Supreme Court Rules Employers Can't Discriminate Against LGBTQ+

The Supreme Court just handed a massive win for the LGBTQ+ community ... after ruling federal law protects gay and transgender people from workplace discrimination.

The Justices announced the landmark ruling Monday morning, and it's really significant. The court ruled the 1964 Civil Rights Act -- which prohibits discrimination, among other things, based on race, sex, national origin -- also applies to sexual orientation and gender discrimination.

What's more ... the vote was 6-3, and Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, wrote the majority opinion.

Gorsuch wrote ... "Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear. An employer who fires an individual for being homosexual or transgender fires that person for traits or actions it would not have questioned in members of a different sex. Sex plays a necessary and undisguisable role in the decision, exactly what Title VII forbids."

Translation -- by prohibiting sex discrimination, the law also covers sexual orientation.

The Supreme Court combined 2 cases ... a man in Clayton County, GA who claimed he was fired as a social worker after he became more open about being gay, and a man fired as a skydiving instructor.

The transgender case involved Aimee Stephens, who was fired after telling the owners at the funeral home she worked at about her gender transition. She died in May.

The Trump administration sided with employers, despite the fact the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decided in 2015 gay and transgender individuals were federally protected. This has been a hot-button issue for years because many lower courts have held that sexual orientation discrimination and gender identity discrimination are not included in the protections under the Civil Rights Act.

Now, the justices have ruled that these types of discrimination ARE sex discrimination, so gay and transgender people are protected.

Just last week the Trump administration announced it would erase protections for transgender patients seeking medical care, by narrowing the legal definition of sex discrimination so as not to include transgender people -- a big departure from the Obama administration. Unclear at this point if the SCOTUS ruling would torpedo Trump's effort.

The Supreme Court's ruling comes just 1 day after thousands held rallies in L.A. and New York calling for LGBTQ+ rights and racial justice. Protesters painted a huge sign in Hollywood that read "All Black Lives Matter" before it was removed early Monday morning.

Rayshard Brooks Shot in Back Autopsy Results Revealed

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5:55 AM PT -- 6/15 -- Rayshard Brooks' autopsy results have just been released ... officials are saying his cause of death is 2 gunshot wounds to the back.

UPDATE

The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office says Rayshard suffered organ damage and blood loss from the gunshot wounds. It also sounds like this is now being investigated as a homicide by prosecutors.

UPDATE

4:42 PM PT -- The Fulton County D.A. says ... "Today, members of my staff had the unfortunate duty of witnessing the autopsy of Mr. Brooks as part of our continued investigation." He goes on, "Because this is a homicide investigation, there are several technical requirements that must be met before we are able to reach a decision. That includes the confirmation of the ballistics involved and obtaining a preliminary report from the Medical Examiner."

The Atlanta PD has released body cam video showing the interaction between Rayshard Brooks and cops in a Wendy's parking lot moments before Brooks was shot and killed.

The conversation between Brooks and Officer Garrett Rolfe starts out cordial. Rolfe suspects Brooks had been drinking and driving, although when cops came on scene Brooks was not driving ... he had fallen asleep in his car.

Rolfe is trying to get Brooks to admit he had been drinking and driving, pressing him to take a field sobriety test. Brooks says he had a few drinks during his daughter's birthday party, but that was it.

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Brooks makes it clear ... he doesn't want trouble and agreed to leave his car behind and walk home. Rolfe clearly views that comment as a confession Brooks is unable to drive.

Eventually, Brooks takes the test and the officer tries to handcuff him, and that's when a struggle ensues.

Again, Brooks was able to grab one of the officer's tasers and run, so the officers knew a man accused of a non-violent misdemeanor was running away from them with a NON-LETHAL weapon, yet Brooks was shot 3 times.

The family lawyer is indignant the cops waited more than 2 minutes to even check on Brooks once he was down.

Officer Garrett Rolfe was fired and Devin Brosnan, whose body cam footage it is, has been placed on administrative leave.

Originally Published -- 6/14 7:21 AM PT

Hollywood Pride/BLM Rallies Cars Plow Through Protesters

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At least 2 L.A. drivers were NOT down to go around protesters marching for Black Lives Matter and Pride -- instead, they went right through them, hitting pedestrians.

Two different cars were seen driving through demonstrators Sunday. First up, some maniac in a BMW SUV on Hollywood Blvd ... who came in kinda hot and then slowed as he or she approached a crowd blocking the road. However, they refused to come to a complete stop, or even attempt to go around ... and rammed right through at least 2 marchers.

One victim was dragged along on top of the hood before getting thrown off, and another man was knocked down. The psycho sped off and got away, but it sounds like someone caught the license plate, and we're told police are searching for the driver.

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Meanwhile, in WeHo ... there was another driver who didn't quite do the ramming that the Hollywood lunatic above got away with. But still, she crept through protesters blocking her path, and they let her know they weren't too pleased with her impeding.

Looks like one of her windows was smashed out in the mayhem, and it also seems like people were vigilant in eyeballing her plates too.

Common & Tiffany Haddish Take Relationship to the Streets ... Join 'All Black Lives Matter' Protest

Tiffany Haddish and Common are way past virtual dating -- they're out and about together now ... protesting in the real world.

The comedian and the rapper joined tens of thousands of people Sunday in L.A. for the All Black Lives Matter march, which started in front of Hollywood's TCL Chinese Theater and ended in WeHo.

Tiffany was seen with a white "Fed Up" shirt, while Common wore a black t-shirt with Rosa Parks' face. Both had face coverings too ... keeping things COVID-safe.

The socially conscious date came 2 days after Tiff made an emotional speech at another rally ... talking about the fear she's felt when getting pulled over, and worrying that family members might not make it home if they have run-ins with police.

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Common and Tiff have been rumored to be in a relationship since the early days of stay-at-home orders when they were using Bumble to go on virtual dates. Later, Haddish reportedly revealed they'd taken another step and were self-isolating together.

Whether they're official or not ... the 2 were officially on board with joining the BLM cause Sunday, which was in solidarity with the black LGBTQ+ community.

Megan Thee Stallion and several other celebs also attended the event.

National Parks Service Drop $100k+ for COVID Safety ... Open for Summer Biz!!!

Anyone ready to park their asses at a National Park can rest assured ... their tax dollars will be hard at work protecting them from COVID-19.

That's right ... the National Park Service is doing everything it can to make sure visitors have what they need at their disposal to stem the spread of the coronavirus. TMZ got just over $100k in receipts to show how the NPS prepped to get some of its most popular parks retrofitted.

According to federal docs ... the agency spent the money on new cleaning supplies, porta-potties, hand washing stations and, get this, even self-cleaning garbage cans!!! We know these expenses are related to the pandemic because they're categorized under "National Interest Item - Covid 19 2020."

These docs were all filed within the last couple of weeks as national parks begin to open again. According to docs, Yellowstone National Park alone received $48,421 for portable toilets and wash station rentals. Here's how some other parks used the money:

- Lake Mead: $31,536 on pin pads/barcode scanners
- Mount Rushmore: $7,680 on portable toilet needs
- Alaska Regional National Park Office: $8,677 cleaning and sanitizing mountain cans
- Arizona's Agate Bridge: $5,948 funding due to social distancing for landscaping

Weekend warriors ... time to load up that SUV and get rollin'.

NASCAR's Ray Ciccarelli My Family's Been 'Attacked & Abused' ... Over Confederate Flag Post

"My wife, my family have been attacked and abused on social media. It’s just heartbreaking.”

That's the reaction NASCAR truck series driver Ray Ciccarelli says he's received since he threatened to quit over the sport's confederate flag ban ... and now, he just wants it to all stop.

The 50-year-old gave a lengthy interview to TobyChristie.com shortly after his infamous Facebook post ... saying he believes all of his comments were "misconstrued."

Specifically, Ray says he does NOT necessarily support the confederate flag ... he just supports people being allowed to fly whatever flag they want at races.

"In no way shape or form was I defending the Confederate flag," he said. "Everything I was saying was the fact that I understand both sides' feelings toward the flag."

"My viewpoint, all I was trying to say is how do you take [the flag] from one group and help support the group that it offends and then what do you do to the group that you took it from? Now, they get outraged."

Ray says his comments on kneeling during the national anthem were also twisted a bit ... saying he has NO issue with protestors there as well.

Ciccarelli claims he just has a problem with NASCAR implementing rules on both matters "out of left field."

"I had seen the news thing come through referring to, NASCAR now allows you to kneel during the anthem, It just irritated me some,” Ciccarelli said. “I believe in standing for the national anthem, and I believe that if you want to kneel during the anthem, you should kneel."

"It just kind of triggered me, because we’re being told you can’t kneel, now you can kneel. It just set me off."

Ciccarelli says he's hopeful his clarification on his comments will get critics off his back, saying, "This was a very educational learning experience."

He also added he's "TBA" on whether or not he'll go through with his quitting threat now.

Black Lives Matter Protest Signs Take Over Mundo Entero

It's official ... the Black Lives Matter movement is a global phenomenon.

Protests have erupted all over the world with people taking to the streets with signs highlighting the BLM movement following the tragic death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. It's incredible, tbh ... seeing people all over the world calling for justice and equality.

Check out the pics ... you'll see hundreds of people gathered in Madrid, Spain protesting racism. Over in Porto, Portugal, a peaceful demonstration was held against racism and xenophobia. South Koreans also rallied behind the US of A's BLM movement.

Again, these are incredible images that expand far and wide ... from Rio De Janeiro and Barking, England to Milan, Italy ... where one person held a sign with the drawing of an alien that read, "I see humans but no humanity."

It should be noted ... President Trump a few weeks ago said Minnesota was "a laughing stock all over the world" after protests erupted there and across the country.

Seriously ... what in the world is he talking about? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Jenelle Evans Hubby David Eason Arrested Gloomy Mug Shot Released

UPDATE

7:09 AM PT -- 6/15 -- David Eason allegedly used a handgun to hit Jenelle Evans' friend on the neck, and threatened to take his life ... this according to the arrest warrant in the case.

UPDATE

TMZ got a hold of David's arrest warrant, and while the details of how everything unfolded are still a bit hazy -- one thing is absolutely clear ... the alleged victim, James Spivey, claims David made a deadly threat.

UPDATE

According to the docs, Spivey claims David hit him on the back of the neck with a Springfield handgun, and then allegedly said ... "I will blow your f***ing brains out."

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Eventually, David was arrested and booked for 2 misdemeanors - assault with a deadly weapon and communicating threats  ... and he posed for this gloomy mug shot.

Ex-'Teen Mom' star Jenelle Evans appears to be leaving her volatile husband, David Eason, for good -- this after the guy allegedly pistol-whipped a man and got arrested.

We confirmed Eason was busted and booked Friday night out in Columbus County, North Carolina on two different charges -- assault with a deadly weapon and communicating threats.

As for what happened leading up to this ... reports say, and Jenelle seems to confirm on social media, that a scuffle broke out between a couple of her guy friends and David ... when she returned to the house to get some of her things. Eason allegedly pistol-whipped one of the dudes over a misunderstanding over keys.

Jenelle is reportedly staying with a relative now.

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She wrote on FB, "I just want to let the public, tabloids, and my fans know that IM OK, IM SAFE AND SO ARE THE KIDS! I'm going to take a few days out to myself to gather my thoughts and focus on what's going on so I won't be on social media much. I love you all for the support that you all have shown me and I'll be stronger and better than ever soon!"

Jenelle also told Celebernation that it was time she and David went their separate ways ... again.

Cops released Eason on an unsecured bond.

Originally Published -- 6/13 3:21 PM PT

UFC's Sean O'Malley Flattered By McGregor Comparisons ... 'What a Compliment'

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They've got style. They've got charisma. They've got insane knockout power ... and that's why Sean O'Malley says he ain't mad at the recent comparisons to Conor McGregor.

"Anytime you're getting compared to someone great like that, you're doing something right," the undefeated 25-year-old tells TMZ Sports.

Of course, O'Malley's stock has been on the rise after flattening his last two opponents in sensational fashion. Most recently, a phenomenal 1-hitter quitter KO over Eddie Wineland at UFC 250.

"I take that as a compliment, getting compared to Conor. As far as the skill set wise, I think I have more skills when it comes to the striking."

Hey, O'Malley definitely doesn't lack confidence!

"I can stand southpaw and throw anything the same as I can stand orthodox and throw anything. I'm very, very dangerous from every position."

"He's mainly a southpaw with a bomb left hand and he throws left heaves and some decent spinning stuff. I feel like I have more tools in the toolbox than anybody in the MMA as far as coming up with striking."

O'Malley jokes that he only hopes the comparisons stop when it comes to some of the outside the Octagon activity Conor's been involved with ... like the arrests.

"I don't wanna be compared to him as I'm on TMZ going to jail! I'm gonna try to avoid those situations as much as I can."

"Being compared to Conor, yeah, it's great. It's like being compared to Jon Jones, Muhammad Ali, those guys. It's like, 'F**k yeah,' you can compare me!"

Jussie Smollett 'Attacker' Osundairo Bro Busted Speeding ... Clocked Over 80 mph!!!

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One of Jussie Smollett's alleged attackers has a need for speed ... at least according to cops, who arrested him for flying ... more than 30 MPH OVER the limit.

Ola Osundairo got busted in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, and we got the video of his failed attempt to talk his way out of it with the cops. Hey, everybody tries ... can't knock him for that.

Law enforcement sources tell us the cops got Ola on radar last Sunday doing 81 MPH in a 45 MPH zone. In Illinois, like many states, 25 MPH over the limit can get you a pair of handcuffs and a trip to jail ... and that's what happened to Ola.

Ola's telling a different story though ... he claims he was driving the posted speed limit, in his girlfriend's Jeep, and the officer had no grounds to arrest him.

It's kinda funny ... according to the police report, Ola tried to pull the ol' "don't you know who I am?" card, but it backfired when the cop didn't know who he was. That alleged interaction is not in the video and Ola's attorney, Gloria Schmidt, tells us Ola denies it even happened.

In any event, Ola was taken to the Orland Park Police Station and booked for a Class A misdemeanor for speeding 35+ over the posted limit. He bailed out later that night.

Ola's attorney also says he will file a complaint against the officers because they towed the Jeep instead of releasing it to his girlfriend, whose name is on the Jeep's insurance card.

Best part of the video? His 4th gear theory, which cops didn't buy at all. As they say ... tell it to the judge.

'Lose Yo Job' Security Guard Not Only Still Working ... Fielding Hollywood Job Offers!!!

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DETAINED FOR WHAT?

Going viral is often a bad thing -- especially when it's for someone's singing to you about how "You about to lose yo job" -- but turns out it's been a potential cash cow for Julius Locklear.

We broke the story ... Julius is the security guard who got a melodic earful from the woman he was detaining outside a South Carolina strip club. Despite her awesome lyrics, Julius remained employed ... in security, and as a bail bondsman.

Now he tells us ... his situation's improving.

Locklear says he has job offerings pouring in thanks to the video, and tells us it's because prospective employers like the professionalism and restraint he displayed.

Julius says one offer is from an up-and-coming artist in Atlanta who reached out and asked if he's interested in being hired as his full-time bodyguard.

We're told another offer is from a big security company in Los Angeles. Locklear says they told him they saw him in the video and are looking for more honest, hardworking and dedicated personnel like him ... especially nowadays.

He says they're holding a position for him, and he's planning to head to L.A. for a meeting as soon as safely possible. Damn COVID.

Obviously, there are no guarantees, but it seems like some new song lyrics are in order for Julius ... something like, "You about to start a new job!"

Joan Of Arc in 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' 'Memba Her?!

Wisconsin born musician Jane Wiedlin made a name for herself as the punk rock princess and singer of The Go-Go's in the '80s ... but for movie buffs, Jane might be known for playing the sword-wielding Joan Of Arc in the classic 1989 time-traveling buddy comedy, "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure."

Jane Wiedlin was cast alongside other actors including Hollywood stuntman Al Leong as Genghis Khan, Terry Camilleri as Napoleon Bonaparte ... and of course, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as Bill and Ted.

Wiedlin's other acting credits include 'Star Trek IV,' the movie "Clue" and the 1987 live-action version of "Sleeping Beauty."

Guess what she looks like now!

Long Island, NY Cop Bumps Protester on Purpose ... Triggers Violent Arrest

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@mike_mo516/Instagram
UPDATE

3:45 PM PT -- The man who was tackled and arrested in this video, Terrel Tuosto, tells TMZ he absolutely feels he was set up by these officers -- and says they need to be removed from the force.

UPDATE

Leading up to this, Terrel says his own brother actually ran into a similar situation -- cutting across officers -- and he too was arrested after officers took it as an act of aggression. He feels the officers know who he and his brother are, as they've been protesting George Floyd's death for several days now ... and he thinks the police were simply sick of it.

UPDATE

Now, the guy who recorded this video, whose name is Mike, tells us he was never harassed or roughed up by cops like Terrel was, even though he made contact with an officer at one point. Mike says he feels it didn't happen because he's white, and Terrel is a POC.

A cop in Long Island appears to have purposefully blocked the path of a protester who was following him ... just so his buddies could pounce on the guy and arrest him.

The wild scene played out in East Meadow Saturday, where a bunch of protesters were being followed/escorted by local police ... at least some of whom were Nassau County officers, per reports. At one point, one of the protesters starts tagging alongside one of the cops up ahead, keeping in step with him momentarily ... and then attempting to pass him from behind.

The policeman notices this and abruptly stops in his tracks, so that the guy runs into him and makes slight, incidental contact. What happens next is insane ... a full-blown takedown.

It's crazy, 'cause you can see the officer almost signal to the others that he was touched  ... and the rest of them swarm in and rough the dude up as they detain him. You can see at least one officer has his knee on the guy too as his fellow protesters shriek in terror.

Some eyewitnesses say the officers had their knee on this man's neck -- although it's hard to say for certain from the angle of this video.

Now, Nassau County police officials have responded to this incident ... and they say the disorderly conduct arrest of this man and two others was necessary. They go on to say that this protester specifically was "moving across lanes of traffic," which is what spurred the arrest.

Their response might get even further scrutiny, however, because New York Attorney General, Letitia James, reportedly responded to the video on Twitter, saying she wanted it looked into.

Originally published -- 3:04 PM PT

Barbra Streisand Makes George Floyd's Kid A Disney Stock Shareholder!!!

Barbra Streisand just gave George Floyd's young daughter a gift that's worth its weight in gold -- especially long term -- in the form of stock to a behemoth of a company ... Disney.

6-year-old Gianna Floyd posted about the nice gesture on her personal IG account, saying ... "Thank You @barbrastreisand for my package, I am now a Disney Stockholder thanks to you 🥰🥰🥰." She also threw in a few photos of the official Disney stock certificate(s).

Now, it's unclear how many shares Barbra gave the kid -- but considering she's loaded and went out of her way to get this for Gigi ... something tells us she might've been generous.

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Disney shares go for about $115 a pop right now -- and while the Mouse House has been put on ice in the wake of the pandemic ... Wall Street history shows that it's a fairly solid company to invest in over time, people usually make their money back with Mickey and co.

This kindness is just the latest amid an outpouring of love and support for Gianna and the rest of George's family. She's already been offered a full-ride scholarship to Texas Southern University in Houston -- and of course, we know Kanye has set up a college fund for her.

On top of that, an official GoFundMe page has been set up on behalf of Gianna, and it has raised over $2 million to date. That's what we call a village helping pick someone up.

San Bernardino Police Shoot, Kill Homeless Man ... Claim He Might've Had Gun

San Bernardino Police gunned down what's been described as a homeless man, who they say waved what might have been a handgun at them ... but it's not clear if he was actually armed.

The shooting occurred Saturday night at a gas station, where cops were responding to reports of a man brandishing a gun on the premises. When they showed up, cops say the guy was still carrying what appeared to them to be a firearm, and refused to put it down.

In bystander video, you can hear the officers giving the order ... and seconds later, they fire multiple rounds. The man was taken to a hospital and later pronounced dead. It's unclear what made the cops shoot, but SBPD released an image seemingly hinting at the reason.

They put up this photo, which they say shows the suspect pointing what was perceived as a possible weapon at the officers. Interestingly, though, SBPD has not yet confirmed if a gun was in fact found.

Witnesses on scene told the L.A. Times they'd seen the guy there earlier in the day rummaging through trash cans and panhandling. A cashier at the Circle K across the street says she believes the police mistook a flashlight he had as a gun, adding he was harmless.

The investigation is ongoing, but considering the boiling point we've reached with officer-involved shootings lately ... people are giving this a much-deserved hard look.

Beyonce on Breonna Taylor Open Letter to K.Y. AG ... Charge the Cops Who Killed Her

Beyonce is shining a light on Breonna Taylor's case ... calling on Kentucky's top prosecutor to bring charges against the cops who killed her during a "no-knock" search warrant in March.

The pop star penned and posted an open letter on her site Sunday to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, highlighting the fact that while a new law has been passed in her name banning the use of no-knock warrants ... her family has still not received true justice.

She says it plainly, writing ... "Three months have passed -- and zero arrests have been made, and no officers have been fired. The LMPD's investigation was turned over to your office, and yet all of the officers involved in the shooting remain employed by the LMPD."

Beyonce adds, "Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Myles Cosgrove and Brett Hankison must be held accountable for their actions." They're the ones who busted into her apartment -- believing it was being used to house drugs -- and opened fire upon her and her boyfriend inside ... unloading 20 rounds, eight of which struck and ultimately killed Breonna.

The three officers were put on administrative leave -- the case is still under investigation.

Bey ends her letter with a list of demands for AG Cameron, saying she and the community want to see criminal charges brought against the three men, transparency in the investigation and subsequent prosecution of them, and then calls for a separate investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department's handling of the case from the jump.

Beyonce caps it off with a heartfelt plea ... "Don't let this case fall into the pattern of no action after a terrible tragedy. With every death of a Black person at the hands of the police, there are two real tragedies: the death itself, and the inaction and delays that follow it. This is your chance to end that pattern. Take swift and decisive action in charging the officers."

She finishes by saying, "The next months cannot look like the last three."