Madison Square Garden denies keeping a dossier of celebrities' sexual orientations

New York venue Madison Square Garden (MSG) has denied that it kept a dossier listing various celebrities' sexual orientations.

According to an investigation from Wired, the information was found within a "VIP database" held by the music and events arena's security team, which featured over 39,539 names across business, technology, politics, media, and sports.

The report notes that, while the vast majority of those names came without any significant information, some were listed under categories such as "Do Not Host" to bar them from receiving complimentary tickets, and low to high "risk", which indicates if supervision is needed from MSG staff.

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Those allegedly listed under "medium risk" included Lily Allen, former US Vogue editor Anna Wintour and country music star Morgan Wallen. Those listed under "high risk" included Freddie Gibbs, Lil Jon, DaBaby, and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie.

After the report was published, Gibbs responded to his inclusion in the "high risk" category in the dossier, writing via X: "D’Fuck I got to do with this?"

Wired found that 93 of the entries, including prominent stars such as Ricky Martin, Phoebe Bridgers, and Geese’s Emily Green, were categorised as "LGBTQIA".

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It's unknown why the venue thought to note its VIP visitors' sexual orientations, though digital rights activist Evan Greer insisted to Wired that there was a "pattern" in MSG's treatment of LGBTQIA+ people.

Greer pointed to a separate Wired investigation that found its surveillance team had used facial recognition software to "monitor the activities of a transgender woman".

Responding to a request for comment by Mixmag, a spokesperson for MSG said: “Wired’s reporting is inaccurate and false. MSG is pursuing legal remedies.” 

[Via: Wired]

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, get in touch with her here.