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Supporters of Georgia's transgender and nonbinary community march in Atlanta in October 2019. Historically, the LGBTQ community, especially transgender women, has faced higher unemployment rates, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credit: AP Photo/Robin Rayne
Atlanta resident Rachael Philips worked for a small trade show company — an industry that relies heavily on showing off wares to crowds. As the COVID-19 pandemic suddenly and quickly swept across America and the world in March 2020, all of that came crashing down.
"By March 13, I was furloughed indefinitely," she said. "This caused me to lose everything. I lost the ability to pay for my house, day care, bills."