LGBT

Batman's sidekick, Robin, coming out as bisexual isn't just big for comic book superheroes, but it's also a major step in the right direction for society ... Dana Wheeler-Nicholson tells TMZ.

Dana's an actress best known for her roles in "Fletch" and "Tombstone," but she's also the granddaughter of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson -- the man credited with the creation of DC Comics -- and she's thrilled about the latest plot twist in the DC universe.

She tells us she loves that Robin's bisexual, because having a classic, beloved, character come out bodes very well for tolerance and inclusion in the real world.

Dana says comic book figures are cultural icons, so when homosexuality is included in the storytelling ... it helps normalize that culture and hopefully encourages audiences to be loving toward those characters, if they weren't already.

She adds that Robin being bisexual is a shout-out of support for the LGBTQ+ community ... and she hopes gay and queer characters are featured more in art, literature and comics.

Bill Maher thinks Matt Damon is a shining example of the absurdity of dragging good people on social media ... people, Maher says, who have committed the cardinal sin of confessing their imperfections.

As you know, Matt took fire for using the homophobic f-word to his daughter. He says he was telling a joke and used the word and she schooled him. He went on to say he's learned never to use the word again.

The 'Real Time' host sees it this way "... we could say, ‘Welcome, glad you could make it.' Or we could say, ‘You came later than I did. Die.'"

Maher then read a series of headlines slamming Damon, to which he said, “Really? … He’s got a clean water charity and delivers food to Haiti. What have you done, Vox headline writer? And yet, he is always getting pulled over by the woke police.”

ICYMI ... Damon tried to clarify by saying, "I have never called anyone f***** in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening. I do not use slurs of any kind." The problem ... he had said he did use the word when he told his daughter a joke.

Holy LGBTQ, Caped Crusader!!! Robin's dropping big personal news in the latest installment of "Batman: Urban Legends" ... he's bisexual.

Tim Drake is the DC character who fights crime as Robin, and when the sixth installment of the comic book dropped Tuesday the story ended with Tim saying yes to going on a date with a guy named Bernard Dowd.

The story goes ... Robin had a "lightbulb moment" while fighting side-by-side with Bernard. After coming to his rescue as Robin, Tim later hits up Bernard's pad, and you can see the anticipation's building 'cause he hypes himself up, saying ... "It's OK, Tim. You got this."

When Bernard opens the door he's on the verge of asking out Tim on a date, but Tim interrupts with ... "I’m really glad you got home okay. I was relieved. And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, about that night. And I -- I don’t know what it meant to me. Not yet. But I’d like to figure it out."

Bernard responds, "I was hoping you would. Tim Drake … do you want to go on a date with me?” Robin says yes, and that's the cliffhanger ... until the next issue drops in December.

R. Kelly's lawyers submitted a list of questions for potential jurors ... and it's clear they're trying to eliminate anyone who might judge Kelly's sexual preferences or lifestyle.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the disgraced singer's legal team wants the judge to include 6 additional questions for prospective jurors to answer during the jury selection process.

Here's the first one on the list, just to paint the picture -- "Do you have any views about heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and/or bisexual people that would affect your ability to be a fair and impartial juror?"

From there, the questions focus on specific gay, lesbian and bisexual scenarios and ask the potential jurors if they have views on them that would affect their ability to be fair and impartial.

This all stems from the latest development in Kelly's case, in which the judge ruled he will allow the new allegations -- that Kelly groomed and molested a 17-year-old male he met at McDonald's -- to be presented during trial.

Da Brat says it's "way better now" being an openly gay rapper, and even though DaBaby's recent homophobic rant makes it seem otherwise -- she's "living out loud" with her ride or die fiancee Judy Dupart.

The extremely happy couple joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and insisted DaBaby wasn't speaking for all of hip-hop when he dropped that homophobic rant at Rolling Loud. Da Brat says there's a different vibe these days when someone comes out as gay versus back when she was coming up in the industry ... when artists could lose everything just for coming out.

Da Brat says there's an easy case in point with Ellen ... whose ABC sitcom was subsequently 86'd after she came out in a 1997 episode. The rapper says that undoubtedly made artists feel like they needed to continue hiding their sexual orientation -- or face the consequences.

Brat herself came out just last summer, saying she was finally free to share her truth because she's established her career after 2 decades. But, mainly, because of Judy ... a successful woman in her own right as CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products.

Da Brat says Judy gave her the courage to be herself, and that supersedes the garbage that came out of DaBaby's mouth. He has since apologized for his "hurtful" and "triggering" comments ... but only after a handful of major music festivals, including Lollapalooza, dropped him from their lineups.

As for how Judy and Da Brat's engaged life is going -- fans can see 'em in action when their new show "Brat Loves Judy" premieres Thursday night on WeTV.

Matt Damon's homophobic f-slur controversy is drawing a firm response from a leading voice in the LGBT community, and its response is simple ... everyone should get the word out of their vocabulary, period.

GLAAD has spoken out on all the chatter this week about how and when Damon ever used it, and whether he's just recently retired it. Damon is now clarifying, saying he did not retire it because he's never hurled it at anyone -- but to the folks at GLAAD the debate is kind of irrelevant, because the end game is the same.

A rep for the non-profit tells TMZ ... "The conversations that have arisen after Matt Damon’s original interview and subsequent remarks today are an important reminder that this word, or any word that aims to disparage and disrespect LGBTQ people, has no place in mainstream media, social media, classrooms, workplaces, and beyond."

They add, "There needs to be accountability at a time when anti-LGBTQ slurs remain rampant today and can fuel discrimination and stereotypes, especially when used by those outside of the community to defame or describe LGBTQ people."

That last part is interesting ... they seem to be suggesting that Matt even uttering the word in a joke is harmful -- even if it wasn't hurled as an epithet at someone. GLAAD's basic point is ... STOP saying it.

Like we mentioned, Matt addressed what most people perceived he was saying in his interview with the Sunday Times ... that he'd nixed the phrase and any variation of it from his lexicon only after one of his daughters called him out. Frankly, that is exactly how it came off from the quote attributed to him.

DaBaby's finally doing a mea culpa ... he's apologizing for the third time over his homophobic rant that led to him getting 86'd from various music festivals and his hit song with Dua Lipa being dropped from playlists.

The rapper apologized with a lengthy statement Monday saying he's educated himself and knows better now following the vile comments he made at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. He said, "I want to apologize to the LGBTQ+ community for the hurtful and triggering comments I made. Again, I apologize for my misinformed comments about HIV/AIDS and I know education on this is important. Love to all. God bless."

The rapper suggested he's a victim of high-speed social media, saying, "Social media moves so fast that people want to demolish you before you even have the opportunity to grow, educate, and learn from your mistakes. As a man who has had to make his own way from very difficult circumstances, having people I know publicly working against me -- knowing that what I needed was education on these topics and guidance -- has been challenging."

He went on to thank those who came to him "with kindness, who reached out to me privately to offer wisdom, education, and resources. That’s what I needed and it was received."

As we've reported ... Lollapalooza organizers yanked him from Sunday's lineup. Ditto for the UK's Parklife festival ... swift action was taken after DaBaby went on stage at Rolling Loud and said, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n***a d**k in the parking lot."

Laurel Hubbard's historic appearance at the Tokyo Olympics did not have a fairytale ending ... the transgender weightlifter did not medal in her event Monday.

Hubbard -- competing for New Zealand -- attempted to snatch more than 250 pounds over her head ... but failed on all three reps.

In her first, a 264-pound lift, she could not stand up the weight, sending the bar behind her back. Her second lift, a 275-pound snatch, was ruled a "no lift" by judges.

Her third and final lift, another attempt at 275 pounds, was unsuccessful as well ... and she was bounced from the event.

Hubbard tapped her chest and made a heart gesture with her hands before leaving the competition floor.

"Thank you so very much for your interest in my humble sporting performance tonight,” Hubbard said afterward. "I know from a sporting perspective I did not live up to the standards I put upon myself."

Still, despite the early exit, Hubbard's performance was groundbreaking ... as the 43-year-old -- who transitioned 8 years ago -- became the first-ever transgender person to compete in the Games.

Of course, Hubbard's inclusion in the event did not come without controversy. As we previously reported, Hubbard had competed in men's weightlifting competitions before she transitioned, and critics called her inclusion unfair to other athletes.

"I know my participation in these games has not been entirely without controversy,” Hubbard said, before adding International Olympic Committee officials have "been extraordinarily supportive and I think that they have reaffirmed the principles of the Olympics that sport is something that all people around the world can do, that it is inclusive and successful."

Matt Damon says he just recently stopped using the homophobic f-word slur -- this after his own daughter had to put him in check ... with a detailed thesis of sorts on why it's bad.

The actor did a wide-ranging interview with The Sunday Times that was published Sunday, and among the many topics discussed on how the Hollywood landscape is changing (for the worse, Matt seems to think) ... this one was brought up in the same breath.

He says he put the f-word away for good in recent months, explaining he didn't think of it much as a slur when he was growing up, adding ... "The word that my daughter calls the 'f-slur for a homosexual' was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application."

He goes on to say that he made a joke using the word in front of one of his 3 daughters, -- who range in age between 10 and 15 -- and they actually protested his usage of it.

Matt says, "She left the table. I said, 'Come on, that's a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!' She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, 'I retire the f-slur!' I understood."

The scene Damon is referring to happens toward the end of the raunchy 2003 comedy -- in which he and Greg Kinnear play bros who are joined at the hip, literally. The word comes up in its shortened form as a musical montage starts to play after they've been separated.

There's a lot more in Damon's ST interview -- including a hot take that anyone, really, with wit could've played Iron Man ... not just RDJ. That's a whole other can of worms, though.

DaBaby just got the hook -- Lollapalooza organizers are yanking him out of their Sunday night lineup, which he was supposed to headline ... due to his ignorant and homophobic comments.

The legendary festival, going down in Chicago this weekend, announced Sunday morning ... "Lollapalooza was founded on diversity, inclusivity, respect, and love. With that in mind, DaBaby will no longer be performing at Grant Park tonight."

DaBaby was supposed to perform at 9 PM Sunday for more than 150,000 fans, as the final act of the 4-day festival -- instead, he'll be sidelined, and Young Thug has been moved up into that slot.

The 11th-hour change is in response to the rapper's onstage rant last weekend at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami. ICYMI ... DaBaby told the audience to put their phones up, "If you didn't show up today with HIV/AIDS or other STDs that'll make you die in 2-3 weeks" and "Fellas, if you didn't suck a n***a d**k in the parking lot."

He attempted to explain away the vile comments on social media when he posted a video claiming his words weren't directed at his gay fans because they're not "nasty gay n****s" or "junkies" and they take care of themselves.

In other words ... he just made it worse.

As we've reported ... the clothing company, Boohoo, stopped working with DaBaby soon after the heinous comments. Also, Dua Lipa -- who has a huge hit with DaBaby, "Levitating" -- denounced his remarks ... and their song has reportedly been removed from multiple Apple Music playlists.

42 Dugg has responded to a now-viral video of him kissing and licking his son's neck -- and he's firing back with nothing but homophobia.

The rapper addressed a clip he posted late this week in which he's seen being affectionate with his young son -- who just turned 3 -- aboard a plane, which entailed hugging him from behind ... and slobbering all over his neck -- including licking, kissing and sucking.

You can see the kid kinda squirm a bit, but he eventually giggles as if to escape his dad's canoodling. One could argue this was innocent father-son fun, but others took it differently.

Some folks said it was inappropriate, and in some cases ... many just called it gross and speculated it might be child abuse, invoking Child Protective Services and considerations to call them over this. The interaction itself was up for debate ... but Dugg's fiery retort isn't.

Instead of tackle the crux of the issue -- whether this video is fatherly love gone too far -- Dugg went on a rant that was riddled with homophobic language and sentiments ... not entirely different from what DaBaby spewed. Now, he's catching backlash for this too.

We won't get into all the nitty-gritty from his post -- you can read the since-deleted IG Story above -- but essentially ... Dugg seems to want to distance himself from any talk of homosexuality as it pertains to his relationship with his kid ... further saying he feels he's having same-sex vibes shoved down his throat by famous people and society at large.

Whatever point Dugg was trying to make gets lost in the clear bigotry and apparent hatred he seems to have when it comes to the LGBT crowd. Not a good look ... all the way around.

R. Kelly doesn't want the feds to be given a chance to prove he had sex with a male -- because the jury isn't ready for that wrench ... and might take it out on him in a verdict, assuming they're homophobic.

The singer's legal team fired back to what federal prosecutors submitted last week -- namely, a request to have new evidence they say they have touching on several new allegations ... the most shocking of which being R. Kelly groomed and molested a 17-year-old boy.

You'll recall ... prosecutors filed a bombshell just mere weeks ahead of the start of Kelly's Chicago case, the first of his many cases that'll start before any of the others. In addition to bribery, they claimed he started a relationship with a male minor in the mid-2000s -- this after supposedly meeting him at a McDonald's and taking him under his wing.

There was another 17-year-old boy the feds claim R. Kelly met as a result of this relationship -- but it sounds like things didn't turn sexual until years later for that second John Doe, per their filing. At any rate, Kelly's team says NONE of it should be allowed into the record.

Of the many reasons they list in their docs, obtained by TMZ, Kelly's attorneys -- Thomas A. Farinella and Nicole Blank Becker -- list timeliness (or a lack thereof), ongoing anonymity, purpose and jury selection as their main concerns for why this stuff shouldn't be heard.

The jury thing is perhaps the most interesting though -- it speaks to what Kelly's team appears to be anticipating in terms of jurors who may or may not have a bias on the issue of same-sex relationships. That's important ... 'cause the jury questionnaire is already filed and submitted, which his lawyers say is messed up considering this late, new development.

Long story short, his attorneys argue the questionnaires potential jurors will see soon are "void of a single question about their opinions or feelings on same-sex relationships" -- which they think is important, since that could end in bigots on the panel who may decide unfavorably against Kelly simply due of the nature of the evidence/allegations ... aka, the implication that R. Kelly is gay and/or bisexual. His attorneys say ... that's not fair.

The 2 attorneys further tell TMZ that it's no secret the issue of sexual orientation is still a lightning rod issue in 2021, and needs to be vetted to give Kelly an impartial jury.

Dr. Alex Khadavi -- the famous cosmetic dermatologist whose homophobic rant was caught on camera -- has been arrested ... just hours after cops swarmed his home.

Deputies from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department hit Khadavi's condo in West Hollywood Friday, but the Dr. was never spotted in cuffs. It's unclear if he turned himself in or was arrested at another location, but nonetheless, he was booked for felony criminal threats.

TMZ broke the story ... Khadavi's homophobic tirade on July 7 included him threatening to "blow their f***ing heads off" at his condo's complex in WeHo. The video, obtained by TMZ, showed him approaching the front desk concierge in a hostile manner and talking smack about people who live in the building. He referred to them with the homophobic f-word.

He threatened to shoot and kill them ... before taking his dog outside. When he returned, his outburst continued in the lobby ... yelling at the front desk attendant.

As we reported ... it was one of Khadavi's neighbors -- a gay man himself -- who filed a restraining order against the doc for himself and his husband. According to the docs ... the neighbor claimed the concierge specifically asked about him and his husband while allegedly threatening to kill gay people.

Some of Khadavi's famous celeb clients over the years have included Scott Disick and Lance Bass.

"Soul!" put Black culture on the TV map at a time when it hadn't really been done before ... and if you've never heard of the first Black variety show on American television, well, it's an amazing story about an openly gay Black host who trailblazed in so many ways in the '60s.

Melissa Haizlip was on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... she produced an amazing documentary about her uncle, Ellis Haizlip, who hosted "Soul!," the PBS show from 1968 to 1973.

Ellis's show became a platform for political expression and social justice at a time when civil rights and the Vietnam War were front and center in America.

Ellis had amazing guests ... Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Patti LaBelle, Jessie Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Al Green. Oh, and a 16-year-old Arsenio Hall performed magic tricks on "Soul!"

It's pretty amazing ... when Ellis hosted the show homosexuality was illegal in many states, and homophobia was rampant. He even had Louis Farrakhan as a guest, and confronted him over his condemnation of homosexuality.

DaBaby's social calendar for mid-September just opened up ... 'cause he's been dropped from a music festival across the pond.

The rapper was originally slated to perform at Parklife 2021 in Manchester, England where he was supposed to be one of the headliners ... along with Megan Thee Stallion and Young Thug. But, that's not the case anymore.

You can see DaBaby's name -- which used to practically be front and center -- has now been removed from the lineup card on the festival's website.

It was just 2 weeks ago when the festival was proudly showing off its lineup on Instagram, featuring DB. They seemed pretty excited about it ... with the caption saying, "PARKLIFE 2021 🔥 TWO MONTHS TO GO 🙏🏼."

The excitement over DB headlining the event has quickly dissipated following his controversial comments at the Rolling Loud Festival. And, his removal from Parklife is just the latest in a series of dominos falling.

As we've reported ... the clothing company, Boohoo, stopped working with DaBaby soon after the ignorant comments about HIV/AIDS. Sure, he attempted an "apology," but only made things worse.

Dua Lipa's just one of the many stars who were horrified by the comments. In fact ... her collab with DaBaby -- the "Levitating" remix -- has reportedly been removed from multiple Apple Music playlists.

Leslie Jordan says ignorant, uninformed comments about HIV/AIDS from people like DaBaby are exactly why some gay people aren't comfortable being themselves ... so Leslie's slamming the rapper's homophobic rant as stupid and clueless.

We got Leslie outside Kings Road Cafe in L.A. Wednesday and he laid into DaBaby ... grousing it's a shame he's using his enormous platform to spew bigotry.

ICYMI, DaBaby hit the stage at Rolling Loud Miami over the weekend, and went on a rant about HIV/AIDS. He later "apologized" twice but only made things worse.

Leslie says he's 66 years old and feels perfectly comfortable being a gay man. Problem is, he worries about those who are NOT yet comfortable in their own skin ... and DaBaby is doing great harm to those folks.

Leslie believes DaBaby will get his ... and repercussions are already coming his way. The rapper was in a collab with the clothing company Boohoo, but he's been unceremoniously dropped.