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Pride and no prejudice

Ashley Shaffer   | Paste BN

The Supreme Court delivers a landmark victory to LGBTQ workers. Rayshard Brooks' family calls for "drastic change." And thousands rally for Black transgender lives in protests across the country.

It's Ashley with the news to know. 

But first, hold the meat: Nearly 43,000 pounds of ground beef, including packages sold at Walmart, are being recalled because of possible E. coli contamination. 

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LGBTQ workers win major victory at Supreme Court

A divided Supreme Court further advanced the cause of LGBTQ rights Monday, ruling that a landmark civil rights law does, by its terms, protect gay, lesbian and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law," Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the majority opinion. The court's ruling is likely to have a sweeping impact on federal civil rights laws barring sex discrimination in education, health care, housing and financial credit. The ruling does not help when it comes to discrimination against LGBTQ people in public accommodations, which lack federal protection. Thirty-one states do not offer that protection. 

Two Black transgender women were killed last week. Thousands showed up to protest

Riah Milton was 25 and a joyful person, her sister says. Dominique "Rem'mie" Fells, 27, was always smiling. Both were found dead last week – their deaths the latest in what advocacy groups called an epidemic facing transgender people, especially Black trans women. Calls for attention to their lives grew into protests this weekend, a time typically marked by joyful celebrations of LGBTQ Pride. These demonstrations spotlighted a community that activists and family and friends of those who died say is particularly vulnerable: transgendered individuals, particularly women of color. 

What everyone’s talking about

Rayshard Brooks' family demands charges against officers

Amid nationwide protests of racial inequality after the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, the shooting of another Black man by a white police officer, this time in Atlanta, has again reignited anger and calls for police changes. The family of Rayshard Brooks, 27, who was fatally shot by police at a Wendy's on Friday, called for criminal charges against the officers involved in his death Monday while energized protesters conducted a "March on Georgia" to the State Capitol, demanding an end to systemic racism. During a tearful, emotionally charged news conference, Brooks’ cousin, Tiara Brooks, said the tragedy must be a catalyst for change in the city. “The only way to heal some of these wounds is through a conviction and drastic change in the police department,” she said.

Definition check: 'Systemic racism'

The news is full of terms we may not have heard before. When we see one in the day's news cycle, we'll take the time here to define it.

Civil rights leaders and advocates demand an end to systemic racism, a reference to the systems in place which create and maintain racial inequality in nearly every facet of life for people of color. Here's what you need to know about systemic racism and how you can help dismantle it.

19-year-old Florida protester Oluwatoyin Salau found dead in Tallahassee after going missing

A 19-year-old protester who begged for justice in the wake of Black lives lost has died. Oluwatoyin Salau was found dead Saturday after she went missing more than a week ago, family members said. Salau was one of two homicide victims discovered Saturday in southeast Tallahassee. At each demonstration, Salau recited the names of Black people killed, such as Tony McDade of Tallahassee. “I don’t want their names gone in vain," Salau said during a protest in front of the Tallahassee Police Department last month. Victoria "Vicki" Sims, 75, who was also reported missing, is the second victim.

Real quick 

FDA pulls emergency use of two COVID treatments

The drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are unlikely to be effective in treating coronavirus, the FDA announced Monday, revoking its emergency authorization for the malaria drugs. The agency said in a letter the decision was based on new evidence that it was no longer reasonable to believe the drug "may be effective in diagnosing, treating or preventing" COVID-19. Citing reports of heart complications, the FDA said the drugs pose a greater risk to patients than any potential benefits. President Donald Trump touted the drug in the first weeks of the outbreak and stunned medical professionals when he revealed he took the drug preemptively against infection.

  • "More likely months than weeks": Anthony Fauci warns the U.K. that coronavirus travel restrictions won't lift anytime soon.
  • Patients with an underlying health condition were six times more likely to end up in the hospital if they contracted COVID-19, a new federal study shows.
  • Horseshoe crabs may be the answer to a safe coronavirus vaccine next year. Here's why.

A break from the news

This is a compilation of stories from across the Paste BN Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.

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