MSG Suing Wired Over Article Alleging Company Kept Database Of LGBTQIA Celebrities

A week ago, Wired published a report alleging Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. maintains a database of LGBTQIA celebrities. At the time, MSG said they'd be suing Wired over the article. As promised, that lawsuit was filed today.

Owned by James Dolan, MSG Entertainment runs the famous Manhattan arena Madison Square Garden, other New York City venues Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre, and the Chicago Theatre in Chicago. Its parent company, Sphere Entertainment, also owns and operates the Sphere in Las Vegas.

According to a press release from MSG, the company sued Wired, reporter Noah Shachtman, "and related parties" over their report. The release alleges that Shachtman "combed the dark web, obtained data stolen from MSG by an extortionist hacking group, and cherry-picked fragments of that data to manufacture a false narrative portraying MSG as targeting the LGBTQIA community for discriminatory purposes." It further alleges that by continually promoting the article, Wired and associated parties are knowingly promoting a falsehood. And it asserts that the information on LGBTQIA celebs was used not to discriminate but for "further inclusion, including by extending invitations to LGBTQIA support events, identifying sales and sponsorship opportunities, and facilitating charitable donations and community outreach."

The full lawsuit is viewable here.

Several years ago, MSG confirmed the use of facial recognition technology, which Dolan has reportedly used to ban his adversaries from the premises. Earlier this year, Wired reported on the use of that surveillance tech to track the movements of a trans woman at the arena over a two-year period.