LGBT

Manila Luzon's two-year-old campaign for Jack Daniel's -- which features drag queens -- is drumming up outrage anew ... and she says those who are boycotting can cry in their corner.

The former 'Drag Race' star responded to the latest wave of indignation over an LGBT-friendly ad that the whiskey brand ran a full two years ago ... back in 2021. Apparently, some are just catching wind of it now -- and dramatically pouring their JD down the drain.

In one viral instance, a guy actually poured his Jack into a firepit ... and torched the sauce.

Luzon tells TMZ ... the fact these iconic American brands have been teaming up with the LGBTQ+ crowd to reach a new demographic is nothing new -- and she's eye-rolling over the fact that certain folks are just now figuring it out and screaming at the sky about it.

She makes a couple good points here. For one, ML says these companies have entire departments dedicated to market research ... and since they're pivoting toward inclusivity, ya gotta figure they know it's good for their bottom line to reach out to a new customer base.

In Jack Daniel's case ... that actually bares out in the numbers. Their parent company, Brown-Forman, reported huge boosts in sales of the famed liquor last year. Hard to say if that's due to their drag queen ad, specifically, but something's working for them dollarwise.

The other takeaway here is this ... there's options in America. If you're not happy with a brand, for whatever reason, you don't have to buy it anymore. Plain and simple.

Luzon notes, though, that if these people wanna boycott every company that runs an LGBT-leaning ad or campaign -- they might be out of products in the near future. She says this is the way the world is going ... and they can either get onboard, or be left behind.

Donald Trump Jr. is trying to put the fire out on the Bud Light outrage after they teamed up with a transgender person -- and his rationale is ... they actually support the GOP.

The ex-Prez's oldest son made his pitch on his podcast, "Triggered with Donald Trump Jr.," where he opened Thursday's episode with a plea aimed at the MAGA crowd ... and, presumably, anyone else who's vowed to cut Bud Light out of their beer-drinking regimen.

He says he gets the indignation ... noting that, in his mind, Anheuser-Busch did indeed screw up by polarizing their key demographic with a stunt like this -- but he also says they deserve forgiveness considering some new intel he says he and his team have stumbled upon.

DTJ says Anheuser-Busch has actually donated a ton of money to Republican-led campaigns over the years -- including Speaker Kevin McCarthy's bid for Nancy Pelosi's job last year.

He also claims that -- according to some reporting he says he saw -- the whole Dylan Mulvaney move was actually the result of a rogue marketing employee at the company ... and that the higher-ups had no idea about it. In fact, Don says Anheuser-Busch is usually not as "woke" as its corporate counterparts -- and that they shouldn't be punished for this.

It's interesting that he's going to bat for the beer company, because they've actually taken a somewhat significant hit in the wake of all this -- reports suggest their market cap has fallen by as much as $5 billion in recent weeks ... although it's hard to say why exactly.

Some think it's a no-brainer -- the Bud Light ban appears to be working, and it's hurting their bottom line. Because of that, it seems, Don Jr.'s telling folks to stand down and buy again.

Comedian and former 'SNL' star Victoria Jackson felt the need to drop a TON of white-hot homophobic takes at a local city council meeting -- going off on an obscure tangent about homosexuality before, ironically, calling on people to avoid getting brainwashed.

Citizens of Franklin, Tennessee got their chance to speak at a city meeting Tuesday ... which at one point focused on whether or not the city would hold a Gay Pride Parade this year.

When it's Victoria's turn to take the mic, though ... she starts by bluntly saying God hates homosexuality, among other things -- calling it "an abomination."

She goes on to say God also despises pride, reading a verse from the Bible as proof. Obviously, that word was used as the motto for the LGBTQ+ alliance long after any of that was ever written.

While it might feel shocking, this isn't uncommon for Victoria -- she's been going on homophobic rants for a while now, including in 2011 when she called "Glee" disgusting after they showed 2 men sharing an on-screen kiss.

Since then, most forgot about her 6-year run on 'SNL' -- she instead was known as the self-proclaimed conservative Christian that would bash homosexuality.

Halle Berry clearly loves a meal and a show, especially when she can get in on the action ... as she did while having an absolute BLAST at a drag queen brunch!

The actress gave the crowd and the paid performers a Sunday to remember at WeHo's La Boheme Drag Queen Brunch ... showing up with her boyfriend Van Hunt and a friend for some good fun and grub.

Halle's certainly enjoying herself in the video, doing her best to grind out some moves with one of the performers -- and the crowd goes crazy over the rare sighting. Not everyday ya see an Oscar winner cutting loose like this. God bless those mimosas, right?!

It looks like the pro queens had no clue she was gonna be in attendance ... but that didn't stop them from snapping some pics with Halle after her impromptu number.

As you know, the 56-year-old recently rocked the Internet by posting a nude photo on social media -- some gave the actress a bunch of support, while a few trolls took misogynistic potshots.

Caitlyn Jenner is furious with Nike over its new endorsement deal with Dylan Mulvaney ... saying the sneaker giant is going "so woke" by throwing money at the trans influencer, but not Olympic hero Allyson Felix.

The former decathlete weighed in on the social media star's partnership with the Swoosh on Thursday ... and her issue isn't with Mulvaney -- she actually commends Dylan for securing the bag.

Instead, Jenner is pissed at the move because Felix -- a seven-time Olympic gold medalist -- claimed Nike offered her a 70% pay cut and denied her requests for maternity protections after she got pregnant in 2017. She let her contract expire, and she went on to sign with Athleta.

Jenner is using Felix's experience to get her take across ... saying, "As someone that grew up in awe of what Phil Knight did, it is a shame to see such an iconic American company go so woke!"

"We can be inclusive but not at the expense of the mass majority of people, and have some decency while being inclusive. This is an outrage."

It's worth noting -- it's unclear how much Mulvaney is making from the deal ... but as someone who has close to two million followers on Instagram alone, you can assume she got a solid chunk of change.

Jenner isn't the only Olympian fuming over Mulvaney's deal -- silver medalist Sharron Davies called for folks to boycott Nike ... labeling it "a kick in the teeth" to women.

Swimming star Riley Gaines says she was attacked by protestors on Thursday night and forced to barricade inside of a college classroom for hours ... after she gave a speech arguing that transgender athletes shouldn't be allowed to compete against biological females.

The heated confrontation went down at San Francisco State University's campus in Northern California ... where Gaines had arrived to speak with students at a Turning Point USA event.

In her chat with a small gathering inside of a classroom on campus, Gaines -- who famously spoke out against the NCAA and transgender swimmer Lia Thomas earlier this year -- explained why she believes trans athletes have an unfair advantage over biological women.

But, minutes into her talk, she was interrupted by a group of protestors ... who only got louder and louder throughout the night.

Eventually, Gaines said as she made her way out of the classroom ... trans activists who had entered the building to object to her stance attacked her.

"I was ambushed and physically hit twice by a man," she said of the scene on her Twitter page. "This is proof that women need sex-protected spaces."

Gaines shared a video of her encounter with protestors inside of the SFSU campus building ... showing her in a blue sweater being ushered to another classroom by police as people hurled chants and insults at her.

SFSU's student-run media outlet, the Golden Gate Xpress, reported Gaines was forced to stay locked inside of the classroom with police protection for roughly three hours.

Cops ultimately ordered people to disperse -- and Gaines, a former swim champ at the Univ. of Kentucky, was able to leave safely.

Gaines' agent, Eli Bremer, blasted the protestors in a statement to Fox News Digital after the event ... saying, "It is stunning that in America in 2023, it is acceptable for biological male students to violently assault a woman for standing up for women’s rights."

Bremer added, though, it would not impact Gaines' decision to speak out going forward.

Caitlyn Jenner voiced her support for Gaines after she became aware of the incident, writing in a tweet, "Pray for Riley Gaines! You are a courageous voice of reason, an incredible athlete, and beyond brave. Praying!!!"

We've reached out to both SFSU officials and the San Francisco Police Dept. for comment on the matter ... but so far, no word back yet.

Kelsea Ballerini doesn't regret her groundbreaking performance alongside drag queens on national television, and it definitely wasn't a surprise to showrunners ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the backlash Kelsea's getting for Sunday's CMT Music Awards moment -- having four "RuPaul’s Drag Race" queens come on stage during one of her performances -- is falling on deaf ears ... 'cause she doesn't regret it one bit.

We're told Kelsea fully stands by her decision to feature the drag queens ... which some folks in conservative circles have gone ballistic over -- accusing CMT of going woke.

FWIW, the drag queens' appearance was fully planned. Production sources tell TMZ ... both CMT and CBS were extremely supportive of the cameo and knew about it from the get-go ... we're also told they'd been part of rehearsals since Friday.

One of the drag queens, Manila Luzon, says it was actually Kelsea's idea to involve them -- and she did so cause she's an ally. Manila says the drag queens were super happy with how things went and appreciate the network heads for giving them a platform in front of a new type of audience.

ML adds ... country music is moving forward with the rest of the world. The performance was a celebration of love and a celebration of artistry.

Kid Rock is all fired up amid Bud Light's decision to partner up with a transgender activist -- and we mean that literally -- 'cause he's out firing bullets over the whole thing.

The singer/rapper posted a video to his social media Monday, which was uncaptioned ... but was also self-explanatory in what was shown. Namely, it's him grabbing an AR-style rifle of some sort and firing a ton of bullets at a few cases of Bud Light off in the distance.

He starts his video by saying, "grandpa's feeling a little frisky today," and then proceeds to shoot up the beer ... which he had teed up for him on a table near a lake.

Finally, he hits his point home by once again talking to the camera ... this time saying, "F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day."

Now, if you're wondering why KR is all pissy about Bud Light ... it's no secret if you've been following the news lately. Dylan Mulvaney -- who's a transgender woman and a social media influencer who's been documenting her transition journey online -- has partnered with BL.

She did a promo for Bud Light a couple days ago ... flashing a bunch of their signature blue cans and plugging some sort of sweepstakes they were running. Dylan also posted a photo of a custom Bud Light can with her face on it ... something sent over by Anheuser.

There was swift backlash from people who apparently didn't like their fave brew company teaming with DM ... including a lot of conservatives, like Kid Rock. Anheuser-Busch has since spoken out and defended its partnership with Dylan, advocating for a diverse consumer base ... while also noting her custom can is not available to the public. It was just a gift.

Gisele Shaw claims WWE HOF'er Rick Steiner hurled transphobic remarks at her during an appearance ... something the event organizers themselves seem to acknowledge happened.

The Impact Wrestling star made the accusation against the famed RS Friday, detailing what she says was an absolute tirade full of hateful language ... targeting her transgender identity. Shaw is a trans woman BTW, and came out as transgender last year at Pride Toronto.

Here's what she had to say about the interaction, which she says happened at WrestleCon Friday ... where Gisele was doing a signing. She writes, "I have been bullied all my life and have never stood up for myself because I’m scared that I would get beat up physically, mentally, or emotionally. The bullies in my life have always silenced me, but that ends today!"

Gisele goes on to say that, while walking to her table, she heard someone shouting, "you’re a man,” “you’re a dude,” “you’re a piece of trash,” “you are filth," and “get the f*** away from here." She didn't know who it was at first, but later says she heard it again -- and saw Steiner.

She says she confronted him about it on the spot -- saying, "Excuse me?" -- but claims he continued to tear her down in front of a lot of people ... including other wrestling talent.

She says other prominent stars were around, but didn't do anything about it. Gisele adds, "I am not writing this because I want sympathy. I am writing this because I am done being bullied to silence. Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility and I am standing up for myself and for other people who go through the exact same situation on a daily basis. I want everyone to know what kind of a deplorable person Rick Steiner is and that this cannot be tolerated. This keeps happening because people let it slide and do not take any action. If you do business with these types of people then I will not do business with you."

The official WrestleCon account apologized for what happened, specifically naming Shaw/the LGBT community -- but not saying Rick's name. They add, "The issue has been addressed and we hope the remainder of the convention can be a positive experience for all."

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility ... and some of the biggest names in Hollywood and politics are using their voices to show support for members of the community.

President Biden proclaimed March 31, 2023, as Transgender Day of Visibility on Thursday from the White House ... furthering his message with a tweet Friday that read, in part, "Made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect, and support."

Demi Lovato, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and comedian Chelsea Handler -- who posted a video of support and took jabs at politicians in support of anti-trans legislation in the process -- were among some of the other celebs to put their voice behind the cause.

Jamie Lee Curtis retweeted a post from her 27-year-old transgender daughter's post with the caption "PROUD MOTHER". Ben McKee, bass player from Imagine Dragons, and Trans YouTube star Jazz Jennings also posted messages.

The 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards had a huge turnout ... with some of the biggest names in Hollywood coming out and even taking home honors.

This year's show went down Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton ... and it was all about honoring those in media who have been exemplary in highlighting the LGBTQ+ community and its issues.

The L.A. ceremony was hosted by actress/comedian Margaret Cho, and familiar faces in the crowd included Zaya Wade and her stepmom Gabrielle Union, Lisa Ann Walter, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Geena Davis and Vanessa Williams.

Other attendees included Diplo, Orville Peck, Michelle Visage, Billy Eichner, Lance Bass, Jennifer Coolidge, Frankie Grande, Jane Lynch, Chrishell Stause and G Flip.

As far as big winners on the night ... Christina Aguilera, Bad Bunny and Jeremy Pope were among the celebs to take home awards for their efforts.

During the evening, recipients for 15 of 33 categories were announced ... with series like "What We Do in the Shadows" and "The White Lotus" among top winners, along with films such as "Bros" and "A League of Their Own."

A friend of the Nashville school shooter called police as Audrey Hale unleashed a murderous attack at a Christian school ... pleading for someone to go check on Hale.

In 911 audio released Thursday, the shooter's friend, Averianna Patton, tells the dispatcher Hale sent her a string of ominous messages on social media before Monday's shooting.

Patton says she's called different departments and then tells the dispatcher ... "I'm just trying to see can anybody ... I just don't want it on my conscious ... if somebody can go check on her."

Before the call, Hale sent Patton several suicidal messages on Instagram, saying ... "I'm planning to die today" and "You'll probably hear about me on the news after I die."

Hale sent the messages at 9:57 AM ... and about 15 minutes later went on a deadly rampage at the Covenant School in Nashville, shooting and killing three 9-year-old students and three employees in their 60s.

Patton made the 911 call around 10:20 AM ... just as armed officers were arriving at the private school to take down Hale.

Taylor Swift took home top honors during iHeartRadio's big award show -- and while her acceptance speeches were touching ... it was her wardrobe that really drew eyes.

The pop star won Song of the Year and the Innovator Award Monday night, and in both instances ... she delivered some powerful remarks about what it takes to stand out and succeed in the music biz -- noting that the formula of a hit song isn't cut and dry.

Of course, she was talking about her fan fave track "Anti-Hero" -- picking out certain lyrics, words like "narcissism" and "altruism," as examples that not everything has to be so catchy and cookie-cuter ... arguing that artists can be real with their art.

Her Innovator Award speech was similar ... TayTay said she'd made a lot of bad choices in her life, but those had led her to make good ones ... including some that have spurred her to activism in the LGBT community and elsewhere, which was highlighted in the lead-up.

Now, we're sorta burying the lead here ... namely, TS was rocking an interesting getup for Monday's ceremony. It was a sparkly jumpsuit that was complete with a hood over her head that kinda made her look like a hip teen stuck in their backpack hip-hop phase.

Okay, maybe the fashion isn't the lead, but she looked cool in the hood. Hell, Lenny Kravitz was impressed.

Ted Nugent kicked off Donald Trump's latest rally with a homophobic insult aimed at Volodymyr Zelensky ... falsely claiming the guy's gay while demanding a refund.

The rocker was one of the first speakers for the DT event down in Waco, TX Saturday ... and when he took the stage, he started ranting and raving about the Biden administration's spending decisions -- including where they've sent money and supplies.

He started out by saying he (as an American) didn't give the OK for JB and co. to surrender a bunch of U.S. military equipment to the Taliban ... referencing the exit out of Afghanistan.

Then, he went straight into bigotry -- saying he also didn't sign off on the government sending billions of dollars in aid to embattled Ukraine amid their ongoing war with Russia. Here's how Ted put it ... "I want my money back! I didn't authorize any money to Ukraine to some homosexual weirdo. I want my money back! I want my freedom back!"

He went on to say that the crowd might wanna write this down ... adding, "Men don't give me my rights, God gives my rights." The crowd was eating it up and cheering him on.

There's more to TN's rant. He talked about securing the border, banning abortion, etc. He even strummed his guitar a bit -- so it made for quite a speech. Oh, and Mike Lindell (the MyPillow guy) was also there ... he spoke too, calling DeSantis "Trojan Horse Ron." 😅

Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are on the ground as well -- two of Trump's biggest defenders -- and they're decrying the supposedly looming criminal charges against him ... calling it political persecution. Those charges have yet to be announced, BTW.

Trump himself is set to arrive shortly ... it'll be interesting to see what he says. This would mark his first public appearance since word of him possibly getting arrested came down.

As for the Zelensky dig from Ted ... obviously it's completely out of line, and completely inaccurate. Not only is it laced with hate, but it's simply not true -- VZ is a married man (to a woman), and he's continuing to battle Putin for his country's sovereignty and borders.

Frankly, it's fine if Ted's not cool with the aid we've sent, and could've made his point about that without stooping to lies and conspiracy theories ... not to mention outright homophobia.

Lil Nas X's presence on social media has got him in some hot water once again ... with people saying his tweet about 'gays' in Africa is incredibly insensitive on the heels of serious anti-gay legislation in Uganda.

The "Old Town Road" rapper was met with a ton of backlash Wednesday after he tweeted "where do the gays be in africa i wanna come there". The tweet came on the heels Uganda parliament passing one of the most sweeping anti-gay legislations in the world.

The law punishes people with up to 10 years behind bars for simply identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer or anything other than male or female.

More shockingly, citizens can be sentenced to life behind bars for committing gay sex acts and be sentenced to death for "aggravated homosexuality" -- a broad term to include sex acts committed by force as well as incest.

After LNX's tweet, folks quickly hopped on social media to express their disdain, for what they see as an extremely dangerous message. One user wrote, "This is so insensitive especially after Uganda just announced the harsh punishment of even identifying as being LGBTQ” ... and many others backed these same sentiments.

As you know, this isn't the first time he's been in the hot seat for his social media postings, recently issuing an apology for making a trans joke online.

Kayleigh Scott, a transgender flight attendant famous for appearing in a United Airlines commercial, is dead ... and it appears to be a suicide.

The 25-year-old was found dead Monday in her Denver, CO apartment ... the same day she posted on social media about planning to end her life.

In the Instagram post, Kayleigh wrote ... "As I take my final breaths and exit this living earth, I would like to apologize to everyone I let down. I am so sorry I could not be better. To those that I love, I am sorry I could not be stronger. To those that gave me their everything, I am sorry my effort was not reciprocated."

The post was flooded with comments from concerned fans, with many saying they were calling police in Denver to conduct a welfare check.

Kayleigh's post also continued ... "Please understand that me leaving is not a reflection of you, but the result of my own inability to turn myself for the better. To Ashley, Cynthia, Regine & Sophia. I am so sorry. Please remember me for the good memories we have shared, and never for my downfall. I will see you all again on the other side."

Her sister, Ashley, commented on the IG post confirming Kayleigh's death.

Kayleigh famously shared her transition story in a 2020 United Airlines commercial for Trans Day of Visibility ... thanking the airline for helping her transition.

Police in Denver are investigating ... and the city's medical examiner will determine an official cause of death.

Kayleigh was 25.

RIP