LGBTQ Americans just won a massive civil rights victory

THE BIG STORY

LGBTQ Americans just won a massive civil rights victory at the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Monday issued its most sweeping decision ever to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, finding that a federal ban on sex discrimination in workplaces also protects employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The ruling protecting queer and transgender people comes at a time when their safeguards are being threatened. Just days ago, the Trump administration stripped away protections for the LGBTQ community by allowing health providers to deny service to transgender people.

OUTBREAK TODAY

Amarillo, Texas, is America's COVID-19 future

There’s a yearning for normalcy so strong in Amarillo, Texas, that many continue to insist that the only way forward is to reopen and learn to live with continued sickness and death, even as coronavirus cases start rising in other states.

And Amarillo's push to reopen is possible, in part, because most of the cases there have been among essential workers: in this case, clustered in meatpacking plants, whose workers are often marginalized, and who, for complex reasons, are just as desperate to downplay the virus’s effect.

A woman shops at the Jubba International Grocery in Amarillo. Nick Oxford for BuzzFeed News

The coronavirus is shattering a generation of kids

Khalil, an 8-year-old who is autistic, doesn’t understand why his routine has imploded. He doesn’t understand why he has to go to school online, why he has to sit in front of a computer for 45 minutes at a time. Every morning he wants to know: Is today the day I get to go see my school? See my classmates?

He's one of over 40 children across the country BuzzFeed News interviewed to reveal American childhood in the midst of COVID-19 — and how race and class help define which children will emerge unscathed.

SNAPSHOTS

A 27-year-old Black man was shot and killed by police after they found him asleep in a car at Wendy's. After police killed Rayshard Brooks, the Atlanta police chief stepped down, protesters took to the streets, and people set the Wendy's ablaze. The officer who shot him has also been fired.

Officials are requesting an independent investigation into the death of Robert Fuller, a Black man who was found hanging from a tree in California, after police ruled his death a suicide.

Trump and his allies said tear gas wasn't used on protesters for his photo op outside a church two weeks ago. The Secret Service has now admitted that it was.

New video reveals how jail guards reacted when they found a transgender woman, who later died, unresponsive in her cell. "To this day, Layleen’s mother is haunted by the images of the guard laughing at her daughter."

Cosmetics companies say Black lives matter. But they're making billions from skin lightening products.

THE VIEW FROM HERE

Two photo essays to spend time with today

The first is a look at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, a six-block area in Seattle that doesn't have a dedicated police presence, but does have movie screenings and free snacks.

People hang out in the Conversation Café. Karen Ducey / Getty Images

The second is an interview with Atlanta-based photographer Sheila Pree Bright and a showcase of her intimate look at the activists involved in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, is seen in white with other mothers whose children died because of police brutality. Sheila Pree Bright via Chronicle Books

Hoping your Monday starts with the space you need to win the week,

Brandon

P.S. If you like this newsletter, help keep our reporting free for all. Support BuzzFeed News by becoming a member here. (monthly memberships are available worldwide)

📝 This letter was edited and brought to you by Brandon Hardin and BuzzFeed News. You can always reach us here.
🔔 Want to be notified as soon as news breaks? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS and Android (available in Canadian, UK, Australian, and US app stores).
💌 Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up to get BuzzFeed News in your inbox!

Show privacy notice and cookie policy.

BuzzFeed, Inc.
111 E. 18th St.
New York, NY 10003
Unsubscribe