyond just Cassadde and Maren -- but instead of folding ... she stuck to her guns on this one. She issued a lengthy statement, which basically says she thinks it's wrong to put kids on hormone blockers and such.

She says it's actually "evil" and presented under the guise of healthcare. Basically, she doesn't think minors should be put through that -- not until they're at least 18 anyway.

Hailey Davidson -- the transgender golfer aiming to make the LPGA Tour -- tells TMZ Sports she's very grateful for Caitlyn Jenner's support this week ... but she's striving to have a further chat with the former Olympian with the hopes that it will help "clear up some assumptions" going forward.

Jenner threw her support behind Davidson on Fox News on Wednesday, saying she believed Davidson -- unlike transgender swimmer Lia Thomas -- had no unfair advantage over her female opponents because "golf is a totally different game."

Davidson called Jenner's backing "awesome" ... but tells us she did find at least part of the conversation as a whole "a bit vague."

Specifically, the 29-year-old, who underwent gender reassignment surgery last year, says she wished Jenner had left out the sweeping assumption that she can still crush a golf ball.

"My big thing is just, I appreciate the love and support, but definitely to clear up some assumptions would be awesome," she said.

"Because I definitely don't hit it as far as people say. Like, nowhere close."

Davidson said she's reached out to Jenner in an attempt to have a conversation with her about it all. She's yet, though, to hear back.

But if the conversation does take place, Davidson tells us she's hopeful Jenner would hear her out about her golf game ... and more.

"I would love to talk to her in regards to more about how we are athletes and her experience may not be everyone's experience," she said.

"Everyone's experiences are different and everyone's built different. With what she was training to do, yeah, I'm pretty sure she's pretty big and strong."

Davidson said she, however, is not necessarily like that. In fact, she tells us after undergoing hormone treatment, she's lost a ton of power and clubhead speed.

Ultimately, Davidson said she's just hoping everyone can one day be treated equally.

"I understand [Caitlyn's] point that golf is a little different," she said. "But again, all sports are really the same in the end when it comes to the athlete."