LGBT

The gay couple that was denied a wedding venue in Nashville because of their sexual orientation is getting the last laugh ... they found a new spot, and got a discount for their troubles.

Michael Gill tells TMZ … they're getting married at The Grove at Williamson Family Farm, and the venue reached out and offered a discount after learning they were denied at another place because they're gay.

As we first reported ... Michael and Coty were rejected by their first choice, Barn in the Bend, after ownership changed its tune and told them, "We do not offer same-sex marriage ceremonies."

Michael says several venues reached out looking to help after reading their story, with offers coming in from places elsewhere in Tennessee, plus West Virginia and Louisiana.

We're told the couple received several offers with deep discounts, including one from The Grove, and they settled on the venue in Murfreesboro, TN because it checked a lot of their boxes.

Michael says the couple also got tons of offers from wedding photographers offering discounts as well ... and they're going with Jared Laycock from Wish Well Photography.

With an inclusive venue and photographer locked down, we're told the couple is still on the hunt for a caterer and florist comfortable with working a gay wedding ... so they're still piecing together their big day.

Lil Nas X racked up millions of streams -- as expected -- but, more importantly, he also raised tens of thousands of dollars for various charities with the drop of his debut album.

The long-anticipated "Montero" was released Friday, but hype for the project started weeks before when Nas X announced the album's tracklist. However, in announcing the songs, he also tied a charity important to him to each track.

A rep for Bros in Convo -- a charity out of Florida that helps Black, gay, bisexual and queer men -- tells us as of Friday night, it's received $33,140 in donations thanks to the album. The charity was tied to the song "That's What I Want."

Transinclusive Group -- a national charity that provides assistance to transgender/non-conforming people -- tells us they've gotten $5,000 thanks to promotion through the single "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)."

Organizations CH-PIER and Compassionate Atlanta, groups that work to help members of the LGBTQ community, creating safe spaces and educating the public on issues like HIV tell us they've received close to $1,000 total from the album fundraising.

CH-PIER and Compassionate Atlanta were promoted through the singles "Dead Right Now" and "The Art of Realization", respectfully.

Madonna, Teyana Taylor and Normani have triggered complaints to the FCC ... over what some say were raunchy displays at the VMAs.

TMZ's obtained the complaints, and it seems like these folks primarily had two artists in their crosshairs ... Normani and Teyana for their performance of Normani's hit single, "Wild Side."

Someone from Kansas felt it was bad enough seeing a woman in a leotard spreading her legs, writhing on the floor, dancing like a stripper and putting "her fingers near her vagina." But, what really pissed off this viewer was seeing Teyana and Normani simulating a brief makeout sesh and Normani practically giving Teyana a lap dance.

The person said, "This programming was on at 9pm, our children were with us watching TV. We had to make them leave the room during this porno ceremony."

A viewer from Tennessee described seeing Normani "move upward until she was able to stick her crotch directly in [Teyana's] face and on the girls lips exhibiting oral sex."

The viewer said, "this was so extreme and should NEVER have been allowed to be on any TV show." Ditto for a viewer from Weatherford, Texas ... who said Normani glamorized and mimicked sex, bondage and assault rape.

A parent from Michigan said the performance was so awful they "had to keep changing the channels so my 12-year-old son wouldn't watch that s***!"

As for Madonna ... there's a complaint from someone in Illinois who said Madonna appeared drunk at the start of the show and wore sexually explicit clothing. The viewer was upset MTV didn't issue warnings that it might be inappropriate for small children.

Marvel's newest action hero actor, Simu Liu, allegedly once compared being a pedophile to being gay -- which he likened to a genetic mutation and an illness ... and something he was sympathetic toward.

The lead star of "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" is in the crosshairs of Twitter right now, as people have resurfaced old Reddit posts from an account that's being attributed to him ... and which even appears to have ID'd itself as belonging to Simu at various points.

The account has since been deleted, and a lot of those posts are scrubbed, but content lives forever on the internet ... and many of the posts in question -- including the pedophilia ones -- have been screen-grabbed and cataloged ... and the dude's catching major heat for it now.

The pedophilia posts are the most outrage-inducing ... as the account literally says pedophilia is no different from being gay, from a biological standpoint. It goes on to dissect research that the owner of the account says they'd done for a role of theirs in which they played a pedo.

We won't get into the nitty-gritty -- you can read their full take above -- but let's just say ... the user here suggests pedophiles need help -- but NOT conversion therapy, something that's been used (controversially so) among certain groups to "treat" gay people's sexual orientation.

The user also makes it clear that taking advantage of minors is wrong -- but the whole argument is weird and convoluted ... and gets into dicey territory. Of course, this person roping in LGBT folks to get their point across makes it all the more inflammatory.

Simu himself seems to have responded to this controversy -- linking back to a 2019 tweet of his in which he says he's only advocated for positivity in his life, and to direct any anger at him to "the system that did this to ALL of us."

He also replied to that with this new thought, "Twitter is a slanderous place sometimes, and it feels good to shut down trolls and bad faith actors who want to drag your name through the mud." Unclear what that might mean exactly, or if it's an admission of ownership of the posts.

The Washington Football Team is welcoming the LGBTQ community to Thursday Night Football this week ... with the org. announcing its monumental "Pride Night Out."

It's a first for the WFT ... which partnered up with Team DC -- an organization that promotes LGBTQ involvement in sports -- to put on the event for their Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants at FedEx Field.

The team is hosting a dope pre-game party with an all-you-can-eat buffet and beer ... plus a "guaranteed limited edition Washington Football Team Pride giveaway."

There will also be reserved tickets -- prices starting at $28 -- specifically for the Pride Night attendees, so they can enjoy the game together in the lower level, upper level and club level.

The bash will have performances by The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and the LGBTQ marching band, the DC’s Different Drummers, at the game, too.

WFT's Vice President of Guest Experience Joey Colby-Begovich says the team is taking a different direction than they have in the past when it comes to their audience.

"We want to be intentional in celebrating our communities beyond the traditional football fans and that includes people of color and marginalized communities," Colby-Begoich said to the Washington Blade.

"Football is for everyone!"

The event comes on the heels of Las Vegas Raiders star Carl Nassib making history as the first openly gay player to take the field in a regular-season game.

Carl Nassib became the first openly gay player ever to play in an NFL game Monday night ... and then he came up big for his squad -- helping the Raiders win with a huge sack in overtime!!

Lining up for the first time in a regular season game since opening up publicly about his sexuality in June ... Nassib was all over the field during Las Vegas' win over the Ravens on "Monday Night Football."

He logged three tackles and was disruptive throughout the evening -- but in the game's overtime period, he made a monster play to help lead the Raiders to a victory.

As the Ravens were attempting to drive down the field for a game-winning score ... Nassib sacked Lamar Jackson, forcing a fumble.

The Raiders were able to recover the ball ... and just a few snaps later, Derek Carr sealed it with a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Afterward, Nassib was pumped to get the win ... telling reporters, "It was really special."

"I'm really happy that we got the win on the day that kind of made a little bit of history which was really nice to do," Nassib added.

A reporter also informed the 28-year-old that a fan had worn his jersey and was attending an NFL game for the first time in order to support Nassib after his announcement.

And, Carl was stoked over the anecdote -- saying, "That's amazing. That's a great story. I love that."

Ross Mathews has a message for the high school kid who was attacked by a fellow student for draping himself in a Pride flag -- stay strong, because you are loved.

As we reported ... the high schooler in Valdosta, GA was violently pulled to the ground and had his flag ripped away and thrown in the trash by one of his peers, while other students looked on and laughed.

Ross is circumspect ... saying this sort of homophobia is nothing new, sadly ... but he's trying to lead the charge to rally around the student who was attacked, embrace him, and send him love.

In fact, the "RuPaul's Drag Race" judge says if he were still in high school ... he'd ask the kid to prom to show him he's got his back.

A high school student draped in a Pride flag had it violently ripped from him and thrown in the trash by one of his peers ... who's facing charges for his seemingly homophobic attack.

Video of the disgusting incident comes from Lowndes High School in Valdosta, GA, where a male student in a black shirt was filmed running up to the student with the rainbow flag and taking it from him ... knocking him down in the process.

One of the student's friends tries to ward off the attacker, but he pulls the flag away and forcefully shoves it in the trash before the video cuts off.

According to Lowndes County Sheriff, Ashley Paulk, a juvenile has been charged in the incident. The charges include disorderly conduct, simple battery and disruption of a public facility.

The school's assistant principal, Rodney Green, says, "We take the well-being and safety of our students seriously. Our staff works hard to provide a safe environment where all of our students feel valued."

Todrick Hall's got a straightforward way of dealing with the Nashville wedding venue that turned away a gay couple -- don't give it any business, and keep fighting injustices ... because it's working.

We got the "American Idol" and "RuPaul's Drag Race" star at LAX and asked how he felt about Barn in the Bend's owner rejecting the same-sex ceremony request, citing religious beliefs as her reason.

Todrick believes it's actually an example of privilege -- heterosexual privilege -- and he's giving a shoutout to Mike Gill and his partner, Coty, for shedding light on it.

While Todrick acknowledges this sort of unfair treatment is still happening in 2021, his point is that people don't have to stand for it anymore ... and he hopes Mike and Coty find the wedding venue of their dreams that makes them feel welcome.

TMZ broke the story, Mike and Coty had reached out to a Nashville wedding venue in hopes of planning their big day. However, after some awkward emails, the venue owner revealed she wouldn't host a gay wedding ... citing her religious beliefs.

Colton Underwood appears to have ventured into the dating waters after coming out as gay ... and the water is fine.

The former 'Bachelor' has been in Hawaii at the Four Seasons in Maui with a mystery man -- enjoying the beach and packing on the PDA -- and TMZ's solved the mystery ... Colton's new beau is Jordan C. Brown.

Jordan is very involved in politics, having worked on John Kerry's presidential campaign in 2004 and also advising on Barack Obama's campaigns in both 2008 and 2012 ... helping fundraise. He also worked on Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.

It's unclear how long the 2 have been hanging out, but we know they were both part of a group including Colton's pal, Olympian Gus Kenworthy, that took a trip to Provincetown, MA back in June ... though they weren't photographed together.

The photos tell the story. Colton looks relaxed and happy, so it seems he's finding his way.

A gay couple in Nashville was told they couldn't get married at the venue they wanted because of their sexual orientation, and the venue's owner certainly had an awkward way of turning them down.

Mike Gill tells us he recently got in touch with Jackie Daniel, who owns Barn in the Bend. Mike tells us he and his partner, Coty, thought the spot would be perfect, but it didn't take long for things between him and Jackie in email exchanges to get weird.

Mike says at some point, Jackie apparently figured out he was going to be marrying another man. She sent Mike an email, but it clearly stated the opposite of what she actually wanted to say -- It read, "We offer same sex marriage ceremonies only."

Jackie apparently figured out her mistake and fired off another email about an hour later with a different signature, saying, "We do not offer same sex marriage ceremonies."

Mike told Jackie he'd let everyone in the area know that BITB was bigoted, but Jackie let him know her decision was based on her religious beliefs, saying, "I wish you the best in life and the best future in all that you do."

While Mike and Coty are pissed -- they may be fighting an uphill battle. You'll recall the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was permissible for a baker to refuse to decorate a cake for a gay couple based on religious convictions. That case isn't the same as Mike and Coty's, and it's unclear how SCOTUS would rule.

As for Mike and Coty, they tell us they don't want anything from Jackie and BITB -- just to make it known gay couples aren't welcome at the venue -- and are working to lock down a more inclusive spot.

JoJo Siwa thinks she's already got a leg up on her "Dancing with the Stars" competition ... she's one half of the show's first-ever same-sex pairing ... and thinks it gives her an edge.

We got JoJo heading into the 'DWTS' studio Tuesday in Los Angeles and asked her if there's a benefit in a pairing of two female dancers.

JoJo didn't hesitate, telling us there's an absolute advantage in a double helping of girl power ... she says women are just better dancers than men.

It's unclear who JoJo will be paired up with for the upcoming season, but there might have been a clue at the studio ... we got another celeb going, who we believe to be "The Talk" co-host Amanda Kloots, though it's not confirmed.

Whoever it was, they kept their face and body hidden under a reflective face visor.

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.