Arts & Entertainment
Milo Yiannopoulos banned from Patreon after one day
The former Breitbart editor is reportedly millions of dollars in debt
Milo Yiannopoulos (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Milo Yiannopoulos attempted to make a “magnificent 2019 comeback,” funded by the public, but his efforts were shut down in one day.
The former Breitbart editor has faced challenges continuing to be relevant in the public eye after a string of scandals. Yiannopoulos was booted from Twitter for harassing comedian Leslie Jones and was forced to step down from his position at Breitbart after old comments which appeared to support pedophilia resurfaced. Things seemed to be turning around for Yiannopolous as he got married in Hawaii and got a job as a columnist for the Daily Caller. However, after one day the column was canceled because Yiannopolous made claims without evidence such as citing that straight people are more likely to be fired for their sexuality than LGBT people.
The Guardian is now reporting that Yiannopoulos is $2 million in debt, which Yiannopoulos rebuked in an Instagram post is actually $4 million in debt. He attempted to give himself a fresh start on the crowdfunding website, Patreon.
“I’ve had a miserable year or two, banned and de-platformed and censored and blacklisted … and now I need your help. I want to get back on my feet and come roaring back in 2019 with the fabulous comedy and insightful, serious commentary that made me famous in the first place,” Yiannopoulos wrote on the since-deleted page.”The past two years hasn’t been easy. I am one of the most censored and most lied-about people in the world. Even my fans sometimes believe things about me that aren’t true, because journalists lie more about me than perhaps anyone else in America. They can’t stand the idea of gay man who thinks for himself and says what he thinks.”
For $750 or more per month, donors’ perks would include 20 percent off all Yiannopoulos merchandise for life, a personal voicemail greeting from Yiannopoulos and a handwritten letter. Other perks were having Yiannopoulos fly out to your city to take you and a friend out to dinner once a year and an invitation to get drinks with Yiannopoulos (but the tab was on you).
Some of the rewards in Milo’s new Patreon are unbelievably sad. For $750 bucks he will call you every year on your birthday, and give you 24/7 access to him via WhatsApp pic.twitter.com/wTXCPJyFsS
— Joe Bernstein (@Bernstein) December 5, 2018
No one had a chance to experience these perks because Patreon shut down the page “as we don’t allow association with or supporting hate groups on Patreon.”
Hi there, thanks for the tweet. Milo Yiannopoulos was removed from Patreon as we don’t allow association with or supporting hate groups on Patreon. For more info, please see our Community Guidelines. https://t.co/L7737I1ENi
— Patreon (@Patreon) December 5, 2018
Sports
Jason Collins dies at 47
First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer
Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.
The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.
Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.
Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.
Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.
The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.
“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”
“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”
“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”
“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”
The Washington Blade will update this article with additional reaction when it becomes available.
Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week
Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.
The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.
Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.
“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”
Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.
Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.
Event Details:
📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026
⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP
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