XPost: alt.culture.oregon, alt.cult.glee, or.general   
   XPost: seattle.general   
   From: pubic@harry.com   
      
   Fitness guru Richard Simmons filed a defamation lawsuit Monday   
   against the National Enquirer and Radar Online for publishing   
   stories that he said falsely alleged he is transitioning from   
   male to female and undergoing sex reassignment surgery.   
      
   Simmons is suing the publications on the grounds that the   
   stories were part of a “hurtful campaign of defamations and   
   privacy invasions, falsely asserting that Mr. Simmons is   
   transitioning from male to female, including ‘shocking sex   
   surgery,’ breast implants, hormone treatments, and consultations   
   on medical castration," according to the lawsuit filed in Los   
   Angeles Superior Court.   
      
   The suit states that the allegations are particularly offensive   
   because Simmons is an "avid supporter of the LBGTQ community and   
   individual autonomy." Simmons alleges that both the National   
   Enquirer and Radar Online “specialize in salacious stories,   
   often featuring celebrities, callously calculated to generate   
   profit through defamation and invasion of privacy."   
      
   Simmons admits in the suit that he has been subject to intense   
   media scrutiny since he announced in 2014 that he was taking a   
   leave of absence from public life. He claims that shortly after   
   retreating, a man named Mauro Oliveira simultaneously   
   "blackmailed, extorted and stalked Simmons for several years   
   with the intention of destroying the career and reputation of   
   Mr. Simmons" and also "contacted several press outlets,   
   including National Enquirer and Radar, and offered information   
   on Mr. Simmons’ disappearance for a fee.”   
      
   Simmons believes that Oliveira, his former friend and masseuse,   
   contacted the National Enquirer on at least three separate   
   occasions, including with false allegations that Simmons was   
   transitioning from male to female. When Simmons learned that   
   tabloid was planning to publish a story with those claims, his   
   attorney informed the publication the information was false.   
      
   But despite this denial, the story was published with the   
   headline “Richard Simmons: He Is Now a Woman!” with a picture of   
   Simmons wearing a dress and a wig. The article stated that   
   Simmons has “slowly transformed into a female with breast   
   implants, hormone treatment, and medical consultations on   
   castration” and that he is “now living as a gal named Fiona.”   
      
   https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-   
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   Simmons said the story is 100% false and the photo is an old   
   image of his longstanding burlesque-style entertainment persona.   
   Simmons said the National Enquirer and Radar Online also   
   published other stories with the same premise.   
      
   The two publications, both owned by parent company AMI, issued a   
   statement declaring that they stand by the reporting — and will   
   continue to probe Simmons' life.   
      
   "Our story was based on credible sources who were in Mr.   
   Simmons’ inner circle. The photos provided to The ENQUIRER are   
   real — and speak for themselves," the statement said. "We stand   
   by our reporting about Mr. Simmons, and intend to vigorously   
   defend this lawsuit and win public vindication of our reports.   
      
   "We will also aggressively pursue our ongoing investigation into   
   his life and who is really behind this bizarre and meritless   
   lawsuit."   
      
   Simmons' silence over his reasons for withdrawing from his   
   exercise studio and from making appearances has fueled a public   
   obsession with the once-approachable weight-loss personality,   
   spawning the podcast Missing Richard Simmons by Dan Taberski.   
   Missing Richard Simmons repeated the transitioning rumor, and   
   also heavily relied on Oliveira as a source.   
      
   Reached by email Monday afternoon, Taberski wrote: "The lawsuit   
   isn’t about me, so I’m not going to comment on it. The story I   
   set out to tell ended back in March. But clearly it's not over   
   yet for some of the people involved."   
      
   The National Enquirer said in their statement that this public   
   interest drove its reporting. "This is a legitimate news story   
   that demands coverage. It is the business of The National   
   ENQUIRER — and has been for the past 90 years — to report on   
   what goes on behind the closed doors of Hollywood," the   
   statement read.   
      
   https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiarosenbaum/fitness-guru-richard-   
   simmons-sues-national-enquirer-for-   
   sex?utm_term=.ualAqXNxZ#.tybJm8BMz   
          
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)