LGBT

DaBaby's answered the call of a number of HIV organizations for him to become educated on HIV following his homophobic comments ... so he did, and then delivered an apology.

According to the U.S. HIV awareness orgs ... DaBaby met with 9 groups to discuss HIV and share personal stories of folks who are living with the virus. The orgs had sent him a letter earlier this month "to call him in instead of calling him out" and have a thoughtful conversation about his recent comments at the Rolling Loud festival.

DaBaby made gross, homophobic remarks on stage about gay people and people living with HIV, and his subsequent attempts at saying sorry seemed half-hearted and misguided at best.

According to the orgs ... he was much different in the meeting -- "genuinely engaged" they say. The rapper apologized for what he called his inaccurate and hurtful comments about HIV and the impact it had on black and LGBTQ+ communities.

Marnina Miller of the Southern AIDS Coalition says DaBaby's willingness to attend the meeting and learn and grow from his experience could set a positive example.

Other orgs at the meeting included the Black AIDS Institute, GLAAD, Positive Women's Network and Transinclusive Group.

In the wake of his Rolling Loud controversy, DaBaby had several performances canceled -- including headlining Lollapalooza -- but he did make a surprise appearance at Kanye West's latest "Donda" listening party ... which sparked more outrage.

A Southern California teacher is in the hot seat for suggesting her students pledge allegiance to the Pride flag ... instead of the American flag.

The lady's name is Kristin Pitzen, and she works for the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County -- which can lean pretty conservative compared to L.A. To that point, she apparently pissed off a lot of parents and Twitter users over this video she posted.

Check it out ... Pitzen says she packed away the U.S. flag in her classroom during COVID -- because it made her uncomfortable -- and hasn't been able to find it (nor does she seem to want to). The lady's giggling through her story pretty much the whole way through.

Fast-forward to the 2021 school year, where she says some students -- at least those who've chosen to partake, that is -- have asked what they're supposed to pledge allegiance to during the morning announcements ... seeing how Pitzen still hasn't gotten Old Glory back up yet.

She jokingly says she told one of the students who asked her that ... well, there's one flag they could pledge to if they wanted -- and pans to the rainbow flag behind her.

The video has reportedly triggered outrage in the community for a variety of reasons -- some feel like she's "indoctrinating" their children while others feel she was just outright disrespectful to the flag and the U.S. by extension ... especially hurtful during this Afghanistan moment.

Celebrity chef Cat Cora's estranged wife will have plenty of options in the single lane ... 'cause she scored not one, not two, but THREE cars in her divorce settlement.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the judge signed off on Nicole Ehrlich and Cat's divorce judgment, which will become final November 8.

Nicole will keep a 2010 Lexus RX 350, 2015 Audi CV and a 2017 Jeep. She'll also get to keep some furniture, jewelry and several bank accounts.

As for the 'Iron Chef' and "Around the World in 80 Plates" star ... she's also getting some furniture, jewelry and artwork ... as well as some of her companies.

The former couple hammered out a deal. Although they each have children from prior marriages, the couple didn't have any minor children together, so there were no complicated issues to work out there. They also waived the right to receive spousal support.

That being said ... seems Cat's also piled up some debt, including $100k in support obligations to her ex-wife, Jennifer. The docs make it clear ... that's HER responsibility after Nicole and Cat are officially dunzo.

A volleyball coach is calling out Denver's Valor Christian High School -- claiming the administrators "grilled" and belittled him after they found out he was gay ... and forced him to resign.

Inoke Tonga shared the details on Sunday ... saying he had a meeting with the campus pastor and athletic director last week about a Facebook post he made suggesting he's gay.

"I was asked if I had any changes in lifestyle that were life changing," Tonga said on Instagram.

"As I was asked repeatedly that question, they finally asked if I had posted something inappropriate on my social media that would go against Valor's culture and beliefs."

"Eventually they asked if I did an interview, or posted anything about being gay. My answer was yes."

Tonga -- who started coaching the boy's team in 2020 -- says he was then "grilled about how being gay is a danger to the school and to the kids."

"They proceeded by telling me that they weren't trying to convert me into being a straight man and that ultimately I had two choices."

Tonga says those two choices were to denounce that he was gay or accept his sexuality but know that they "can't have you in front of the kids if you identify that way".

Tonga refused to denounce being gay and was released ... but when the school made the announcement, they said he resigned -- not that they forced him out.

"They told my girls, and the volleyball community that I was my choice to leave, which is a sense, yes, I chose to not denounce my sexuality but they left out the part where they pushed me out."

The school told the Denver Post that their faculty has to agree with the Christian beliefs and after talking with Tonga -- who is Christian -- they realized he did not support that and he decided to leave.

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.