LGBT

Another massacre at a gay club has left 5 dead and at least 18 injured.

A gunman opened fire at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs. The shooting occurred just before midnight Saturday, when authorities began receiving a barrage of 911 calls.

It appears the gunman is in custody. According to the Club's Facebook page ... "the quick reactions of heroic customers ... subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack."

A police official confirmed they apparently got the gunman ... "They did locate one individual who we believe to be the suspect inside. At this point in time, the suspect is being treated, but is in custody."

Police have not discussed or revealed motive, but the club itself has already called this a hate crime.

Club Q was hosting musical acts Saturday night, including its weekly Diva Drag Show.

The FBI is on the scene, and nearly a dozen ambulances rushed there to treat and transport the injured.

The club posted on its page, "Club Q is devastated by the senseless attack on our community. Our thoughts are with all the victims and their families and friends. We thank the quick reactions of heroic customers that subdued the gunman and ended this hate attack."

This is far from the first attack in gay clubs. Perhaps the worst ... back in 2016, when a gunman opened fire at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, killing 49.

This is the latest in a slew of mass killings in America this year -- more than 500 -- snuffing out the lives of more than 2,700 innocent people.

The World Cup is just a day away, and the biggest sporting event in the world is already mired in controversy -- much stemming from alleged human rights issues -- causing some to boycott the soccer tourney ... something Akon says makes no sense.

TMZ Sports ran into the rap star, a big soccer fan, at LAX on Wednesday -- just four days before the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar -- and we asked him about fans who say they won't watch because of the controversy surrounding the host country.

"I don't understand the purpose of the boycott, me personally, I think everywhere you go in the world there's different cultures, different way of living, different life standards," Akon explained.

The 5x Grammy nominee went on to say he believes many of his fellow Americans who are calling for a boycott don't actually understand why they're refusing to watch.

"I think when you look at a place like America, we have a tendency of taking certain things for granted, and we got a tendency of following suit of things we don't understand. Instead of taking a trip there to understand the culture, understand what's going on, you're just going to follow suit cause everybody else says there's humanitarian issues."

FYI, Dua Lipa recently quelled speculation she'd perform in Qatar, saying she wouldn't go to the country until they "fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made when it won the right to host the World Cup." Rod Stewart also said he was offered a million dollars to perform, but he refused.

Of course, Qatar, a relatively small peninsular country with a population of under 3 million, has been accused of discriminating against people in the LGBTQ community. There are also reports of migrant workers dying while working under unsafe conditions in an effort to finish the WC facilities in the months before the tourney. Officials have also interfered with the press. These are just a few of the troubling allegations made against Qatar.

But, Akon sees it differently than the boycotters ... it's not that he's saying he agrees with Qatar, he's saying he recognizes that their culture is different.

"I think a lot of that is a cultural issue, a cultural difference. You know when you look at a place like Africa, Middle East, a lot of places, LGBTQ is not really a culture they came up under," Akon says.

"It's not a matter of dislike. It's just a different culture. know what I'm saying? it's just a matter of people better understanding each other's culture, understanding the reasons and the whys."

Akon believes we'd be a lot better off talking to the Qatari people and finding common ground, rather than ignoring them.

"How about going to explain your view from your position? Help them better understand. Know what I mean? Life is about communication. I think the moment people start jumping to conclusions and just take a position before understanding, things are always gonna be complicated."

Candace Cameron Bure says she has love for everybody -- after facing a rash of criticism for comments she made about focusing on "traditional" families on her new network -- but she isn't backing down on her position.

The new chief creative officer at the Great American Family network released a statement Monday, saying in part, "I am a devoted Christian. Which means that I believe that every human being bears the image of God. Because of that, I am called to love all people, and I do. If you know me, you know that I am a person who loves fiercely and indiscriminately."

She continues, "My heart yearns to build bridges and bring people one step closer to God, to love others well, and to simply be a reflection of God’s huge love for all of us."

As we reported, Bure chatted with The WSJ about her new role on the network, explaining they'd work to highlight heterosexual relationships ... unlike The Hallmark Channel. Though she says The WSJ didn't include everything.

Bure states, "I had also expressed in my interview, which was not included, that people of all ethnicities and identities have and will continue to contribute to the network in great ways both in front of and behind the camera, which I encourage and fully support."

She ends her statement by saying, "The God we serve is a wildly creative and loving God.  He didn’t just capture a small part of my heart, He has captured all of my heart. He will be reflected in everything I do and say; in my family, my work and my interactions with people from all walks of life, God’s love and God’s compassion is front and center."

Former Univ. of Kentucky hoops star Isaac Humphries -- who now plays in Australia's NBL -- revealed he's gay in a super emotional talk with his teammates on Tuesday.

Humphries sat down with his Melbourne United squad inside a team meeting room to make the announcement ... and he fought back tears as he explained the truth about his sexuality.

The 6-foot-11, 255-pound center said hiding his real identity had taken a massive toll on him, and it nearly led to death by suicide a couple years ago.

"I fell into a very dark place, a very lonely place," the 24-year-old said. "I couldn't be who I am and I attempted to take my life."

Humphries said "coming to terms with the fact that I'm gay" was extremely difficult. He revealed to his teammates that he "hated" himself and was "disgusted" by it all.

"I thought that I could not be that person in our environment, within a basketball environment," Humphries said.

Isaac, though, explained that after joining up with Melbourne United earlier this year, he became more and more comfortable with things. He said their open and welcoming culture allowed him to feel like himself, and led him to come out this week.

Now, Humphries said he wants to be a role model to the many others who are in his shoes.

"We as professional athletes have a responsibility to set examples for people," Humphries said. "The truth is there are so many other people in other worlds that are struggling every single day and don't know how to get up. Don't know how to exist. And I know how that feels. And I want to represent those people. That's my goal behind this."

The NBA immediately shared its support for Humphries in wake of the news, saying in a statement, "We are proud and grateful to Isaac for sharing his story. We know the real impact his honesty and courage will have on many others."

Humphries, who played alongside De'Aaron Fox, Bam Adebayo and Jamal Murray during his time at Kentucky, has had brief stints with NBA teams following his Wildcats career ... but has starred in the NBL since 2020.

Candace Cameron Bure wants to keep things old-fashioned at the new cable TV network she's working at ... which is drawing the ire of the LGBTQ community.

The "Full House" star recently said she'd be focusing on "traditional" families when it comes to future programming at the Great American Family network ... of which she's now the chief creative officer ... this after parting ways with her longtime home at the Hallmark Channel.

What she means by that ... portraying heterosexual relationships, and not same-sex couples. Of course, her remarks are catching a lot of backlash from a number of people and orgs ... perhaps most notably from GLAAD, which famously advocates for LGBTQ interests.

GLAAD slammed Candace, saying ... "It's irresponsible and hurtful for Candace Cameron Bure to use tradition as a guise for exclusion. I'd love to have a conversation with Bure about my wife, our kids, and our family's traditions." They went on to say CCB is out of touch, while calling on GAF stakeholders to take a stand if they cared about equality/representation.

A GLAAD rep adds, "If GAC Family's plan is to intentionally exclude stories about LGBTQ couples, then actors, advertisers, cable and streaming platforms, and production companies should take note and seriously consider whether they want to be associated with a network that holds exclusion as one of its values."

JoJo Siwa -- who's gay, and who also publicly feuded with Candace a few months ago -- also spoke out ... as did Candace's ex-costar Jodie Sweetin, who showed solidarity with JS. Hilarie Burton went so far as to call Candace a "bigot" ...

Nikita Dragun was forced into the men's unit of the local jail after Monday's arrest in Florida, a decision her rep says could've been a recipe for disaster.

Nikita's rep, Jack Ketsoyan, tells TMZ ... "The situation with Nikita, who is legally female, being placed in a men's unit of a Florida jail is extremely disturbing and dangerous."

Ketsoyan continues, "This decision made by the Miami-Dade County Corrections Department directly violates their protocol, which mandates that transgender inmates are classified and housed based on safety needs and gender identity."

As we reported, the transgender influencer was arrested this week on a felony charge of battery on a police officer ... after allegedly causing a disturbance for a long period of time, walking around the pool area naked.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ ... when Nikita finally answered her hotel room door she allegedly swung an open water bottle, causing water to hit and spill on both a security guard and an officer, resulting in her arrest.

Nikita's rep adds she's since been released after being placed on a $5,000 bond. We've reached out to Miami-Dade County's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center ... so far, no word back.

Dave Chappelle's starting his third day of meetings with 'SNL' cast and writers, and his camp says there's been zero talk of an alleged boycott related to Dave's issues with the transgender community.

DC is hosting 'SNL' this weekend -- his first time since 2020, and since the release of his controversial Netflix special "The Closer" ... which sparked protests and much debate over jokes many people felt were transphobic.

The potential issue at 30 Rock this week is 'SNL' now has its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, and at least one writer who is transgender.

According to Page Six, the show's writers are boycotting, but a rep for Dave tells TMZ ... Dave's first 2 meetings with the staff have been full, and everyone's pitching sketch ideas as they normally do.

One of the writers, Celeste Yim, reportedly posted an Instagram story saying, “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”

Their post said nothing about a boycott. It's unclear if Celeste has been in the staff meetings with Dave this week. We've reached out to NBC for comment.

This will be Chappelle's third time hosting. He previously hosted in 2020 and in 2016, which was memorable for being the first show after the election of Donald Trump.

Dave famously said America should give Trump a chance, but since then the comedian's admitted he was way off.

Post Malone is going all out for his fans these days, and his latest move might take the wedding cake -- yeah, he officiated when 2 fans tied the knot on his stage!!!

It all went down after Post's Saturday show in Seattle ... 2 excited fans hopped on stage, where PM was waiting for them and started the ceremony. The women stood face-to-face, as the rapper demanded everyone's attention and then he guided them through a few brief matrimonial steps ... as the crowd cheered from the front row.

After the couple exchanged "I do's" Post gave 'em the green light for THE kiss. Oddly, Post declared them wedded "in the eyes of space" ... but that seemed to work just fine for all parties involved!

This ain't Post's first rodeo pulling out stunts for fans during his shows ... and it looks like he's getting a good rep for being the go-to guy for whatever fans want to pull off at one of his concerts.

You'll recall, PM did a gender reveal last month during his concert in Tulsa ... letting a couple fans know they're having a girl. As they say, the Post Malone delivers!

Matt Barnes says he's in full support of the transgender community ... but when it comes to trans athletes competing in sports, he believes "Whatever you're born, I feel like you should play in that space."

Barnes made his thoughts on the controversial topic crystal clear in an interview with VladTV ... where he was asked about the potential of trans athletes competing in the WNBA.

"I don't like that," Barnes said.

"If you're born a woman, you should play women's sports. If you're born a man, you should play men's sports. I think the sports thing is a little different."

Barnes made sure to note he is "pro-make your choice" ... but when it comes to sports, it's a completely different situation.

Barnes referred to Lia Thomas, the transgender NCAA swimming champion, whose accomplishments were questioned because she was born a male and started hormone therapy in 2019.

Lia faced backlash from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Caitlyn Jenner ... who both felt Thomas' success resulted from an unfair advantage.

Leslie Jordan was coping with discomfort in the weeks leading up to his death -- a health issue that was concerning enough for him to make an appointment with a cardiologist ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the late actor tell TMZ ... for the last 3 weeks, he was experiencing shortness of breath. We're told Leslie was scheduled to see a cardiologist within the next week to check out his heart, and see if there were any underlying health issues.

Other than that, we're told Leslie was generally healthy ... but did have COVID last year.

We've spoken to law enforcement sources who tell us they believe Leslie suffered a heart attack prior to crashing his BMW Monday into a building in Hollywood.

Tributes have poured in for the 67-year-old since TMZ broke the news of his death, including from Dolly Parton who said, "Leslie and I had a special bond, I think the world felt they had a special bond with him. I know people always say, 'Oh, they will be missed' but in this case that could not be more true."

Leslie Jordan, the beloved actor and comedian has died.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Jordan was driving in Hollywood Monday morning when it's suspected he suffered some sort of medical emergency and crashed his BMW into the side of a building.

Leslie was famous for his work on popular TV shows like "Will & Grace," "Hearts Afire," "The Cool Kids," "Call Me Kat" and "American Horror Story."

LJ became a social media sensation during the pandemic, with his silly video posts helping him skyrocket from about 80,000 Instagram followers to a whopping 5.8 million. He told us on "TMZ Live" his secret was just being himself -- a silly, funny, goofy, happy-go-lucky senior citizen.

Following his viral pandemic fame, Leslie appeared on CNN's New Year's Eve 2021 countdown, ringing in 2022 with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.

Leslie also acted in movies, including ... "The Help" and "Ski Patrol" and he made guest appearances in tons of TV shows like "Murphy Brown," "Ugly Betty," and "Boston Public."

On Sunday, Leslie posted a video on Instagram of himself singing a hymn.

The last time we saw Leslie out in public was pretty recently ... our photogs got him just last month, gauging his reaction to Elton John and Britney Spears releasing a new song together.

Leslie was 67.

RIP

NLE Choppa is defending his right to show off what he's packing in his boxers ... even if half his fanbase wishes they could push the dislike button.

The Memphis rapper was apparently feeling sexy and posted a provocative mirror selfie over the weekend ... garnering much attention from appreciative women, and disapproval from male supporters, including one fan account.

Popular YouTuber Adin Ross couldn't believe his eyes and sent NLE several texts in disbelief ... which were put on blast online as well.

The response was overwhelming to the point NLE issued a response ... stating he was comfortable enough in his own sexuality to pull off such a photo, but did clarify he was a heterosexual male.

NLE is just about a week away from his 20th birthday -- but has been exhibiting sexual maturity in his tweets and music for several years now.

The last time we spoke to him, NLE was steadily promoting his "Slut Me Out" single and spoke on the extent of his fetishes ... highlighted by his love for armpits.

Ulta Beauty tried promoting inclusivity by posting a clip of a transgender woman discussing femininity -- but the internet doesn't seem to be having it ... now calling for a boycott.

The company promoted a new digital campaign they're running called the "The Beauty Of ..." -- their latest entry being about girlhood, hosted by influencer Dylan Mulvaney -- who's trans -- and gender-fluid celeb hairstylist David Lopez, sitting down podcast-style for the chat.

In the promo clip from Thursday, Dylan is briefly heard discussing things she feels are still accessible to her as a trans woman -- including being able to find love, still being a performer and having a family/being a mother ... all of which she believes she can totally do.

It's part of a longer video that's up on their YouTube page, in which Dylan goes into detail about her recent transition and roots ... apparently growing up in a super conservative family and detailing how she came to find her inner beauty and the guts to show it off publicly.

The problem ... some say Dylan, and Ulta by extension, is appropriating womanhood and simply wearing it as a costume -- which is pissing off a good amount of folks who are up in arms about this and swearing to never buy Ulta products again.

Several people are bashing Ulta and Dylan, saying things like "she's actually a man" and other hurtful remarks -- to which Ulta is asking for dignity and empathy. A line they're repeating in the comments is ... "At Ulta Beauty, we believe that beauty is for everyone—and we kindly request that everyone be treated with respect on our channels."

Ulta is also saying they believe beauty has no boundaries, but it seems some of the comments are, in fact, crossing the line ... because there are several hidden replies.

TikTok stars Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo have made things super official -- TMZ has learned they tied the knot this summer.

According to the marriage license obtained by TMZ ... the influencer couple got hitched in August in Clark County, Nevada ... AKA Las Vegas. Unclear if Elvis was involved in their nuptials.

The records also show that Nicky and Pierre took each other's last names.

Of course, marriage may not come as a huge surprise to some of their fans. The couple's been attached at the hip since they became an item back in 2017.

Pierre and Nicky rose to fame as an "it" couple after launching their joint IG account. Over the last few years, they also moved in together and started their TikTok careers.

They have a combined follower count of more than 25 million on the video platform.

As we reported, the two listed their Bell Canyon home in July. Clearly, they've had a pretty busy summer and have been making some big moves.

Cassandra Peterson -- AKA Elvira -- is not at all surprised by Madonna seemingly coming out as gay, attributing it to history the pop star has with her current girlfriend.

We got a dressed-down version of the Mistress of the Dark Tuesday, who shared her thoughts about Madonna's latest TikTok, hinting she was gay. Elvira wasn't shocked, telling us the pop star has always painted herself as sexually fluid.

What's more, Elvira says Madonna actually hit on her girlfriend in the past!

ICYMI, Madonna posted a Tiktok Sunday that shows her throwing some panties at a trash can. The caption reads, "If I miss, I'm Gay!" ... she misses the bin before shrugging and walking away.

Cassandra acknowledged the fact it might've taken Madonna a while to come out, but says folks should come out whenever is comfortable for them.

One thing is for certain ... she says, it's a huge relief whenever it does happen. You'll recall, Peterson revealed she had been dating a woman for nearly 2 decades back in 2021 ... in her book "Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark".

Madonna appears to have declared herself as gay ... we think?

Madge threw up a TikTok Sunday that's got the world wondering ... a video that shows her throwing some panties at a trash can with the caption "If I miss, I'm Gay!" She falls short of hitting the bin ... and the camera cuts back to Madonna, who shrugs and walks away.

Pretty big news ... assuming she's actually making some here. On the face of it, it looks like she might be coming out as lesbian -- or at the very least, bi -- but it's hard to say for sure.

Madge has signaled she may be into women ... not just with public comments, but with her actions too. She's locked lips with a few notable ladies over the course of her career -- including Nicki Minaj, but more memorably ... Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

It was a highlight during the 2003 VMAs ... when she famously kissed both Britney and Christina onstage -- which she later explained as passing the Queen of Pop torch. Madonna kissed Britney again this year during her wedding, recreating the moment.

Of course, Madonna has only been in relationships with men ... as far as we know, anyway. She's been romantically linked to a ton of celebs over the years -- including Dennis Rodman, Tupac, Michael Jackson, Vanilla Ice and others.

She was also married to Sean Penn, plus Guy Ritchie ... with whom she had a kid. She's had children with other not-so-famous men too ... and has also adopted along the way.