LGBT

Jonathan Bennett is raising a glass to his Palm Springs estate ... he just sold the pad he dubbed Mai Tai Manor for seven figures.

According to property records the "Mean Girls" actor sold the home Tuesday for a cool $1 mil.

The sale price is a little under the listing price ... as we first reported, Jonathan put the home on the market back in March for $1.15 million, but the good news for him ... he bought it in 2020 for $625K. Nice job!

The home screams Palm Springs ... it's a ranch design built in the 1970s, and there's a pool with some colorful lounge chairs in the backyard, which is lined with palm trees and views of the mountains.

The place is 1,296 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms ... and it's where Jonathan and his husband, Jaymes Vaughan, got engaged.

Jonathan put the place up for sale because he and Jaymes were simply becoming too busy to spend enough time there to justify a second home.

Mai Tai Manor is famous in its own right ... the place has been featured in several publications, including "Celebrity Homes Unlocked" on The Design Network, plus MTV ... just to name a couple.

Michael Imperioli isn't happy with the Supreme Court's decision in further allowing business owners to turn away customers from the LGBTQ+ community ... making his outrage clear.

The former "Sopranos" star took to social media this weekend to blow off some steam over the mega-ruling that came down Friday -- with a majority of the justices siding with a web designer who refuses to work on a gay couples wedding sites on religious grounds.

In the end, they said she has every right to refuse gay couples her services ... on account of the First Amendment. Remember, another ruling for a wedding cake shop owner also seemed to back that up ... albeit in not nearly as clear terms as this one was. In any case, MI's pissed.

He posted a photo of the web designer in question with a headline attached, and then added this commentary ... "i’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching The Sopranos, The White Lotus, Goodfellas or any movie or tv show I’ve been in."

Mike adds, "Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to. USA ! USA!" He went on to say hate and ignorance were not a legitimate POV ... and America was becoming dumber by the minute.

The response he's getting to this is interesting ... seems like a lot of people who agree with the high court's decision are not on board with his take, and many appear shocked he was this passionate about the topic.

Welp, Michael's made no bones about where he stands on this -- and considering that conservatives appear to be boycotting anything they consider "woke" ... ya gotta wonder if they'll take him up on his suggestion and stop watching his TV shows and movies.

AEW star Anthony Bowens says the outpouring of support he's received following his viral "I'm gay" moment at Rampage last week has been incredible ... telling TMZ Sports he hopes it serves as inspiration for those who fear being themselves.

Bowens -- who came out in 2017 -- had fans going wild after making a joke about his sexuality in the ring in a response to Harley Cameron ... after she claimed she could tell the Acclaimed tag-team member was into her.

"Very, very serious question," Bowens responded to the Australian commentator. "Did you get kicked too many times in the head by a kangaroo when you were a kid?? Because I don't know if you can see my gear, lady ... I'm gay!!"

The whole crowd erupted in encouragement ... chanting "He's gay!!"

We spoke with Bowens about how special it was to be his true self inside the ring and get that sort of response from the fans ... and he said the whole experience was surreal.

"I wish I could go back and tell 17, 18, 19-year-old Anthony Bowens that everything would be okay, because I spent a lot of time, a lot of fear, a lot of anxiety of what my career would be if I ever came out," Bowens tells us.

"And to fast forward and to have that moment and to have that reaction I did -- I've been getting messages every single day from people all over the world, from other athletes thanking me just for simply saying it."

"People, a lot of times, either just insinuate it or maybe make it a joke -- I was like, screw it!! You just gotta say it sometimes."

Even though the exchange was silly, it is a major step in the right direction for the LGBTQ+ community ... and Bowens understands the gravity of the situation.

"I think it struck a chord with a lot of people and I couldn't be any more thrilled."

Anheuser-Busch is defending itself against claims the company abandoned Dylan Mulvaney after the rollout of its transgender-influenced beer campaign crashed and burned.

AB issued a statement Thursday in response to Mulvaney, who claimed company executives failed to support her after she was dragged online by trolls in the aftermath of the ad blitz. She continued, "For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse than not hiring a trans person at all."

A spokesperson for AB says the brand is "committed to the programs and partnerships we have forged over decades with organizations across a number of communities, including those in the LGBTQ+ community."

The rep continued ... “The privacy and safety of our employees and our partners is always our top priority. As we move forward, we will focus on what we do best – brewing great beer for everyone and earning our place in moments that matter to our consumers.”

However, the company still doesn't seem to address Mulvaney's claim ... that the brand never reached out to her when the hate got so vile it was beyond her comprehension.

As we reported, Mulvaney posted an ad campaign for the Bud Light on her Instagram page which included a custom can with her face on it. The whole thing sparked a host of controversy nationwide -- causing the brewing manufacturer to lose a whopping $20 billion-plus in market value after conservatives vowed to boycott the brand.

Dennis Rodman pulled up to Houston's Pride parade on Sunday rockin' a skirt ... a move that apparently didn't sit right with some "fans," prompting the NBA legend to clap back online!

62-year-old Rodman shared several photos from the event along with the caption ... "Love will Always Win🌈Happy Pride #gaypride #loveislove #pridemonth"

The 5x NBA champ was wearing a green, pleated schoolgirl skirt, along with a black t-shirt, featuring a photo of Rodman's head, complete with his rainbow hair.

As you might expect given the current climate, some people weren't thrilled with Dennis' attire at the parade.

The Hall of Famer clearly heard some of the criticism ... and responded online, writing "Do your research guys #beenhim🦍," pointing to other times he's worn women's clothing, including the time he put on a wedding dress in 1996 to "marry himself."

While things were a little testy online, Dennis was all smiles at the Pride event ... taking pics and giving autographs to fans!

Lance Armstrong wants to have his say on the transgender sports debate -- and he's partnering with Caitlyn Jenner to do it ... but people online are telling him to shut it.

The former champion cyclist -- whose accolades were, by and large, rescinded after he was found to have been doping through a decent amount of his career -- teased a new project he appears to have in the works ... one in which he's getting into the polarizing topic.

His key subject, it seems, is going to be Caitlyn ... who's been very outspoken on having trans women competing in women's sports, and who's obviously transgender herself.

Right off the bat, LA's tone to this whole thing has turned people off. He writes, "Have we really come to a time and place where spirited debate is not only frowned upon but feared? Where people’s greatest concern is being fired, shamed, or canceled? As someone all too familiar with this phenomenon, I feel I'm uniquely positioned to have these conversations."

He followed up with more tweets, sorta answering his own Q ... and plugging this new series he's got coming out. One tweet that's got a lot of reaction reads, "Is there, not a world in which one can be supportive of the transgender community and curious about the fairness of Trans athletes in sport yet not be labeled a transphobe or a bigot as we ask questions?

He continues, "Do we yet know the answers? And do we even want to know the answers?"

Now, Lance is trending on the Bird app ... for all the wrong reasons. You can hop into the trend to see what people are saying for yourself -- but it essentially boils down to ... dude, you're the last person who should be commenting on fairness in sports. Like, c'mon.

Of course, they're referring to his PED scandal in the early 2010s ... which he denied for a long time -- but ultimately confessed to. As most of us know, a majority of his titles between '99 and 2005 were stripped ... and his legacy as an inspirational winner was dinged.

Starbucks baristas are preparing to go on strike at more than 150 stores in protest over allegations the coffee giant banned Pride decorations in some locations.

Union leaders for Starbucks workers announced the strike plan Friday, saying 3,500 workers will walk off the job next week all across the country.

The union is demanding all Starbucks locations allow workers to use Pride decorations to show support for the LGBTQ+ community ... and there's a new union contract they want Starbucks to recognize.

While the union claims Starbucks banned some stores from putting up Pride decorations and asked other locations to take down existing decor, the coffee company denies that, and is accusing the union of spreading a false narrative.

One hotbed for controversy is Oklahoma City ... where one store manager reportedly told union workers to trash Pride decorations as a result of a decision made at the regional level.

Riley Gaines is taking her fight to keep transgender women out of women's sports to our nation's capital ... testifying for a Senatorial hearing about her encounters with lightning rod athlete Lia Thomas.

The former collegiate swimmer -- who competed for the University of Kentucky, and who also raced against Lia on the NCAA level -- described to U.S. senators what it was like having to change in the same locker room as Thomas ... who's a transgender woman.

She describes seeing Thomas' male genitalia and how jarring it was for her and others, saying nobody ever asked for their consent or input -- they, the NCAA, just let it happen.

In Gaines' eyes, this was a clear violation of their right to privacy, and she went on to pose the question -- what does this trend mean for women's sport? And, more importantly, does anyone care how it impacts cisgender women? By letting Thomas compete with them, she argues the powers that be have proven they don't.

Interestingly, Gaines says she's not advocating for trans athletes to be banned from sports altogether. On the contrary, she says they can and should be athletes -- but it sounds like she's suggesting they have their own classification and not be lumped in with cisgender competitors.

Now, as far as how the lawmakers reacted ... it pretty much fell along party lines. Dems pushed back on her characterization -- and Republicans, by and large, embraced her.

Saucy Santana being a no-show for his Memphis Pride event is potentially about to cost him a bundle -- the event organizers are demanding the money they already paid.

A rep for One Memphis One Vision tells TMZ Hip Hop they paid "Material Girl" rapper half the $25K advance of the performance for this past weekend -- but, in light of his absence, they want all of it back ... even if that means installments.

So far, the company says Saucy hasn't ponied up a cent.

We're told they booked Saucy, and he even helped promote the event on IG -- but then he missed the performance ... apparently, due to a flight delay.

OMOV tells us it shelled out thousands on a personal vehicle -- because Saucy refused to use Uber Black -- which Saucy's team paraded around in all day, despite his absence.

The rep thinks Saucy has no respect for their nonprofit, which advocates for youth battling HIV/AIDS ... and they even griped about his fancy schmancy tour rider!!!

Saucy's tour rider didn't win him any friends either -- we're told his list of needs includes several bottles of tequila, cans of Red Bull, and boxes of chicken. OMOV says it provided all of the above, and it wasn't cheap.

The organizers say the sole purpose of the event was to get people tested, and while fans flocked to the doors ... OMOV says they dipped out once they realized Saucy was a no-show.

OMOV says it's prepared to file a lawsuit this week if they don't get a refund.

We reached out to Saucy's team, but mum's the word so far.

Rebel Wilson is NOT planning a blowout wedding at Disneyland, despite a report to the contrary ... she says she's getting married somewhere else, and it's not related to an old Mouse House ban.

The actress, who attended the launch party for her new dating app, Fluid, on Thursday, tells TMZ ... she and her fianceé Ramona Agruma's decision to forgo a Disney fairy tale on their big day has nothing to do with the fact Rebel was once banned from Disneyland for 30 days.

It's pretty obvious Rebel holds no grudge ... she popped the question to Ramona while at the Happiest Place on Earth for Valentine's Day -- but she tells us she was never planning to exchange their nuptials there, despite a recent report she's planning a "no-expenses-spared wedding" at Walt Disney's OG park.

Instead, Rebel tells us she and Ramona will say "I do" somewhere else -- they don't know exactly where yet, but it won't be Disneyland.

Rebel, who hosted the party with her best friend, Emmy-winning TV presenter Carly Steel, says their engagement was epic and special, and she's thankful park officials roped off a section on a busy day ... so she could propose in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

As for that old ban -- if you're unaware, Rebel revealed earlier this year that she once snapped a selfie while inside one of the park's secret bathrooms -- a big no-no -- and was shut out for 30 days.

She says it was a few years back, and Disneyland honchos actually asked her when she wanted to serve the 30 days, and she picked a month when she was busy filming.

Bob Huggins was arrested for DUI in Pennsylvania -- and his bosses at West Virginia University are already well aware of it.

The WVU men's basketball HC was busted Friday night in Pittsburgh after cops observed a vehicle in the middle of a road with a flat tire -- which turned into a suspicious scene for Pittsburgh PD after they say they saw Huggins struggling mightily to get his car to the side of the road.

Suspecting he might be intoxicated, the officers initiated field sobriety tests ... which they say BH failed. At that point, they threw on the cuffs and hauled him to jail on suspicion of DUI.

WVU addressed his arrest, saying ... "West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh."

They add, "We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete." BTW, reports say the SUV he was driving was a lease ... courtesy of West Virginia University.

True to their word, Catholic groups in the thousands rallied outside Dodger Stadium -- even blocking parking lot entrances -- due to the team's Pride Night plans to honor an LGBTQ group that satirizes nuns.

A sea of peaceful protesters seemed to nearly surround the entire venue Friday night, ahead of the Dodgers shining a spotlight on The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.

The Sisters are a charitable org, but one that features members in drag dressed as nuns and they've been known to perform "communion" with tequila. It's all done tongue-in-cheek, they would say, but that's what mobilized the protestors.

The level of turnout was insane -- one huge group chanted, "save our children" while marching near the stadium -- all indications of just how much of a national story this showdown over The Sisters had become.

The Dodgers had actually scrapped the plan to include the group in its Pride night after backlash from the Catholic League and Sen. Marco Rubio.

But, then LGBTQ groups threatened to boycott the team's Pride Night ... and The Sisters were re-invited to Dodger Stadium.

Even a few players, including Clayton Kershaw, were vocal about their opposition to the Dodgers honoring The Sisters. In a seeming bit of compromise, the team recently announced it would bring back Christian Faith and Family Day on July 30.

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were honored inside Dodger Stadium -- but it went down about an hour before the game against the rival San Francisco Giants, so very few fans witnessed it.

Trans influencer Rose Montoya is apologizing for taking her top off at a Pride event at the White House ... admitting her actions were unbecoming of an invited guest.

Rose broke her silence Friday, saying she regretted flashing her boobs on the lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ... and uploading a video of the act to social media.

The apology comes on the heels the White House banning Rose from future events for her stunt. She previously defended her conduct, but that was before the ban.

As we reported ... Rose was among the hundreds of guests invited by President Biden to a Pride event at the White House, causing outrage when she pulled down her dress to expose her boobs on the South lawn, with the Truman Balcony and a Pride flag in the background.

In announcing her ban, the White House ripped Rose's actions as "inappropriate and disrespectful for any event."

A huge matchup between the U.S. men's national soccer team and Mexico on Thursday night was stopped early ... after fans in the crowd continuously chanted anti-gay slurs at players.

The shouts could be heard throughout the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal contest at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas ... and when the game entered the 89th minute, referee Ivan Barton paused the action to try to get it all under control.

Minutes after play resumed, however, the chants continued ... leading Barton to call it all off.

Following the game, CONCACAF officials condemned the fans' actions ... while American goalkeeper Matt Turner told reporters it all "goes against everything that we stand for on our side."

"We've been very vocal and open about the strength of our team being our diversity, the strength of our nation being its diversity," Turner added. "So, to use something so divisive during a game, a spirited game -- and maybe the play sort of set the flares off in the stands, but it has no place in the game."

As for the action on the pitch, it, too, was marred. Four red cards were doled out -- as the two squads repeatedly got into wild skirmishes.

In fact, during one of the melees, USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie had his jersey nearly ripped off his torso.

"It was a mess," U.S. captain Christian Pulisic said following the contest. "But I was disappointed in the end. I really wish some of our guys kept their heads a little bit better. It just turned into something that wasn't this beautiful game that we love."

Trans influencer Rose Montoya won't have another chance to take her boobs out at the White House, she's been banned after flashing her breasts at President Biden's Pride event.

Rose got the boot Tuesday after footage of her going topless at Saturday's Pride party at the White House went viral ... funny enough, she's the one who posted the video.

In a statement to TMZ, a rep for the White House ripped Rose for the stunt, saying ... "This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event."

Rose was an invited guest for Saturday's Pride celebration at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue ... where she shook hands with Biden and later pulled down her white dress to expose her boobs on the South lawn, with the Truman Balcony and a Pride flag in the background.

In the video, Rose is cupping her boobs ... and she's flanked by a couple of shirtless men.

The footage didn't go over well with the White House, with the rep adding ... "It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance. Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events."

Rose reacted to some social media backlash Monday night, denying her actions were inappropriate and saying folks who have a problem with her going topless are just affirming she's a woman.

Garth Brooks has heard all the noise about him promising to sell Bud Light at his new Nashville bar -- and he's here to put out the fire ... by again vowing BL will be on tap.

The country star hopped on camera Monday to address the "stir" that had been caused by his comments last week -- namely, where he alluded to the fact that he'd be serving the now-controversial Anheuser-Busch brand at his forthcoming Honky Tonk on Broadway.

You'd think his OG remarks were quite clear in his stance -- and, on their face, they certainly were -- but GB wanted to hit the point home further by elaborating on his rationale.

Check out his breakdown on why he's going to sell Bud Light in his establishment -- he says this is all about diversity and inclusiveness, which he wants his business to foster ... and which he says he's always been about as a person. We know, that might be a shocker to folks.

As for those who disagree with him on this issue -- and even those who might choose to boycott his bar -- Garth has a telling response ... hey man, that's okay too. It's a refreshing take.

Now, on top of wanting to host a place where all are welcome ... Garth also says that, as far as his beer selection, it's the people and patrons who actually decide what's going to be served -- and they do so with the use of their dollar. Basically, he says Bud Light is still one of the most popular beers around ... and until it isn't, it's going to have a place there.

Garth's got one final message for anyone who wants to swing by and enjoy themselves -- in short, he says to come in with love and acceptance ... and with an open mind too.

The simplicity in his PSA is actually charming, and it sorta puts this whole "controversy" in perspective. We now live in a time where people are riled up about who's drinking what beer -- and the way Garth explains it, that's all pretty damn silly.

Cheers, y'all...