LGBT

The longtime police chief of Davie, Florida is outta work ... he quit his post after allegedly blaming a sheriff's deputy's COVID-19 related death on the guy being gay.

Dale Engle, who'd been on the force 22 years, resigned this week in a letter to his staff, saying he was proud of the town he'd served and the work he'd done -- but his departure comes on the heels of him getting placed on administrative leave.

Three months ago a police union accused Chief Engle of saying a Broward County Sheriff's Deputy who'd died from complications due to COVID had no one to blame but himself.

Specifically, the union claimed Engle flew off of the handle when some officers complained about a lack of safety measures to protect them from the coronavirus. During his rant, the union alleges Engle said BSO Deputy Shannon Bennett -- a 12-year vet himself -- contracted the virus and died as a result because he was a “homosexual who attended homosexual 'sexual' events."

"Scooby-Doo" sleuth Velma is a lesbian -- at least according to writer/director James Gunn, who says she was definitely gay in his initial 2002 movie script.

Before the filmmaker rose to the ranks of director of the "Guardians of the Galaxy" films, he wrote the screenplays for the live-action "Scooby-Doo" and its 2004 sequel, 'Monsters Unleashed' ... and he says he intended for Velma to be "explicitly gay."

Gunn was replying to a fan on Twitter asking him to return to the franchise and make a live-action Velma gay ... he claims he already tried it.

According to Gunn ... the studio, which was Warner Bros., "just kept watering it down & watering it down, becoming ambiguous (the version shot), then nothing (the released version) & finally having a boyfriend (the sequel)."

Essentially ... Gunn's accusing Warner Bros. of putting the kibosh on a gay character riding shotgun in the Mystery Machine with Scoob & co.

Gunn replied to another fan, suggesting the 2002 film’s home video release hinted at what he was trying to do with Velma’s sexuality in the original script.

Lucas Grabeel, who played Ryan in "High School Musical," says he would steer clear from the gay character role nowadays ... so as not to take a job away from a gay actor.

Lucas tells TMZ ... the last thing he would want to do is take an opportunity away from another actor, and as a straight, white man he feels he's already taken plenty of opportunities away from others without even trying. Guy owns his white privilege.

As you know ... the director behind 'HSM' recently revealed Ryan was gay all along, but he says Ryan wasn't openly gay in the movies, because back in 2006 he didn't think Disney was ready for such a character.

Lots have changed since Lucas played Ryan in the Disney Channel Movie 14 years ago ... and he thinks a gay actor would be cast for the role if the movie was being made today, and he hopes the character would not have to hide his identity.

Lucas' thinking is similar to that of Mike Henry, the white actor who voiced Cleveland on "Family Guy" for 20 years. Mike recently stepped down from the role, saying the black character should be voiced by a black actor.

As for gay characters like Ryan, Lucas says it's finally time for Disney and others in the industry to start educating children about gay people at the youngest age possible.

A city near Boston is the first in the country to recognize polyamorous relationships ... i.e., more than 2 people.

Somerville, Massachusetts passed an ordinance changing the definition of relationships that are recognized by the government. Domestic partnerships have been defined as an "entity formed by 2 persons," but the new definition reads a relationship "formed by people."

The ordinance also replaces pronouns -- no longer "he" or "she" ... it's now "they."

Short story ... the ordinance allows for more than 2 people in a domestic partnership.

The new ordinance was actually inspired by the coronavirus pandemic. There were residents of Somerville who were not married, and as a result, they could not visit their partners in the hospital because of restrictions on visitors.

The mayor signed the ordinance a few days ago ... it should be just a matter of days until polyamorous partners can file for domestic partnership.

Liliana Barrios -- who starred in a couple of seasons of "Black Ink Crew: Chicago" -- allegedly went on a violent rage after catching her GF in bed with another woman ... this according to cops who arrested her for assault.

The incident went down June 3 in San Antonio where cops say Barrios and her GF got into a verbal altercation at their apartment before it turned violent ... this according to a police report obtained by TMZ.

Cops say during the argument, Barrios decided to take off for the night. When she returned the next day to pick up clothes, cops say Barrios got heated after catching her 22-year-old GF in bed with another woman ... triggering another argument.

Cops allege Barrios pushed her GF onto the couch and a struggle ensued ... with Barrios allegedly scratching her GF's neck, arm and biting her right leg. The officer claims they observed scratches and abrasions on the GF's right knee. Cops say Barrios was the aggressor and “intentionally and knowingly caused bodily injury."

Barrios -- the ex-GF of a recurring cast member on 'Black Ink' from seasons 2 to 5 -- was arrested for assault/bodily injury on a cohabitant.

Christion Jones -- an ex-Univ. of Alabama WR -- is now jobless ... he was cut by the Edmonton Eskimos over the weekend, and the team says it's all because of the guy's homophobic tweets.

The 27-year-old fired off intolerant words on social media on Saturday, writing in one, "Man ain't suppose to be with a man. A women is not suppose to be with another women."

Jones doubled down several times on the comments after he faced backlash ... but when word of his tweets reached his employers -- he was quickly fired.

The Eskimos -- who traded for Jones during the 2019 season -- said, "We stand by the LGBTQ+ community and firmly condemn the language used by Christion Jones."

They added, "There is no place for such commentary on our team. Jones has been released from the roster."

The CFL itself also blasted Jones ... saying in a statement of its own, "There is no place in our league for commentary that disparages people on the basis of their religion, race, gender or sexual orientation."

"As Pride Month continues, we stand with the LGBTQ+ community. We all need to say no to hate and yes to love."

For his part, Jones -- after hours of defending his initial comments and swearing he wouldn't apologize -- did end up saying he was sorry for the insensitive comments.

"My words were deeply hurtful, painful and served zero purpose," Jones said. "I added to the struggle of a community, to live a life free of oppression of any kind. I sincerely apologize. I was wrong."

Pride and Black Lives Matter came together this weekend for a meaningful demonstration in the city where George Floyd was killed ... which left a fortified police station with a whole new look.

Sunday marked the start of the Stonewall Riots 51 years ago in Greenwich Village in NYC -- which went down in history as a momentous time and major step forward for gay rights at the time -- and all these years later, Minneapolis' LGBTQ+ community showed out to honor the anniversary ... while continuing to voice support to BLM and decrying George's death.

A massive gathering went down right in front of Minneapolis' First Precinct -- where people chanted, rallied and expressed support for Black Trans Lives in a demonstration of unity.

Some folks also went streamer happy on the police building, which appeared to be blocked off with military-style barricades and wall barriers. We'll say this, the multi-colored rainbow colors give it a much-needed makeover ... and some light-hearted vibes that go a long way these days.

Devastating news .. 3-time Paralympian rower Angela Madsen was found dead on Monday after attempting to become the first paraplegic athlete to row across the Pacific Ocean. She was 60.

Madsen had dreams of being the first paraplegic, openly gay athlete and oldest woman to cross the Pacific, according to Long Beach Press-Telegram ... so in April, she left Marina del Rey in Los Angeles on a 20-foot rowboat heading towards Honolulu.

She reportedly journeyed alone -- brining only food, desalinator for water and supplies with her.

Madsen's wife Deb said on Facebook she became worried when Madsen stopped responding to her text messages on Sunday.

"When I checked the main message inbox, she had not returned any messages. When I looked at the tracking, it did not appear that she was rowing the boat, but rather that is was drifting."

Madsen's body was discovered the next day by the U.S. Coast Guard. An official cause of death has not been determined.

Madsen, who is also a U.S. Marine vet, became paralyzed in 1993 when things went wrong after a surgery on her injured spine -- which she had suffered during a basketball game at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro.

She later became homeless -- which she blamed on the massive medical bills that followed. But, she found wheelchair sports -- and it changed her life.

Madsen earned a spot on the U.S. Paralympic team three times, winning the bronze medal in shot put in 2012.

Pete Buttigieg says the Supreme Court ruling making workplace discrimination against LGBTQ+ members illegal in the U.S. is a step forward -- but there's way more walking to do.

The ex-Democratic presidential candidate was on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss the historic 6-3 decision SCOTUS handed down on the issue of civil rights at work. Pete says a lot of Americans might be surprised that, before Monday, it was still legal to fire someone based on their sexual orientation and/or gender identification.

He goes on to explain there was a huge sign of progress in that Trump-appointed conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch saw the Civil Rights Act and its workplace protections afforded to citizens naturally extend to gay and trans people too.

BTW, the President's other appointee, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, was one of the 3 dissenting votes.

Pete warned it's not time to fly victory banners just yet, because there are several outstanding issues for the LGBTQ+ community that aren't being addressed, and he detailed some of them.

The Supreme Court just handed a massive win for the LGBTQ+ community ... after ruling federal law protects gay and transgender people from workplace discrimination.

The Justices announced the landmark ruling Monday morning, and it's really significant. The court ruled the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- which prohibits discrimination, among other things, based on race, sex, national origin -- also applies to sexual orientation and gender discrimination.

What's more ... the vote was 6-3, and Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, wrote the majority opinion.

Gorsuch wrote ... "Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear. An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids."

Translation -- by prohibiting sex discrimination, the law also covers sexual orientation.

The Supreme Court combined 2 cases ... a man in Clayton County, GA who claimed he was fired as a social worker after he became more open about being gay, and a man fired as a skydiving instructor.

The transgender case involved Aimee Stephens, who was fired after telling the owners at the funeral home she worked at about her gender transition. She died in May.

The Trump administration sided with employers, despite the fact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decided in 2015 gay and transgender individuals were federally protected. This has been a hot-button issue for years because many lower courts have held that sexual orientation discrimination and gender identity discrimination are not included in the protections under the Civil Rights Act.

Now, the justices have ruled that these types of discrimination ARE sex discrimination, so gay and transgender people are protected.

Just last week the Trump administration announced it would erase protections for transgender patients seeking medical care, by narrowing the legal definition of sex discrimination so as not to include transgender people -- a big departure from the Obama administration. Unclear at this point if the SCOTUS ruling would torpedo Trump's effort.

SpongeBob SquarePants' sexuality has entered the chat -- and lo and behold, the Bikini Bottom dweller might be, as many suspected for years, gay.

Nickelodeon tweeted Saturday in support of Pride month, and attached photos of three of their canon characters as a clear indicator that they're all part of the LGBTQ+ community ... but without actually saying it outright.

The tweet heard round the Krusty Krab said, "Celebrating #Pride with the LGBTQ+ community and their allies this month and every month 🌈.⁣"

All of the characters -- Sponge, Schwoz Schwartz from 'Henry Danger,' and Korra from the 'Avatar' spin-off show 'Legend of Korra' -- are featured in a rainbow color background.

What's interesting is ... fans have known for a while Korra was gay/bisexual -- as it was revealed in the show itself. As for Schwoz, the actor who plays him -- Michael D. Cohen -- is a transgender man in real life.

So, that leaves the Krusty Krab's fry cook. If the other 2 are clearly members of the community, it makes some people think the tweet is about more than declaring SpongeBob an ally ... instead, they think it's his coming out.

Of course, we gotta say folks had their suspicions for a long time. If you know, you know ... we won't break it down for boomers.

Starbucks is now saying "my bad," and will allow employees to wear Black Lives Matter attire ... after getting intense backlash for banning it.

The coffee store giant announced Friday morning it's reversing its policy prohibiting workers from wearing anything highlighting the Black Lives Matter movement. And, to take things a step further ... Starbucks will distribute 250k BLM themed t-shirts to its employees.

The move comes just days after Starbucks said it feared employees wearing BLM attire could be misunderstood by customers and incite violence. But, after customers called for a boycott, Starbucks is now saying it hears their employees and supports them standing up for justice.

Starbucks announced, "Together with our Black Partner Network, we've designed a Starbucks t-shirt for every U.S. and Canada partner to express our solidarity during this historic time. Until these arrive, we’ve heard you want to show your support, so just be you. Wear your BLM pin or t-shirt. We are so proud of your passionate support of our common humanity."

It should be noted ... Starbucks hands out pins and special attire to celebrate LGBTQ rights and marriage equality even though there's a policy in place against wearing personal, political or religious attire.

It's not the first time Starbucks has been schooled on racial equality. You'll recall back in 2018 the coffee chain closed its stores for anti-bias training after 2 African-American men got hauled off to jail for hanging out and waiting for a friend inside a Starbucks in Philly.

The incident created an uproar and triggered protests.

Da Brat's feeling like a new woman since deciding to come out of the closet and publicly celebrate her engagement, and says it's all because her fiancee's made her feel so loved.

The ATL rap icon joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and explained her decision to come out after more than 20 years, and gushed over her relationship with Jesseca Dupart.

Da Brat says she no longer feels like she's imprisoned and is finally free to share her truth, in part because she's established her career after 2 decades, but mainly because Jesseca is such a great woman.

It's easy to see she's head over heels for Jesseca, the CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products ... telling us why they click and how they push each other to be better.

As you know ... Da Brat revealed her sexual orientation back in March with a super sweet Instagram post thanking Jesseca for an early birthday gift -- a white Bentley wrapped with a huge red bow -- and is on the cover of Variety mag's Pride Issue.

Harry Potter himself is shutting down his own creator's views on gender identity and trans people, and his message about equality is pretty magical.

Daniel Radcliffe responded to J.K. Rowling's controversial thoughts about the subject through an essay on The Trevor Project -- an org that advocates for suicide prevention in the LGBTQ community -- and begged J.K. (he calls her Jo) to have a change of heart.

He wrote, "Transgender women are women. Any statement to the contrary erases the identity and dignity of transgender people and goes against all advice given by professional health care associations who have far more expertise on this subject matter than either Jo or I."

He went on to cite alarming stats about discrimination against trans youth and non-binary people, writing, "It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and nonbinary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm."

ICYMI ... J.K. caught a ton of flak this weekend for nitpicking the phrase "people who menstruate" which she came across in a NYT headline. Her feeling is ... only women menstruate, so when talking about that -- we supposedly oughta just refer to them.

The Internet fired back at her, pointing out trans men and others who don't identify with traditional gender identities ... can also menstruate. J.K. doubled and tripled down, refusing to cede ground and pissing off many Potter fans in the process.

Miss Lawrence says Black Lives Matter applies to each and every black life -- especially those in the LGTBQ community ... this in the wake of the brutal beating of Iyanna Dior.

The Bravo TV personality -- who identifies as gender non-conforming -- spoke out against the vicious attack on Iyanna, a trans woman, in Minneapolis ... where she was pummeled by multiple men after allegedly causing a fender bender.

The video of the attack is incredibly disturbing ... so much so, we've opted not to include it, but it's out there. Miss Lawrence has strong thoughts about the violence, and what it says about a very real rift in the black community.

For starters, he says this divide over who is included in BLM shouldn't exist at at all. Miss Lawrence says the B is NOT exclusive to heterosexual, cis-gender members whatsoever.

Watch ... he also says it's time to strive for the kind of equality great civil and gay rights icons fought to attain, because it's an election year!

Two Kansas City cops now face criminal charges in the alleged assault against a transgender woman ... this as video of the incident has surfaced.

It happened a year ago this month, but the video has just been released.

A woman near a beauty supply store recorded the confrontation. You see one of the officers knee the woman in her face and ribs. At one point her face is slammed into the concrete.

She apparently got into a dispute inside the store, and police responded to several 911 calls, one placed by the transgender woman. The cops in question claimed she was resisting, which is why they used force. She was arrested for disorderly conduct, trespassing and resisting arrest, along with drug paraphernalia possession.

The P.D. investigated and concluded the cops did nothing improper ... this according to the police union. Prosecutors then brought the case to the grand jury because they were stymied ... saying the police department was not cooperating with its investigation by turning over key documents. Prosecutors took the case to the grand jury, which indicted the 2 cops on assault charges. Both officers are now on desk duty.

The woman has since died after being shot and killed in an unrelated incident.

The case has caused tension in the city ... the woman is African-American and the officers are white. The lawyer for the woman's family, David Smith, says the case was botched by police and he's calling for the resignation of the Police Chief, adding, "You don't treat this woman like a piece of trash because you think she's a freak."