LGBT

Jon Gruden is out in Las Vegas ... but there will still be a Gruden on the Raiders' staff.

Jon's 27-year-old son, Deuce Gruden, is staying put in his role as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the team, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported late Monday night.

Of course, Deuce is accused of no wrongdoing ... but it's interesting nonetheless, given the way Jon was ousted on Monday.

As we reported, Jon resigned in disgrace following reports that he sent multiple emails from 2010 to 2018 that contained anti-gay and misogynistic language.

In a statement revealing his intentions to step down as Raiders head man, Jon said he was "sorry" for it all ... adding, "I never meant to hurt anyone."

Deuce, meanwhile, has yet to publicly comment on the situation ... but it's clear, he's not letting it affect his job status with the team.

Deuce was initially hired on Jon's staff after the 58-year-old took over the head coaching reins in 2018.

It's somehow getting worse for Jon Gruden, because his emails don't just include racist language ... now there's a report he also used homophobic slurs aimed at Roger Goodell.

Gruden, who already apologized for a racially insensitive email he fired off in 2011, reportedly referred to the NFL Commissioner as a "f*****" and "clueless anti-football p****" ... according to emails obtained by The New York Times.

Gruden also reportedly wrote Goodell should not have pressured former NFL coach, Jeff Fisher, to draft "queers" in 2014 ... referencing Michael Sam, the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL.

The alleged homophobic language might not sit well in Gruden's locker room ... he's currently the coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, who have defensive lineman Carl Nassib on the roster, the first active player who is openly gay.

According to The New York Times, Gruden fired off the emails from 2010 to 2018, when he was out of pro football and working as an analyst for "Monday Night Football" on ESPN.

Gruden reportedly aimed homophobic slurs at Goodell in several instances, as well as using other offensive language to describe NFL owners, coaches and media.

Even Barack Obama and Joe Biden were reportedly mentioned in Gruden's emails ... with Gruden ripping Obama during his 2012 re-election campaign and referring to Biden as a "nervous clueless p****."

As we reported ... Gruden's been on the hot seat since a 2011 email was uncovered, where he says NFL Players Association president, DeMaurice Smith, had "lips the size of Michelin tires."

Gruden apologized for the racist email a second time Sunday, after his team lost to the Chicago Bears, saying he doesn't "have an ounce of racism in me."

The new report also says Gruden mocked Caitlyn Jenner in his emails, after she received an award from ESPN in 2015 following her transition.

Gruden's currently in the 4th year of a 10-year, $100 million contract to coach the Raiders ... and it's unclear if he faces any discipline.

Dave Chappelle is now the great emancipator of comedians thanks to his latest Netflix special -- so says Damon Wayans, who drew a parallel to slavery while praising Dave.

We ran into the comic and actor Monday at LAX and got his take on Dave's standup special, 'The Closer' ... which is STILL being hotly debated nearly a week after its release. As for where Damon lands ... count him as firmly in Chappelle's camp.

You gotta watch how DW breaks this down for us ... saying Dave "freed the slaves" as it pertains to other comics who might be fearful to speak on certain subjects in a PC/woke culture world.

He also goes on to call him the van Gogh of the comedy game -- saying he cut off his ear, in a sacrificial sense, to let the others know ... you can still joke, be yourself and operate without fear of being canceled. Or at least, you should be able to in Damon's view.

Our photog asks about the actual content of the special -- namely, the jokes that have deeply offended folks in the LGBT community (especially transgender people) but Dame won't touch on that.

Netflix benched 3 of its own employees -- including one who's trans -- for blasting Dave Chappelle's new stand-up special ... but the network insists it's more over HOW they did it.

The streaming giant reportedly suspended Terra Field -- who identifies as queer/trans, and who uses she/her pronouns -- and two other Netflix workers for crashing a meeting among top execs last week ... which Field and the rest infiltrated, uninvited -- this, per Variety.

It was a virtual quarterly business review sesh ... and, apparently, CEO Ted Sarandos at one point posed a question to the other bigwigs on how Netflix should handle employees/talent who are upset over Chappelle's special, "The Closer," which is full of trans and LGBTQ jokes.

Sounds like Field and co. piped up right then and there ... but no word on what exactly was said. In any case, they're not gonna be reporting to work for an undetermined amount of time over the stunt.

Field had been vocally against Chappelle's special on Twitter prior to the meeting -- something Netflix says it's totally cool with. What they don't approve, it seems, is the stealth move to sneak into the meeting to voice concerns. That, they say, is why she's suspended.

Of course, Chappelle's comments have been called inflammatory -- especially his remark that he sides with J.K. Rowling on the idea that "gender is a fact" ... going on to say he's team T.E.R.F. (trans-exclusionary radical feminist). It's just one thing he said about the community.

Sarandos fired off an internal memo, also obtained by Variety, to employees after this episode, and essentially defended the special and its right to exist on their platform ... saying he didn't think 'Closer' crossed the line into inciting violence against the trans/LGBTQ community -- and that stand-up gets a longer leash by default in that regard.

Seems Netflix has drawn a line in the sand on this issue, and they're on Chappelle's half of it.

The Man of Steel is coming out of the phone booth like no other iteration before -- Superman's son will be bisexual going forward ... ushering in a new era under DC.

The announcement came down Monday by the comic book giant ... namely, that Jon Kent -- Clark Kent and Lois Lane's son, who's the new Superman -- is indeed both into guys and girls. Not just that ... but a male relationship will be explored within a forthcoming issue.

This new series, titled "Superman: Son of Kal-El," got underway back in July ... and it follows young Jon as he navigates taking on the red cape and the responsibilities as Earth's superest of heroes -- while his pops steps back. Starting in November, DC says Jon will officially come out ... with promotional photos of him kissing his pal, Jay, surfacing to tease the release.

The adventures of Jon are way more relevant and timely than anything Kal-El ever dealt with -- thus far, he's battled climate change crises, stopped a school shooting and even addressed immigration head-on ... not with fists, but with protest!

As for this new move to make him bi ... the series' lead writer, Tom Taylor, says they didn't want to pass up the opportunity to make Superman as modern (and inclusive) as possible -- saying the idea of making a new Superman another straight white savior seemed lame.

Of course, this comes on the heels of DC announcing that their latest version of Robin/Tim Drake would also be bisexual ... which was hinted at and way less explicit as this is.

Actor Kristian Nairn, who played Hodor on "Game of Thrones," thinks Dave Chappelle shouldn't make jokes at the expense of the LGBTQ community.

Nairn was on Robertson Boulevard in L.A. Friday when our photog asked about the heat Dave's taking over his latest Netflix special. He makes a case that he's not transphobic or homophobic, but not everyone in the LGBTQ community is buying it and some are calling for a boycott.

Kristian, who came out as gay back in 2014, suggests Dave should stay in his lane and not take shots at communities that don't affect him.

Chapelle couldn't care less about the cancel calls ... he made that clear earlier this week. And, he tripled down at the Hollywood Bowl Thursday night, and Stevie Wonder, Snoop, Lizzo, Jon Hamm and others took the stage and had his back.

"If this is what being canceled is like, I love it."

That's how Dave Chappelle greeted the audience Thursday night at the star-studded screening of his new documentary at L.A.'s Hollywood Bowl ... after receiving a standing ovation despite the swirling controversy over his new Netflix special, "The Closer."

Dave also railed on Twitter, the media and "all these stupid-ass networks" to the celeb-packed crowd that included Brad Pitt, Tiffany Haddish, Donnell Rawlings and more ... saying, "I’m not talking to them. I’m talking to you. This is real life."

Along with Chappelle dismissing cancel culture in wake of being called out for transphobic jokes and offending the LGBTQ+ community in his new stand-up special, Stevie Wonder also took the stage following the premiere of Dave's 'Untitled' doc to chide the idea of being canceled.

Instead, Stevie said society needs to work on canceling hate and fear and focus on loving each other. Interestingly enough, Chappelle also promoted coming together as people and trusting one another again, and spoke of a "kindness conspiracy" to get it going.

Along with Dave addressing his adoring crowd, other guest performers included Jeff Ross, Michael Buffer, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Jon Hamm and others before Chappelle closed things out by saying ... "Thank god I'm canceled because f**k this shit anyway. I bet you I'll be someone better than you think."

Dave Chappelle couldn't care less what anyone thinks about his controversial LGBTQ comments in his Netflix stand-up special ... Dude's all smiles.

The comedian hit up Peppermint Club in Hollywood Wednesday night where he performed ... and a throng of paps got him and his entourage on their way out. Dave's chill despite feeling the heat following his latest stand-up special, "The Closer."

The photogs are peppering him with questions about the blowback over his comments about the LGBTQ community, but he doesn't answer. He does, however, offer a parting shot as he drives away ... "Dumb-ass questions."

Dave came under fire after, among other things, joking the gay community cared more about torpedoing DaBaby's career for his homophobic rant than the fact he shot and killed someone at a Walmart. BTW ... DaBaby allegedly fired in self-defense and was never charged.

He kicked it off with, "In our country, you can shoot and kill a n****, but you better not hurt a gay person's feelings. And this is precisely the disparity that I wish to discuss."

Dave also said "Gender is a fact" because "every human being in this room, every human being on earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth."

DaBaby killing a man wasn't even nearly as offensive as him going after the LGBT community, which torpedoed his career ... a disparity Dave Chappelle says doesn't sit well with him.

The comedian's got a new stand-up special on Netflix, and right off the bat ... he starts making jokes about DB falling from grace after going on a homophobic rant, which Dave notes might've been more of a cardinal sin than actually ending someone's life.

Of course, he's talking about a legal case DaBaby was wrapped up in some years ago -- when cops say he was involved in a fatal shooting at a Walmart in North Carolina ... something DB himself has said was done in self-defense, and for which he skated.

Watch what Dave's going for here ... he's suggesting that pissing off the gay community these days is a way bigger deal -- and could end your career faster -- than actually killing.

It's all tongue-in-cheek, of course, but DC's making a point he seems to believe ... that what DaBaby did wasn't really that big a deal -- considering his overall history. Some might agree, but others certainly don't -- as what DaBaby said at Rolling Loud was, in fact, awful.

Dave acknowledges that as well ... saying that the guy even crossed a line for him personally -- seeing how Dave says he often makes cracks at the expense of the LGBT crowd. But, in (his) perspective, Dave believes something's amiss by the severe fallout DB has faced.

Lil Nas X appears to have teased the possibility of being bisexual -- or even toying with the idea he isn't really gay at all ... but context matters, and it's clear he's joking after a breakup.

The rapper tweeted Friday, "this gay s*** was fun at first. i miss p**** now," while adding a sad face emoji. On its face, it's a pretty shocking statement and could be interpreted as potential big news ... that is, if you took it literally. He seems to be saying, at first glance, him being gay was just a little experiment, and that he wants to go back to being straight.

However, he followed up that tweet with another ... "nevermind he texted back." So, it was obviously written in jest -- and when you learn about a recent split of his, it all makes sense.

Here's the deal ... LNX revealed this week that he had, in fact, been dating the dude he got cozy with in his "That's What I Want" music video -- actor-dancer Yai Ariza -- but also noted they'd already broken up ... yet remained on good terms, and could even get back together.

It's unclear how long they dated or when, but in any case ... Nas X likened the relationship to the best he'd ever had, and went so far as to say he was still in love with Yai.

This "p****" remark comes on the heels of that ... and if you're familiar with his Twitter antics, you know he's trolling, which he confirmed soon after. It's almost like when straight women jokingly say they're becoming lesbian after ending things with a guy. Same idea.

Still ... the original sentiment in and of itself could be seen as problematic, and actually has been called out, of late, by the LGBT community. Just ask Miley Cyrus, who sparked criticism 2 years ago when she said sucky men forced her to be gay ... something she apologized for.

Interestingly, there doesn't seem to be the same fury at Nas X here -- perhaps because he covered his bases and made clear ... he's still gay, confirming sexuality isn't a choice.

Taryn Manning's engagement turned out to be short-lived ... TMZ's learned it's over after just 2 months.

Sources familiar tell TMZ ... Taryn and Anne Cline broke up in late August. We're told they tried to work it out but ultimately decided they'd be better apart.

A source close to Taryn claims she only said "yes" at the time because Anne put her on the spot ... and after being engaged it just was not the right relationship for her, so she ended it.

Fans had previously speculated they broke up when they stopped following each other on social media in September.

As for Taryn ... we're told she's since moved on from the relationship. In fact ... our sources say she's already seeing someone new. We're told she met a man on set who works in production.

We're told he's the guy in the driver's seat in that☝🏽 Instagram post Taryn posted about a week ago.

TMZ broke the story ... Anne got down on bended knee and asked Taryn to marry her.

The "Orange Is the New Black" actress was shocked when her singer-songwriter GF at the time stopped in the middle of her performance in Florida to pop the question.

Carl Nassib says he was worried opening up about his sexuality could cost him his NFL job ... explaining this week he didn't come out as gay sooner because he feared it might "ruin my career."

The Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher -- who famously revealed he was gay in a June social media post -- broke it all down on Darren Waller's "Comeback Stories" podcast.

Nassib said he had mulled the idea of coming out sooner ... but was scared of the reaction the announcement might draw from fellow players -- and, more importantly, NFL owners.

"I thought about it every once in a while," Nassib said of sharing his sexual preferences with the public. "Thought about how I wanted to do it. When I could do it."

"I didn't know how people would react. I wanted to make sure I was financially stable before I did it. I didn't know if it would ruin my career. I didn't know if guys would be supportive or not."

Nassib -- who says he didn't know he was gay until about four years ago -- said he finally felt comfortable making the announcement this year after he had solidified his NFL career as well as gained a good understanding of his Raiders teammates.

The 28-year-old, though, revealed it has been somewhat of a struggle since revealing the news ... telling Waller he felt a huge burden in the practices and workouts following the video's release.

"Being the only out gay guy in the NFL is a little stressful," Nassib said, adding things have gotten easier since.

Nassib also revealed he is dating somebody, saying, "I met an awesome guy. He's the best."

One of Vanderbilt University's longtime employees says she's been bullied and viciously mocked by co-workers -- using words like "freak," and "gross" -- after she underwent transition surgery.

Olivia Hill is suing Vanderbilt for the abuse she says started back in mid-2018, when she'd informed her employer she'd been diagnosed with gender dysphoria ... and, therefore, needed to transition from male to female. She says she soon learned a direct supervisor was referring to her as "it," "trans freak" and "weirdo."

Olivia -- a U.S. Navy veteran who's worked at Vandy for 25 years -- says that sort of reaction made her second guess getting the surgery, and she even delayed it until February 2019. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she says the abuse was even worse when she returned to work in May 2019 -- some people would leave rooms as soon as she entered, while others made crude remarks.

According to the suit, those comments included a bigwig commenting directly to her about her big feet looking strange. She alleges he also asked if she shaves her chest now, and added ... "Ugh, the thought of you shaving your tits is gross."

Olivia claims in the suit another employee asked if he could "be the first to use her new vagina."

Interestingly, Vanderbilt touted Olivia's transition ... even posting a video where she tells her story. However, Olivia's attorney, Abby Rubenfeld, says this only highlights the university's hypocrisy -- "The way Olivia was treated violates federal and state law, and is inconsistent with Vanderbilt's own policies and public presentation as allegedly being a model of LGBTQI tolerance and inclusion."

Olivia says she informed her supervisors, but got no relief, and even filed complaints with the University and federal employment agencies. She says the school placed her on paid administrative leave, and says she's been passed over for promotions.

She's suing Vanderbilt for damages, including lost wages and pain and suffering.

Tommy Kirk -- best known for playing the kid role of Travis Coates in the 1957 Disney classic "Old Yeller" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tommy's neighbor found him dead in his Las Vegas home around 8 PM on Tuesday. No foul play is suspected.

Tommy was a teenager when he got his big break in "Old Yeller" ... the story about a boy and his heroic dog. He was Disney's go-to kid actor to fill that All-American persona ... leading to roles in other Disney films, including "The Shaggy Dog, "Swiss Family Robinson" and "The Misadventures of Merlin Jones."

He was discovered in 1954 as a 13-year-old while performing opposite Will Rogers Jr. for the play "Ah, Wilderness!" at the Pasadena Playhouse. Legend has it, Tommy had auditioned for a role nobody else bothered to audition for, so he got it. He had only 5 lines in the play but it was enough for a talent agent to sign him and cast him in an episode of "TV Reader's Digest."

Tommy ultimately ended up getting cast in "The Mickey Mouse Club" ... and appeared in several other TV shows. But, there's no doubt his role in "Old Yeller" shot him to stardom.

But, his time with Disney didn't come without controversy. According to some reports ... Walt Disney personally fired Tommy in 1964 because the 21-year-old was gay.

Tommy once said, "When I was about 17 or 18 years old, I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to change. I didn’t know what the consequences would be, but I had the definite feeling that it was going to wreck my Disney career and maybe my whole acting career. It was all going to come to an end."

He added, "Eventually, I became involved with somebody and I was fired." Tommy was still cast in films after that, but he admitted they were some of the worst movies he ever made.

Despite the Disney fallout ... Tommy was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2006.

He was 79.

Liz Cheney has done a 180 on gay marriage -- an issue that fractured her family given that her sister is gay -- and she flatly says ... she was wrong to oppose it.

The Wyoming congresswoman did the about-face during her interview on "60 Minutes" Sunday night ... and it stunned Leslie Stahl.

Liz's sister, Mary, is married to a woman, and although their father, former Veep Dick Cheney, came out in support of gay marriage, Liz dug her heels in and opposed it.

Cheney's reshaped view is stunning, as she said, "Freedom means freedom for everybody."

Cheney's in trouble in her home district in Wyoming, in large part because she wouldn't buy into Donald Trump's false claims the 2020 Presidential election was stolen. She sure seems undaunted ... and confident she'll win reelection.

Rep. Cheney says anyone who votes against her in 2022 ... is voting against the Constitution.

Cheney goes on to say Trump "doesn't believe in the rule of law" and unlike many of her GOP colleagues, she's openly rebuked the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Cassandra Peterson -- best known as Elvira -- has an idea for a Halloween costume that could be this year's Joe Exotic, and it's a play off the Mistress of the Dark's recent coming out.

We got Cassandra at ABC Studios in NYC, and with spooky season right around the corner ... we asked what she thinks will be the most popular costume. For one very big reason ... she says Elvira costumes are poised to make a comeback, but with a gay twist.

It's a fitting costume ... Cassandra recently revealed -- in "Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark" -- she's been dating a woman for nearly 2 decades. Hence, the rise of "Gayvira" ... her word, not ours.

Sounds like there are a few celebs who might take her advice -- Cassandra says she's been getting a ton of support from her famous friends after sharing her truth in the book.

Couple other interesting topics we covered -- Cassandra tells us how her girlfriend's dealing with the newfound spotlight, and how the pandemic helped her write her book.