LGBT

J.K. Rowling isn't going to her grave anxiously thinking about how the world will remember her after being labeled transphobic -- on the contrary, she says she doesn't give a hoot.

The famed 'Harry Potter' author -- who's been mired in controversy these past 3 years for what some consider bigoted comments about transgender people -- made her position clear as day in a new podcast, "The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling."

In episode one, J.K. talks about her legacy ... one she says she won't be concerned about after she's gone. The reason she gives is pretty frank -- she says, "I'll be dead."

Rather than stress about how society will judge her in death, JKR says she's more interested in the right now and living life while she can. She says the notion of trying to please everybody and be beloved in the history books is a pompous way to carry on, and she won't do it.

She's gotten headlines again recently in the wake of the release of a new 'Harry Potter' game, which features trans characters ... seemingly flying in the face of opinions she's so tightly embraced -- that transwomen are not actually women and vice versa.

Despite making this POV clear and not backing down, J.K. has also said people are misunderstanding her intentions -- especially as it relates to any perceived malice.

Of course, that tends to fall on deaf ears a lot -- especially on Twitter. Rowling continues to be branded a "TERF" (trans-exclusionary radical feminist) and a bigot ... and has even had some of the 'HP' cast turn their backs on her as well.

Chicago White Sox prospect Anderson Comás revealed this weekend he's gay ... saying he's hoping coming out now will help inspire others to "fight for your dreams."

The 23-year-old became just the second active MLB minor leaguer to reveal he's gay ... and in an emotional Instagram post on Sunday, he wrote, "I'm doing this cause I wanna be an inspiration for those like me out there fighting for their dreams."

"Please don’t listen to those stupid things that people say about us," he added, "fight for your dreams, believe in yourself and go for it."

Comás signed with the Sox in 2016 out of the Dominican Republic ... and began his career as an outfielder. In 2022, though, he switched to pitching -- and logged 11.1 innings on the mound for the White Sox's rookie league team last season.

After his announcement Sunday, the White Sox applauded him -- saying on Twitter they were "proud" of the prospect.

Team assistant general manager Chris Getz later said in a statement Comas came out to the team last year.

"I was very pleased that he was comfortable sharing with us in player development," Getz said.

Paris Hilton has opened up more about her dating life before finally finding the one ... revealing that she thought she was asexual before meeting her husband, Carter Reum.

The reality star/entrepreneur got candid in an interview with Harper's Bazaar, saying she spent a good amount of time in her 20s questioning her sexuality. She said, "I was known as a sex symbol, but anything sexual terrified me."

Paris has been known to date some pretty famous guys in the past ... but says she often struggled. She continued, "I called myself the ‘kissing bandit’ because I only liked to make out. A lot of my relationships didn’t work out because of that."

She says that all changed in 2019, when she met her now hubby at a friend's Thanksgiving shindig and realized they had chemistry like no other....  "It wasn’t until Carter that I finally am not that way ... I enjoy hooking up with my husband."

Of course, Paris totally glossed over her 3 previous engagements to be married before finally making it down the aisle with Carter.

One way to look at it -- if Chris Zylka, Paris Latsis and Jason Shaw didn't know why their relationships didn't work out with Paris ... they do now.

As we reported, Paris and her Carter announced they had a brand new baby last month ... after tying the knot during a luxury wedding weekend back in 2021.

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas used an anti-gay phrase during his postgame interview on Thursday night ... and hours later, he apologized for it -- saying he "definitely didn't intend to offend anyone."

Thomas muttered the expression while on the Barclays Center court speaking with a TNT reporter ... after the Nets had beaten the Chicago Bulls, 116-105.

The media member asked Thomas about comments that his new teammate, Spencer Dinwiddie, had said earlier this week about the Nets needing some help in the looks "department."

"I seen it," Thomas said of Dinwiddie's remarks. "But I was like, 'Man, he just talking.' We already had good-looking dudes."

The 21-year-old then added, "no homo."

The reporter was immediately caught off guard by Thomas' words ... saying, "Surely the league office will enjoy that one."

Thomas took to Twitter to issue a mea culpa a short time later.

"I was excited about the win and was being playful," Thomas said. "I definitely didn't intend to offend anyone, but realize that I probably did. My apologies again. Much love."

Riley Gaines, an All-American swimmer, is speaking out against the NCAA after she says her and her fellow competitors were made to share a locker room with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas, and were exposed to "male genitalia."

Gaines, a 12x All-American and 5x SEC champion at Kentucky turned women's sports advocate appeared on FOX News' "America Reports", and talked about Thomas.

"Of course, we competed against Thomas, we were not forewarned beforehand that we would be sharing a locker room with Lia. We did not give our consent. They did not ask for our consent," Gaines, a 12x All-American and 5x SEC champion at Kentucky turned women's sports advocate said when she appeared on FOX News' "America Reports."

Gaines continued ... "But in that locker room we turned around and there's a 6'4" biological man dropping his pants and watching us undress, and we're exposed to male genitalia."

Of course, Lia swam three seasons on the men's swim team at the University of Pennsylvania before transitioning and competing as a woman, where she won an NCAA National Championship in 2021.

While Thomas dominated in the pool, Gaines says it's the locker room situation that bothered her most.

"That to me was worse than the competition piece. Not even probably a year, two years ago, this would've been considered some form of sexual assault. Voyeurism. But now, not even are they now just allowing it to happen, it's almost as if these large organizations are encouraging it to happen."

"Of course, after NCAA Championships, the NCAA nominated then nominated Thomas for NCAA Women of the Year. So we're celebrating this movement."

Her story has been a polarizing one for Americans ... and it's a debate that's been hotly contested.

Gaines is fighting to pass "Fairness in Women's Sports" bills, and she also wants to establish separate locker rooms for transgender athletes. She says she hopes other like-minded women will step up and speak out like she's done, but acknowledges many are scared and worried about retribution.

While conservatives are up in arms about Sam Smith and Kim Petras' hell-themed performance of "Unholy" at the Grammys ... the Church of Satan is unimpressed.

David Harris, magister for the Church of Satan, tells TMZ ... Sam and Kim's performance was "alright" and "nothing particularly special."

Harris, who's pretty high up in the Church of Satan (kinda like a cardinal), says the imagery evoked in Sam and Kim's set is similar to what folks have already seen from other artists -- red clothing, fire and devil horns -- and it's all kind of passé now.

Of course, politicians like Senator Ted Cruz and Congresswomen Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert had entirely different takeaways ... as they railed against the Grammy night act, calling it evil.

MTG and Boebert's anti-Sam/Kim tweets referenced The Satanic Temple -- a different group from the Church of Satan -- but Harris is firing back on behalf of all Satanists, telling us ... "It's sad when politicians on a national stage use someone's religion as a punchline."

Ironically, he says Cruz, MTG and Boebert are a bunch of "delicate snowflakes."

Political bickering aside, the Church of Satan says Lil Nas X's music video for "Montero" was actually much more proactive than anything Sam or Kim did, at least in a satanic sense.

For the uninitiated ... Satanists don't actually worship Satan, nor do they believe in God or the Devil. They're opposed to anything supernatural and all spirituality, and with no belief in the afterlife, Satanists emphasize being your true self, personal achievement and living life to the fullest ... with one of the key tenants being individuals are their own Gods.

It's why the Church of Satan says Lil Nas X's "Montero" is much more in line with their philosophies ... in the music vid, LNX descends into hell, murders Satan and takes the devil's crown for himself.

"Gossip Girl" star Jordan Alexander isn't shedding any tears or holding a grudge after the reboot series was canceled ... instead, she's finding the positive in an awesome experience.

We caught up with Jordan shortly after word got out that HBO Max wasn't bringing back the show for a 3rd season ... which, naturally, sent some fans into a frenzy.

Jordan obviously isn't thrilled the show got canned, but tells us she's looking on the bright side of it all ... telling us starring in the series was the greatest experience of her life.

Our photog asked if canceling the revival show with such a diverse cast felt like more of a disservice, to which Jordan said she was just happy it happened at all.

The show's creator, Joshua Safran, seemed to share the same sentiment. In an IG post, he wrote, "The EPs and I will forever be grateful to the network and studio for their faith and support; the writers for their devious brains and dexterous talent; the superstar cast for being the greatest of collaborators and friends; and the crew for their hard work, dedication and love for the project. This was honestly the greatest set I ever worked on, top to bottom."

Sam Smith's new music video is stirring the pot for its NSFW content -- but it's also sparking debate on an interesting question ... is sexuality just a straight person's game???

The nonbinary singer dropped the visual treatment for their latest single "I'm Not Here To Make Friends," which is featured on their recently-released album, "Gloria." Safe to say, 'INHTMF' is in your face when it comes to showing off skin and sexually suggestive scenes.

Sam is depicted in several eye-popping outfits, including one where their chest is on display with nipple pasties in place. There are also moments where SS is being sprayed in the face with water ... which kinda looks like something typically left behind closed doors.

Of course, the backup dancers and extras are flaunting their stuff in scantily-clad getups all throughout ... so, objectively, it checks the box for a traditionally provocative project.

Now, the controversy ... Sam has been trending all weekend over this video, mostly invoking outrage from people on the right -- who feel like it's wildly inappropriate ... especially as it pertains to age restrictions and kids who might stumble across it on YouTube.

The argument from that end is that 'I'm Not Here' is just a hyper-sexualized demonstration of perversion for the hell of it, masked as body positivity and LGBTQ+ empowerment.

Of course, not everyone sees it that way. In fact, the rebuttal coming from the other side is ... where's all the outrage when we see cisgender heterosexual men and women doing the same thing (if not worse) in music videos of the past??? It's a fair question to pose.

One individual broke down this apparent double standard quite well on TikTok -- influencer, Max Hovey came to Sam's defense and said the backlash is misguided and misplaced.

Basically, the idea that someone who doesn't fit society's conventional beauty standards can't openly express their sexuality on camera without flack -- while others can get away with it unscathed -- is screwed up ... according to Max and others who agree with him.

FWIW, Sam doesn't seem too bothered by all the discourse -- they're continuing to promote the hell out of this thing and posting clips and stills from the video without reservation.

Friends of the late Stephen "tWitch" Boss are calling out his "pal" Todrick Hall ... after he suggested the pressure around Ellen DeGeneres' workplace scandal might have been a factor in tWitch's suicide.

For those unaware, Todrick made the implication this week while promoting a new reality show he's doing ... telling Page Six he believed the public calling on the DJ to stop supporting Ellen took too big of a toll.

Referring to tWitch opting to take his life, Todrick added, "I don’t know what was going on in his life that may [have led] him to make that decision but I do understand."

A source close to tWitch tells TMZ ... it's extremely negligent and self-serving of Todrick to assume he knows what led to tWitch's death. The source also found it unfortunate he would speculate, especially while promoting his own project.

We're told tWitch loved his time on "Ellen," and had a ton of respect while working on the series ... pointing out he was even named co-executive producer in the final season.

As we reported, tWitch left a suicide note behind when he passed, which we're told referenced past challenges ... without going into specifics.

You'll recall, Ellen was accused of creating a toxic work environment while the show was running, as several former employees alleged racism and intimidation. tWitch, however, stood by the talk show host.

Ellen also expressed her intense heartbreak after his death ... telling people to love each other as she continued to mourn in late December.

While Beyonce's concert in Dubai stirred outrage from some fans -- due to the country's anti-LGBTQ+ laws -- her pops looks at it differently, telling us his daughter has incredible power to bring people together ... from all walks of life.

Mathew Knowles tells TMZ ... Queen Bey united a really diverse crowd with her incredible performance overseas, bringing people closer, as she does best.

He says people who weren't at the show might not understand -- adding she gave respect and got respect back from the country, calling it an amazing moment.

MK notes his daughter's always stood for inclusiveness, and believes everyone was there for love. He adds she'd never do something to deliberately hurt someone.

As for the criticism about her NOT performing hits from "Renaissance," Mathew says hold tight ... Beyonce IS planning a tour, and she'll announce it when she's ready.

TMZ caught up with Bey's mom, Tina Knowles, Monday -- telling us her daughter was pretty nervous before her first big show in years, but notes she pulled it off and it was a great trip. She had less to say about the controversy, though.

As we reported, Beyonce's show brought down the house over the weekend as she performed to a packed house for the opening of the new Atlantis resort, and reportedly got paid $24 million.

The backlash, which Beyonce rarely faces, centered around some in the LGBTQ+ community feeling she'd "sold out" by performing in a "homophobic dictatorship."

Mathew says that's a narrow-minded view of what went down.

Beyonce's weekend concert ruffled a few feathers in the LGBTQ+ community, but Ts Madison doesn't see anything wrong with her getting a fat check in Dubai ... because, first and foremost, she says Bey is loyal to her fans.

The actress and activist joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," dismissing claims Queen Bey "sold out" by performing in the UAE -- where there are firm anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

Madison believes most people, even those criticizing Beyonce, would jump at a $24 million payday in Dubai. In fact, she says many people in the LGBTQ+ community already do travel there ... whether it be for work or vacay. So, the whole sellout label seems hypocritical to her.

And, Madison points out Beyonce's been an ally for years ... and doesn't think she'd do something like this to hurt the very group to which she dedicated her latest album, "Renaissance."

As we reported, Beyonce made it a truly grand opening for a new Atlantis resort ... doing a 90-minute set with multiple costume changes, an orchestra and a bunch of her classic hits.

Folks banging on the concert, feel she ditched "her own progressive values" by performing in a "homophobic dictatorship" -- but Madison says those fans should separate politics from the concert ... just as Beyonce seems to have done.

Rep. George Santos did, in fact, dress in women's clothing as a young man -- but don't go calling him a drag queen now ... 'cause he's still rejecting that label, it seems.

The newly-elected New York congressman touched down in the Big Apple Saturday on a flight from D.C., and sure enough ... the media was there to greet him, peppering him with questions about his many scandals and apparent lies -- including the drag thing.

Check out the video ... Santos seems agitated that he's being asked about the same stuff over and over -- but frankly, his explanations to this point have been less than adequate.

Finally, when someone asks him about recently-resurfaced photos that seem to show him dressed in drag ... he cops to it, saying he was "just having fun" out there and that it's much ado about nothing. He also made sure to specifically denounce the term "drag queen."

It's great Santos -- who's openly gay -- is finally being truthful ... but the fact this is basically a 180 from his outright denial appears to be in line with an emerging pattern with him. Namely, he tends to flatly challenge stories about him as false -- only to recant later.

Of course, the larger issue is that he made up a lot of stuff on his resume -- both academically and professionally -- in the process of getting elected as a Representative.

"The Real Friends of WeHo" star Joey Zauzig is clapping back on behalf of his co-star Todrick Hall ... urging folks not to judge a book by its cover, despite calls to boycott the new MTV show over Todrick's casting.

We got Joey out in L.A. Friday and asked him about Todrick, who's under fire for allegedly not being a good guy. Todrick's been accused in the past of not paying rent on his houses and stiffing former employees on money owed to them. People on social media are calling for a boycott of the show because of these accusations.

Joey tells us anyone boycotting the show because of Todrick's participation is simply a "sore loser." He says the best folks were chosen for the show ... and that includes Todrick.

Joey acknowledged the controversy surrounding the former "Celebrity Big Brother" contestant ... saying there could be some truth to everything but he chose to give Todrick a clean slate after filming the show with him and he has no regrets about it.

Joey doubled down saying ... Todrick even has receipts to prove all the accusations aren't what people claim. He says everyone else should give him a clean slate and he believes that'll happen once folks get to see him in a different light on the new series.

Leslie Jordan was not killed as the result of a car accident, instead, he suffered a "sudden cardiac dysfunction" which resulted in his death and caused him to crash.

The L.A. County Coroner's Office just released its findings from the October 24 incident. TMZ broke the story -- first responders raced to the scene after Jordan had crashed his BMW into the side of a building in Hollywood.

At the time, investigators told us they believed Jordan suffered some sort of medical emergency before the crash ... and now that has been confirmed.

The coroner's report states Leslie was taking heart medication at the time of his death -- and his heart was in really bad shape -- with one of his arteries 80% blocked, and another 50% blocked.

We were first to report Leslie had complained of shortness of breath in the weeks leading up to his death, and had an appointment with a heart doctor scheduled in the near future.

Leslie's death left Hollywood stunned, including his costars on "Call Me Kat" -- the show he was driving to when he died.

Rep. George Santos has yet another past alias, at least according to an ex-friend in Brazil who's posted a photo of him in drag ... which is interesting because Santos has spoken out against drag shows in America.

The ex-friend, Eula Rochard, posted a pic from 2008 which she says shows Santos as a drag queen named "Kitara." Eula told a website called The Handbasket her experience with Santos was that he lied a lot ... a now oft-told tale about the embattled freshman U.S. Congressman from NY.

Eula says they met when Santos was 16 or 17, and going by the name Anthony. He's already copped to previous aliases of Anthony Devolder and Anthony Zabrovsky.

As for his "Kitara" days, Eula says the pic was taken at a Pride Parade, but she says he was not a pro drag performer -- "George did not have the glamour for that.” Ouch!

The more relevant point here is that present-day Santos -- who is openly gay -- has backed Florida's Don't Say Gay bill, and aligned himself with Republicans who claim drag queens and drag shows groom children.

Eula says she posted the pic after seeing Santos on TV, and friends doubted her when she said the Congressman and "Kitara" were the same person.

The "Kitara" pic would add a new wrinkle of hypocrisy to the tapestry of Santos' lies. As we've reported, he's already admitted to fabricating details of his education, previous jobs and family heritage. He's also been accused of falsely claiming his mother was in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

While some members of Congress have called for Santos to resign in light of all the lies that came out since he was elected in November, he's refused to do so ... and GOP leadership is still backing him, even appointing him to committees.

We've reached out to Santos' office for comment on the "Kitara" pic, but no word back yet.

Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to show up for his team's warmups on Tuesday night ... boycotting Philadelphia's decision to have its players wear rainbow-colored jerseys that supported the LGBTQ+ community.

Provorov, who ultimately ended up playing in the game after the Flyers switched back to their normal uniforms, said after the contest he made the decision due to his Russian Orthodox beliefs.

"I respect everybody and I respect everybody's choices," the 26-year-old said. "My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion. That's all I'm going to say."

Reporters attempted to ask Provorov further questions about the decision ... but he shut them down, saying, "Did you not hear what I just said? Can you respect that?"

Flyers head coach John Tortorella, meanwhile, seemed to back his player's choice ... telling media members after the game he never once considered not playing Provorov, despite the pregame protest.

"It's one thing I respect about Provy," the 64-year-old manager said. "He's always true to himself. And, so, that's where we're at with that."

The Flyers opted to wear the pregame kits -- as well as wrap their sticks with rainbow-colored tape -- in order to promote inclusivity in a sport that's historically struggled with diversity. Philly auctioned off its players' pregame items after the game, donating proceeds to groups who are helping grow hockey in diverse communities. Provorov was the only Flyer who didn't have memorabilia up in the auction.

The team spoke generically about the issue in a statement just before the game ... saying, "The Philadelphia Flyers organization is committed to inclusivity and is proud to support the LGBTQ+ community. Many of our players are active in their support of local LGBTQ+ organizations, and we were proud to host our annual Pride Night again this year. The Flyers will continue to be strong advocates for inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community."

The NHL has yet to comment on it all.

Provorov ended up playing a team-high 22:45 minutes in the game against the Ducks, which Philadelphia won, 5-2.