LGBT

The "Riverdale" series finale left viewers puzzled, putting the show's main characters in a four-way relationship ... a decision that's really pissed off the polyamorous community.

If you didn't catch the episode, it was a strange one -- which became par for the show -- but the "shocking twist" included a sequence where Archie, Betty, Jughead and Veronica were part of a quad-relationship.

Reactions were mixed, but many fans felt show creators only used the relationship for a "wow factor."

We spoke to Brett Chamberlin, Executive Director, OPEN (Organization for Polyamory and Ethical Non-monogamy) who tells us, though "tempting to celebrate every portrayal of non-monogamy in popular media," it needs to be done both responsibly and from a place of understanding.

He continues... "It's frustrating that Riverdale used its characters' non-monogamous relationship as a 'shocking twist' rather than engaging with an authentic portrayal of non-monogamy as simply being part of people's identities."

Chamberlin continues, "We didn't see or hear anything about why these characters practice non-monogamy, what it means for them, the substance of their relationship agreements and communication practices, or any of the other underlying motivations and work that makes relationships of any type function."

Carlos Santana fans hoping to hear the legendary musician play some of his hits got that and more at a recent show ... as the guitarist went off on a bizarre anti-trans rant.

A viral clip, reportedly recorded at his concert in New Jersey last month, Santana says, "When God made you and me, before we came out of the womb, you know who you are and what you are. Later on, when you grow out of it, you see things, and you start believing that you could be something that sounds good, but you know it ain’t right."

He continues, without mincing words, "Because a woman is a woman and a man is a man. That’s it. Whatever you wanna do in the closet, that’s your business. I’m OK with that.”

Santana then went on to say he and Dave Chappelle -- who got in trouble for his anti-trans remarks -- were on the same level and shared the same views.

Tan Mom Patricia Krentcil's run for the U.S. Senate is all about fixing healthcare, fighting for drag queens and, in general, having compassion for your fellow Americans ... principles she's laying out in her first campaign ad.

In the video, obtained by TMZ, Patricia lets Florida voters know she's changed a lot over the past decade, much like the rest of the country ... and says losing her husband to cancer and being in a medically induced coma opened her eyes to the Medicare and Medicaid struggles of millions of Americans.

On top of that, Patricia says she knows what it's like to look different -- saying drag queens shouldn't be targeted and harassed for being who they are.

She goes on to add they can be amazing role models for kids ... a pretty unique platform for any GOP candidate, these days.

As a mother of 5 kids growing up in a divided country, Patricia thinks she's more than qualified to tackle the nation's hot-button issues.

While Patricia's running as a Republican with views far left of most Republicans -- she joined us last week on "TMZ Live" to fill us in on her reasoning for choosing that party.

One of the mothers of Ne-Yo's children is speaking out after he slammed parents who let their kids transition genders ... making it clear, his thoughts aren't aligned with hers.

Monyetta Shaw-Carter, mom to Madilyn and Mason, tells TMZ ... she's fully aware of the things the singer said recently about the transgender community, and while she respects his opinion, she adds, "Those views are HIS."

She tells us she stands with the LGBTQ+ community -- but, to be clear, she's not bashing Ne-Yo for what he said, noting they still have a positive co-parenting relationship.

As we reported, Ne-Yo condemned parents who affirm their kids' gender identity, saying he grew up with only 2 genders ... and claimed he's got no problem with people identifying as they wish, but added, "It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game."

He later offered up his "deepest apologies" to anyone he hurt with his comment -- only to clarify his apology hours later, saying he's not sorry for having an opinion, just for the hurt feelings.

BTW, Ne-Yo also claimed the way he keeps a healthy relationship with Monyetta -- as well as his ex-wife, Crystal, and ex-GF, Sadé -- is by keeping the bickering away from the kiddos.

More details surrounding the senseless killing of a shop owner and mother of 9 ... as her close friend says a man ripped down the shop's pride flag before shooting and killing the woman.

Director Paul Feig, known for projects like "Bridesmaids," "The Office," and 2016's "Ghostbusters," expressed his pain online for the loss of his pal, Lauri Carleton -- owner of Lake Arrowhead's Mag,Pi, where she was killed Friday night.

Paul writes about the man who cops say shot her over the flag she had hanging outside her store ... adding, "He ripped it down and when she confronted him about it he shot and killed her."

He goes on to sing her praises as a fashion designer and a friend, saying she was a true ally of the LGBTQ+ community and asking folks to "keep moving forward with tolerance and love."

As we reported, The San Bernardino County Sheriff said cops arrived at her shop to find her suffering from a gunshot wound, with paramedics later pronouncing her dead at the scene. The flag is visibly hanging off the pole after Friday's shooting.

The man who allegedly killed Carleton was shot dead by police after the fateful incident, and it's unclear if it'll be investigated as a hate crime, but San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe called what went down a "senseless act of hate and violence."

It's been a couple days since Kid Rock was spotted sipping a Bud Light -- and the reactions across Twitter have been just as unhinged as you'd expect ... with people weighing in on both sides.

For starters, accounts that usually push conservative views seem to feel betrayed in a sense ... some writing, "TREASON" another wrote, "I am STRONGLY against CANCEL CULTURE but I am calling for a boycott of all Kid Rock products until further notice."

Others simply seem to be in disbelief, "C'mon Kid Rock, what are we doing?"

However, some on the right are still sticking with their guy, announcing, "I will ALWAYS stand with Kid Rock! If you’ve already had many non-woke beers, it is easy to be tricked into drinking a woke Bud Light by accident. Give Kid a break. He’s fighting hard for our freedom!"

Of course, the images have also been met with plenty of humor and memes as well, one account writing, "Damn, never thought I’d have to give Kid Rock the Bud Light treatment but here we are. Just shot up all my Kid Rock vinyl and CDs. I loved Kid Rock, but I hope Kid Woke goes broke."

TMZ broke the story, the Trump fanatic was spotted drinking a Bud Light at a concert in Nashville last week.

The scenario seemed almost impossible a few months back when KR uploaded himself shooting up a bunch of cases of the beer, exclaiming, "F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser Busch" after trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney published an ad-spot with the company.

A woman who owns two clothing stores in California was shot and killed by a man who made derogatory comments about the pride flag hanging outside her business.

The fatal shooting happened Friday night in Lake Arrowhead, CA ... with law enforcement saying the suspect shot the shop owner, Lauri Carleton, because he didn't like the rainbow flag outside her clothing store.

Lauri owns the Mag.Pi store in Lake Arrowhead and another in Studio City ... and she's been a top fashion designer in Los Angeles for decades.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff says deputies arrived at the scene of Friday's shooting to find Lauri suffering from a gunshot wound ... and paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

The sheriff says the killer, armed with a handgun, fled on foot and he was tracked down about a mile away from the store ... with deputies shooting and killing him.

It's unclear if the fatal shooting will be investigated as a possible hate crime, though San Bernardino County Supervisor Dawn Rowe called the incident a "senseless act of hate and violence."

Rowe said in a statement ... "Everyone deserves to live free of hate and discrimination and practice their constitutional right of freedom of speech. Lauri was a remarkable member of the community and I send my deepest condolences to her family in this time of grief."

Lauri is survived by her husband of 28 years and their 9 children.

She was 66.

Paulie Calafiore, who just got eliminated from MTV's "The Challenge: USA," is coming out as bisexual.

The reality TV star came out to GLAAD, saying he almost feels guilty about waiting so long to share his truth.

Paulie says he decided to come out as bisexual after changing his perspective ... explaining, "There might be other people that are going through this exact same thing …and maybe this is what they needed to hear and what they needed to see in order to do it themselves."

For Paulie, one of the hurdles was his upbringing as an athlete ... he says he felt pressure to be viewed publicly as a strong athlete and competitor, and that sports culture made him feel like he had to repress his sexuality.

Paulie, who is also a "Big Brother" alum, says since coming out as bisexual he's been accepted by his family and his longtime girlfriend and fellow 'Challenge' star Cara Maria Sorbello.

Elton John and Kevin Spacey were having a blast overseas while out to dinner ... enjoying each other's company a month after the singer's crucial testimony in Spacey's sexual assault trial.

The 2 pals dined out at La Petite Maison in France this week, along with Elton's husband, David Furnish, the couples' kids and a few other friends.

They were serenaded by a group called The Snugglers, who posted a clip of the friends' night out on the town. BTW, the group was singing Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" as the table enjoyed their grub.

Elton certainly is a true friend to Kevin, and we aren't just talking about a fun dinner together -- as we reported, he took the stand, remotely, last month during Kevin's trial in London, where he was being accused of sexually assaulting 4 men from 2001 to 2013.

The Rocket Man's testimony challenged the claim of one of Kevin's accusers ... who alleged he was groped by the actor while they were going to one of Elton's annual parties, saying it happened either in 2004 or 2005.

Elton testified, under oath, that timeline wasn't possible ... because Kevin only attended his 2001 party he hosted. David also testified, saying he found old photos to back up Elton's memory.

It was a vital one-two punch in that accuser's case.

Tan Mom's run for a U.S. Senate seat is due, in no small part, to some of Ron DeSantis' policies -- she tells us some of Florida's most controversial issues prompted her decision to run ... and to do it as a Republican.

The bronzed mother of 5, whose real name is Patricia Krentcil, joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," saying things like books being banned in FL and Gov. DeSantis' restrictions on Medicaid were enough to get her to step up to the plate.

We also talked to her about her choice to run as a Republican, even though she's openly opposing the party line on several issues ... particularly in Florida.

Patricia says she's just always been a Republican, but doesn't think her views about certain topics require her to change parties.

She says she's hoping she can break out of her "Tan Mom" brand, and wants her fellow conservatives to try to see things the way she does.

Billy Porter is back to slamming Harry Styles for being the first man featured in a dress on a Vogue cover -- resurfacing old gripes ... and taking down Anna Wintour while he's at it.

The actor, who's gay, dished to the Telegraph about his problem with Harry being tapped as the poster boy of genderfluid/non-binary fashion back in 2020 -- which, at the time, kicked up a lot of controversy and opinions ... including some fiery ones from Billy himself.

You might recall ... Billy said he was actually the catalyst for the men-in-dresses trend that's been percolating in Hollywood of late -- and lamented the fact that HS was picked over him.

He added, "He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life. I had to fight my entire life to get to the palace where I could wear a dress to the Oscars and not be gunned down. All he has to do is be white and straight."

After that, Billy apologized on the 'Late Show,' telling Stephen Colbert he didn't mean to dirty up Harry's name with his opinion -- and that the conversation was bigger than just him.

Now, after more than 2 years ... BP is re-airing his grievances, and he's again insisting Harry is, in fact, straight -- despite HS having yet to publicly label himself or his sexuality.

Billy says, "It’s not Harry Styles’s fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way. That's why he's on the cover. Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn't feel good to me. You're using my community -- or your people are using my community -- to elevate you. You haven't had to sacrifice anything."

In other words, Billy is echoing long-standing queerbaiting claims Harry has endured for years now. Many argue he plays coy about his sexuality -- especially when it comes to his fashion sensibilities -- to cater to the LGBTQ+ community. Based on his dating history, though ... it seems like the dude's strictly into the ladies. That's certainly how it appears, anyway.

Billy gets one last dig at Vogue's EIC ... alleging that in the lead-up to Harry's cover issue, she approached Billy and asked for his advice on advancing style pioneers in the LGBTQ+ community, and BP says he responded with this ... "That bitch said to me at the end, 'How can we do better?' And I was so taken off guard that I didn't say what I should have said."

"RuPaul's Drag Race" star Pearl is apologizing after a look she deemed "'90s Britney-esque" took a ton of heat after many believed it to be blackface.

Pearl posted, then deleted, a series of photos to Instagram this week showing off the new look -- which featured bleached-blonde hair, a water cup, pink tracksuit and very tanned skin.

Fans jumped on her almost immediately, calling the look tone-deaf and comparing it to blackface. One wrote, "So y'all just gonna stay silent while Pearl from RuPaul's Drag race posts photos of themself in Blackface, all the while other non-Black queens were hyping it up like it wasn't clearly blackface?"

The pissed-off fan then, making a reference to the Alabama riverboat brawl, exclaimed, "Where's my damn folding chair?"

Clearly, the comments reached Pearl, who posted an apology Thursday, writing, "The character i posted this morning was not meant to resemble any other background other than my own. she's platinum blonde/blue eyes & meant to have 2000's britney-esque tan."

Jeff Lewis wants to let everyone know he was just havin' some fun when he called his pal Kyle Richards a "lesbian on Ozempic" ... unclear if she's realized that though, because she's leaving his messages on read!

We got Jeff at the Rockefeller Center in NYC Wednesday after he caused some buzz on Andy Cohen's "Watch What Happens Live" with the comment.

Jeff makes it clear, he was only joking, and tells us he wanted to poke fun at the rumors about Kyle and country singer Morgan Wade dating -- something Kyle's denied quite a bit.

Despite it obviously being a goof, Jeff fills us in on some potentially troubled waters -- he shot her a text and she still hasn't responded. 👀

As we reported, Jeff drew some big laughs when he cracked wise about his friend ... Heather McDonald also jumped in, saying being gay is a side effect of the medication.

Ne-Yo is pulling back on his controversial comments about parents who allow their kids to be transgender ... claiming he's always been an advocate for inclusiveness.

The singer said Sunday night, "After much reflection, I’d like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity."

He also said he's "always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community, so I understand how my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive."

As we reported, Ne-Yo had folks pretty ticked off by a Saturday interview with VladTV's Gloria Velez, in which he condemned parents who affirm their child's gender identity.

He said he grew up with only 2 genders, and has no problem with others identifying however they want -- but added, "It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game."

He told Gloria, "I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5. He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?"

In his Sunday night mea culpa on X, Ne-Yo added ... gender identity is "nuanced," and he plans to "better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy."

Originally Published 6:59 AM PT

Ne-Yo says parents shouldn't be letting their kids transition genders ... suggesting minors don't know any better, but that adults should.

The singer spoke his mind in a recent VladTV interview, where he was talking to Gloria Velez. They touched on a number of topics, but eventually ... landed on transgenderism, especially as it relates to children.

He says he feels like a lot of people have lost sense of the definition of parenting -- because, in his mind, it boils down to being wiser than your kid ... and knowing when to put your foot down and say no. In this case, he believes affirming a child's gender identity is wrong.

Ne-Yo's rationale comes down to this ... transitioning genders is a life-altering decision, and he argues children (especially young ones) truly don't know what the hell they want, or on this particular topic ... what they even mean when they say they want to be a boy or a girl.

He hit his point home by saying this ... "I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. And there was two genders and that's just how I rocked. You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, that ain't my business, it becomes my business when you try to make me play the game. I'm not gonna call you a goldfish."

One last thing ... Ne-Yo references California legislation, which he (somewhat mistakenly) says will make it so parents lose their kids if they don't affirm their child's gender identity.

It's not quite what he's describing -- but there is, in fact, a bill working its way through the CA legislature right now (AB 957) that would require a judge in custody disputes to consider whether a parent is affirming their kid's identity in determining who they stay with.

Police have arrested someone in connection to the killing of O'Shae Sibley -- a gay dancer who was recently stabbed to death in NYC ... this after voguing to Beyoncé's music, no less.

The NYPD announced Saturday that they had a suspect in custody, whom they believe is responsible for Sibley's death. The unidentified perp is a 17-year-old boy, per cops, and he's being charged with murder ... which NYPD says is being prosecuted as a hate crime.

The suspect surrendered Friday in Brooklyn, accompanied by a lawyer. He'd been on the police's radar since the July 29 incident ... as they believed he went to school in the area. So far, he's the only one being charged, although it's unclear if he'll be tried as an adult.

The fact this is being pursued as a hate crime lends credence to what friends of Sibley's -- some of whom say they were actually there at the gas station that night -- have been saying on social media ... namely, that the suspect and whatever group of people he was with apparently had an issue with Sibley and co. being gay. It led to a full-blown shouting match, and an eventual scuffle that resulted in Sibley being stabbed ... which was caught on video.

Based on reports, it sounds like the whole thing emanated from Sibley and his friends dancing in the parking lot ... and playing Bey's music in the background. The singer paid tribute to Sibley after hearing about it -- she has his name up on her website's homepage.

Since his death, tons of people have been paying their respects in a number of ways -- including visiting the site of his murder and voguing/protesting en masse, in his name.