The Breakdown: Supreme Court To Decide Major LGBTQ+ Discrimination Cases

Getty Images: Drew Angerer / Stringer

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The One Big Thing

Supreme Court Takes On LGBTQ+ Discrimination Cases

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear three cases of workplace discrimination after various people were fired from their jobs after their sexual orientations or gender identities were revealed to employers. The Court will be tasked with determining if sex discrimination, which is prohibited in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. 1 in 5 LGBTQ+ Americans has experienced employment-related discrimination, so the Court’s decision will be huge in determining whether thousands of Americans will be protected by law. This is so obvious it hurts, but nobody should be fired based on who they love or how they identify. Stay tuned for updates on this case when hearings begin toward the end of the year.

(Pop) Culture Shock

Malala Yousafzai Launches YouTube Series Spotlighting Inspiring Girls

As a teenager she became an advocate for women’s right to education. Then she survived being shot in the head by the Taliban for her activism and rose to international fame. Now, at 21, after winning a Nobel Prize and writing a bestselling book, Malala Yousafzai just launched a YouTube series in which she highlights girls around the world who inspire her. In the first episode, the series tells the story of Nibras Khudaida, a 20-year-old who fled the ISIS in Iraq and resettled in Lincoln, Nebraska. By shining a spotlight on the girls and women changing our world for the better, this new series is bound to leave its viewers feeling empowered and inspired.

The Good News Is...

Man’s Emotional Reaction To Putting On A Bandage In His Skin Tone Goes Viral

Over the weekend, Dominique Apollon, who is Black, shared via Twitter his emotional reaction to putting on a bandage that matched his skin tone for the first time, and showed how a product many of us take for granted can have a profound impact on how we think about race. "I just started feeling sad that I'd spent my entire life — 45 years — perhaps without ever having experienced that before. It's impossible to say, but how might I have felt if I'd had that experience of care as a kid," he told Buzzfeed News. "It's a product that said to me, 'We see you. you're valued." The bandages join a line of products that have recently been adapted for all skin tones, including ballet slippers, bras and underwear, emojis, and even the definition of “nude.”

That's What She Said

“We have gathered today because we have chosen which path we want to take, and now we are waiting for the others to follow our example... It shouldn’t be like that, but since no one else is doing anything, we will have to do so.”

-Climate activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg, 16, speaking at a climate change march in London.

Quick Hitters

Why aren’t more people talking about… the students living in tents, months after California’s massive Camp fire.

Meanwhile, in Latin America… countries including Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador are being declared the most positive-thinking countries in the world.

My hero today is… Shaymaa Ismaa'eel, a 24-year-old Muslim woman who posed and smiled in the faces of anti-Muslim protesters. Seriously, the photo should be in a museum.

I’m obsessed with… MY DOG. His name is Harley and he’s turning 12 next week! If you look up “good boy” in the dictionary, this is the picture you’ll find. Basically, I love him and I want you all to know that.