LGBT

YouTube personality Trisha Paytas says his controversial coming out video is actually leading to something good ... scoring dates with hot guys!!!

We got the internet personality shopping on Melrose Monday and Trisha told us the backlash he's getting for saying he's "1,000 percent" transgender ain't stopping horny dudes from sliding into his DMs ... and he's already got a sex romp on his schedule!!!

In case you missed it ... Trisha started a firestorm this week when he came out as a transgender male in a YouTube video, with some folks taking issue with some of his wording and reasoning.

Trisha, who has already apologized for offending anyone in a lengthy and tear-filled video, took a ton of heat from fans who felt his coming out video was disrespectful to the transgender community. Many felt he didn't truly understand what it meant to be transgender.

If you're unfamiliar with Trisha's story ... he was born with female genitalia and has lived with female genitalia, but has always personally identified as a male.

As for Trisha ... he seems totally ready to take on the dating world as his true self.

Boy George says he doesn't care if the actor who plays him in a forthcoming biopic is of the same sexual orientation as him or not -- just so long as they nail the part.

The Culture Club frontman was at Rock & Reilly's Irish Pub Tuesday night in WeHo, where he tackled the issue of PC casting head-on while talking to paps. He told one photog that casting a gay man was NOT at the forefront of his mind as the movie ramps up.

BG notes they haven't cast the starring role yet, and while it's undecided if they'll look for an actor who is gay ... he says it's no biggie in his eyes.

Lil Nas X coming out is going to spark change in the hip-hop community ... so says Ty Herndon, who thinks Lil Nas' bravery will make it easier for others in the industry to be themselves.

We got Ty before his Thursday night set at Rockwell Table and Stage, and our guy asked if the country music veteran thinks Lil Nas X will help other gay hip-hop artists feel comfortable and accepted enough to come out.

Ty's the first male country musician to reveal he's gay, which is why he says he knows times are a changin'. He flat-out believes ... in Nashville, your sexuality doesn't matter anymore -- and he thinks Lil Nas can bring that same change in hip-hop.

TMZ broke the story ... the "Old Town Road" rapper became inspired to share his truth with the world at the end of Pride Month after performing with Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus in front of a MASSIVE crowd in England.

Daniel Franzese says it's time to usher in a new season of celebrating bigger gay dudes -- on the heels of Hot Girl Summer -- because it's long overdue, especially in showbiz!!!

The "Mean Girls" actor was leaving LAX Tuesday, where we asked about a recent social media clip of him diving into a pool shirtless. Daniel's captioned it, "Reclaiming my childhood spent wearing a shirt in the pool growing up in Florida. Not giving a F**K what people think feels so good."

Daniel broke down the post for us, and said it was about more than body positivity -- it was about getting heavier-set gay men off the sidelines.

He says gay men in the media are often portrayed as trim, fit and with a certain look, but he says he's living proof gay comes in all sizes ... and all deserve some visibility.

Or, as Daniel put it on IG, "It's #bigboysummer and soaking up every last minute until #bigandtallfall. #BellyOutchallenge."

He tells us if bigger people were featured more often on TV and the big screen, he'd probably be working a lot more, and the way folks view fat people would change for the better.

To all the people ticked off at Kevin Hart on behalf of Lil Nas X for seemingly interrupting his story about coming out -- LNX says feel anyway ya want, just don't count him among the outraged.

The "Old Town Road" rapper says he's not fuming about the perceived slight. While recording an interview Tuesday with DJ Scream and Moran Tha Man -- for their Atlanta-based show, Hoodrich Radio! -- he said, "I'm not mad at Kevin Hart."

Lil Nas really wanted that to sink in for the outrage police on the Internet ... who were still going after Kevin, even after he suffered serious injuries in that car accident.

Last week on HBO's "The Shop" Nas X was asked about coming out as gay earlier this year. Before he could even get into why he came out when he did ... Kevin blurted out, "He said he was gay, so what?!?" Many people found it tone-deaf.

Kevin later interjected with more clarifying questions that some took as disrespect, especially in light of his past issues with the LGBTQ community.

Well, Lil Nas doesn't see it that way -- or if he does, he's not talking about it. He insists there's no beef between Kevin and him. However, he admits IF he did have beef, he wouldn't air it publicly ... and he explained his MO when it comes to celeb feuds.

Jeff Ross makes his living roasting others, and he says there's one person who stands above the rest when it comes to handling harsh jokes directed their way ... Caitlyn Jenner.

The RoastMaster General himself joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to share some behind-the-scenes info from the Comedy Central 'Roast of Alec Baldwin' ... and Jeff says Caitlyn did a helluva job taking digs from Blake Griffin and others. BTW, she also dished out some jabs.

As you know ... Blake got huge laughs with jokes about Caitlyn's gender reassignment and thanking her -- on behalf of NBA players and rappers -- for giving Kendall and Kylie daddy issues. Don't forget, Blake and Kendall actually dated.

Jeff commends Caitlyn for being a great sport and shares an interesting little nugget about her history with celebrity roasts ... which might explain why she was totally down for this one.

More importantly, Jeff says Caitlyn being the first transgender person to appear on one of his celebrity roasts will have a social impact far beyond the laughs they had that night.

"On behalf of the entire NBA and half of the rappers on the Billboard charts, I want to thank you for giving your daughters their daddy issues!"

That's NBA superstar Blake Griffin giving it to Caitlyn Jenner at the Comedy Central "Roast of Alec Baldwin" -- proving absolutely nothing is off limits ... and it's all hilarious!

Blake and Caitlyn were on the dais for the show (which airs Sept. 15) -- and it's customary for roasters to go after each other in addition to burning the guest of honor.

What's interesting about this situation ... Blake famously dated Caitlyn's daughter, Kendall Jenner, beginning back in 2017 -- so it's not like the NBA star was going after a stranger.

Comedy Central only released a snippet of Blake's set -- but so far, so good.

Here's another joke ...

"Caitlyn completed her gender reassignment in 2017 ... finally confirming that no one in that family wants a white d*ck."

After months of debate, controversy, and a threatened Brad Pitt lawsuit ... the so-called Straight Pride Parade is underway in Boston.

The parade organizers -- a group called Super Happy Fun America -- claim straight people are an "oppressed majority" and believe "the day will come when straights will finally be included as equals among all other orientations."

Those kinds of statements made many think the whole parade was just a troll, and not something that would really happen, but there are several hundred people lining the same route of the Boston's Pride Parade back in June.

The Grand Marshal is, ironically, the openly gay, but extremely conservative, Milo Yiannopoulos.

Protesters are on hand as well, but don't appear to be confrontational. Hell, they brought musical instruments.

Still Boston police are out in force ... just in case tensions rise and anything goes down.

You'll recall, earlier this year the parade organizers used Brad Pitt's face on promotional material ... calling him straight America's mascot -- but as TMZ first reported, Brad wasn't down. He threatened to sue if Super Happy Fun America didn't cease and desist. They did.

Ryan Russell says he's been getting nothing but support from NFL circles since announcing he's bisexual ... and the pass rusher is hungry for his next opportunity on the gridiron.

We got Ryan and his boyfriend Friday afternoon in Los Angeles, holding hands and heading for a bite at Urth Caffe ... the day after he made his sexual preferences public.

The former Cowboys draft pick tells us he's been hearing from his former coaches and teammates in Dallas and Tampa Bay ... and the feedback on his sexual identity is all positive.

Acceptance and tolerance are good news for Ryan ... sounds like the NFL free agent would be welcomed into a locker room with open arms, no matter which of the 32 franchises takes a shot on the three-year vet.

As for his next move ... Ryan says the plan is still to play football, even though training camps just broke, and he's working out and staying ready in case his phone rings.

Russell sat out all of last season with a shoulder injury after playing in a combined 23 games with the Cowboys and Buccaneers in his first 3 years in the NFL.

Check out the clip ... Ryan sounds healthy in mind and body as he awaits his next shot.

"My truth is that I'm a talented football player, a damn good writer, a loving son, an overbearing brother, a caring friend, a loyal lover, and a bisexual man."

Former Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Ryan Russell just announced he's bisexual ... and says his motivation for revealing his sexual identity is that he's flat-out tired of hiding it.

The 27-year-old -- who was a Cowboys' fifth-round pick back in 2015 -- is currently an NFL free agent ... and says his last job interview with a team made him realize he needed to make his sexual preferences public.

"Out of love, admiration and respect, I want the next team to sign me valuing me for what I do and knowing who I truly am."

It's all in an ESPN.com article that Russell wrote himself ... where the 6'5", 267-pound defensive end says it's his goal to be an openly LGBTQ player in the NFL.

"I want to live my dream of playing the game I've worked my whole life to play, and being open about the person I've always been."

Russell also went public with his relationship with his boyfriend, who wrote of the NFL player on his Instagram page, "This man is the top headline on @espn this morning for speaking his truth as a player in the NFL and as my boyfriend. I couldn’t be more proud."

Russell -- who sat out the entire 2018 season with a shoulder injury -- had a solid first 3 years in the league ... playing in a combined 23 games with the Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He logged 3 sacks and 20 combined tackles in those games ... and says he's still confident he can produce at a high level for an NFL team.

John Travolta mistook a famous drag queen for Taylor Swift at the VMAs -- and if you wanna know how he got so confused ... go straight to the queen herself!

We got Jade Jolie -- a former contestant on "RuPaul's Drag Race" -- Monday night after the award show and asked her about the awkward moment onstage right after TS won Video of the Year. John, very awkwardly, tried handing the Moon Man to Jade.

Ooops!! Taylor ... the real one ... wasn't even onstage yet.

As you can see (and as Jade acknowledges) ... she's a dead ringer for Taylor, whom she calls her "goddess" and "queen." But, while talking to us, Jade got all wrapped up in her own Swiftie fandom ... and even started talking 'Game of Thrones.'

You can tell by her mood here that Jade wasn't that offended by the case of mistaken identity -- she's clearly overjoyed to have shared in the glory of a VMAs win. The look-alike -- and a bunch of other notable gay and trans people -- appeared in Taylor's video for "You Need to Calm Down."

A group of 100 or so people marched down the streets in NYC with their tops popped off and their boobs hanging out freely ... all in the name of equality.

The 2019 Go Topless Pride Parade went down Sunday, with several women going completely bare-chested to advocate for the right to be topless in public -- just like men -- without fear of being arrested or shamed.

Along with the topless gals, several fellas joined the cause by either wearing ridiculous bras or simply going topless themselves ... and there was live music too!

The parade came on the eve of Women's Equality Day in the U.S., which is celebrated Monday in honor of the passing of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.

The parade participants believe women have the same constitutional right as men to go topless in public, and there's nothing disorderly about the conduct of baring your breasts.

Elizabeth Smart's father had a revelation of his own ... he's gay.

Ed Smart says he and his wife, Lois, are divorcing and he will no longer live a lie, insinuating he contemplated suicide while he kept his secret ... "Living with the pain and guilt I have for so many years, not willing to accept the truth about my orientation has at times brought me to the point where I question whether life was still worth living."

As you know, Elizabeth's kidnapping made national headlines back in 2002, when she was 14. She was held captive for 9 months, raped and drugged.

Ed Smart, once a devout Mormon, is breaking from the Church ...saying he doesn't "find solace any longer" from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Church has traditionally been draconian over the LGBTQ community, but has softened its views ... somewhat. It has recently reversed course, no longer preaching same-sex relationships are a sin. The Church still considers same-sex relationships "a serious transgression."

Ed says he believes in God ... "In the end, people are free to say what they will, and believe what they want, but there is one voice more important than any other, that of my Savior, who wants each of us to love one another, to be honest and joyful and find a meaningful life."

Elizabeth is not voicing support for her dad's decision, only saying she's "deeply saddened" that her parents are splitting.

The owner of the Florida nightclub where a mass shooter killed 49 people has no issues profiting off other people's pain ... at least according to some of the survivors.

Barbara Poma, the owner of PULSE and founder of the nonprofit onePULSE, is leading an effort to build a museum blocks away from the site of the deadly shooting ... but survivors say her plans are a smack in the face because it puts profit over healing their pain.

Norman Casiano-Mojica tells TMZ ... he and other PULSE survivors are pissed because, to them, Poma's museum plans seem more like a tourist attraction than a tasteful memorial. He says the fact there will be a gift shop and admission fee makes him cringe.

Norman, who was shot twice during the tragedy and now has to walk with the aid of a cane, says he's not against a museum or memorial ... but only under certain conditions.

In his eyes, Poma has already botched the makeshift memorial outside Pulse. He says it's more of a photo op than a place of remembrance, and that's why he doesn't trust her to get the museum right.

The onePULSE Foundation tells TMZ ... they're "following the model of other museums and memorials such as those in Oklahoma City and the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. As with those sites, the memorial will be free, while the museum will charge a modest admission, which will go to keep up the museum and the memories of those it honors."

The foundation added, "Without a museum, there is no place to tell the story for future generations and we risk the tragedy being erased entirely over time.”

Karamo Brown's willing to forgive Mario Lopez for making comments he believes are harmful to transgender youth and their parents ... but he's not fully letting him off the hook yet.

The "Queer Eye" star was outside 'GMA' in NYC Thursday when we asked what he thought about Lopez issuing an apology, in which he admitted his remarks were "ignorant and insensitive."

Karamo tells us that's a good first step, but thinks the TV host needs to further his education on the topic ... and Brown's willing to be his teacher. In fact, he's already sent an open invite to Mario to hit him up.

Karamo's costar, Jonathan Van Ness, has been way more critical of Lopez since the comments he made in a June interview with Candace Owens went viral. Mario said it was "dangerous” for parents to trust their children when they challenge the gender they’re presumed to be at birth.

Jonathan tweeted ... "If you’re not raising a child who is part of the LGBTQ+ community you should really be quiet. You don’t need to understand what you do not know." He also accused Mario of "casual transphobia" and being small-minded, and said his "lack of understanding and need to judge" is what leads to violence against the community.

Dwight Howard says he's not gay -- despite allegations made against him in a lawsuit -- and claims the whole legal battle made him "never want to come outside again."

The NBA superstar appeared on 'Fair Game' on FS1 where he told Kristine Leahy, "I went through a situation last year that kind of just set me free."

Howard is referring to the lawsuit filed by Masin Elije -- who claimed he had a sexual relationship with Howard and claimed Howard threatened him with violence if he went public about it.  

Dwight has previously denied the allegations across the board -- but told Kristine that the whole case caused him tremendous amounts of emotional pain. 

"I'm not gay," Howard said when asked directly. 

Dwight says he received a lot of hate from people who THOUGHT he was gay -- and says he now understands why people are afraid to come out and be their true selves in public. 

Howard says he spent months reflecting on his life after the allegations went public -- and thought long and hard about how he wants to be remembered ... especially when it comes to his kids. 

As for the allegations, Howard is adamant he NEVER met the accuser and has no idea why the man would go to such lengths to lie about him. 

"It upset me because I didn't even know who the person was. Why would somebody who I've never met, never had any contact with make up a whole story about me?"