This article originally appeared on 10.24.20Twins born with separate fathers are rare in the human population. Although there isn't much known about heteropaternal superfecundation — as it's known in the scientific community — a study published in The Guardian, says about one in every 400 sets of fraternal twins has different fathers.Simon and Graeme Berney-Edwards, a gay married couple, from London, England both wanted to be the biological father of their first child. "We couldn't decide on who would be the biological father," Simon told The Daily Mail. "Graeme said it should be me, but I said that he had just as much right as I did."The only way to make it happen would be to have twins through in vitro fertilization. But they would have to find a doctor that would implant embryos from separate fathers in the same surrogate.They knew it wouldn't happen in England, so they looked for a doctor and surrogate mother in a different countries."I saw Simon and Graeme's profile on a surrogacy website and I thought they had lovely smiles," Meg Stone, the Canadian soon-to-be surrogate, said. "I had recently split with my partner and I wasn't ready for another baby, so I wanted to help someone." via Meg Seroki-Stone / FacebookMeg was already a mother of two children, Jeffrey, 12, and Max, five.The couple flew out to Los Angeles, where they both fertilized eggs from an anonymous donor. Then, they journeyed to Canada where they met with Meg to be sure she was the perfect fit."We were nervous at the beginning — in case that we didn't click with her. But we needn't have worried," Simon said.Six months later, one fertilized embryo of Simon's, and one embryo of Graeme's, were inserted into Meg's womb.The couple spent a stressful week hoping both embryos would take. They were afraid that one of the fathers' embryos would work, the other wouldn't, and they'd have to eventually go through the same process again."She FaceTimed us from the scanning room. First of all, we saw one heartbeat, and our stomach clenched with nerves," Simon said."Then we saw the other heartbeat. Graeme and I just hugged each other," he continued. "We were just over the moon. We were both going to be dads — she was pregnant with both of our babies."The couple kept in close touch with Meg over the coming weeks and flew back to Canada for her 19-week scan. The two proud fathers-to-be were delighted to touch her belly and feel their babies kicking inside the womb.At 31 weeks, Meg was in pain and thought she was about to go into labor. So the two men quickly packed their bags and flew to Canada."We dashed to the hospital when we arrived, to find out it was a false alarm," Simon said. "We were just so relieved that she and the babies were fine."The couple remained in Canada and five weeks later, Meg gave birth to Calder and Alexandra Berney Edwards."It was the most amazing experience of our lives," Simon said. "Alexandra was born first and then Calder arrived minutes later. "When we both held them for the first time, we couldn't believe that we were both daddies," he added. "It was a long way to go and do this, but it was worth it to both be able to have fathered one of the twins each.""Calder was the double of Graeme, and Alexandra was the image of me," Simon said.The couple remained in Canada for seven more weeks before they could take their newborns home. Then, they hopped on a plane and returned to England. But sadly, they had to leave a new member of their family behind."It was sad to say goodbye to Meg, When we brought them home for the first time, it was just incredible," Simon said. "Since then they have gone from strength to strength. They are doing so well and hitting all their milestones."The twins recently celebrated their first birthday and the fathers flew Meg out to celebrate with them."Simon and Graeme are like brothers to me now," Meg said. "They call me the twins 'Tummy Mummy' which I love." via LGBT News World

This article originally appeared on 6.24.20Elijah McClain was a massage therapist who played violin for shelter kittens on his lunch break in his hometown of Aurora, Colorado, because he thought the animals were lonely. If that detail alone doesn't conjure up a picture of a gentle soul, Colorado Music described McClain as a young man who was "quirky, a pacifist, a vegetarian, enjoyed running, and known to put a smile on everyone's face." — (@) According to The Cut, McClain's sister says he sometimes wore a ski/runner's mask because he was anemic and would often get cold. One night last August, he was walking home from the convenience store with his mask on when the police approached him, responding to a call about "a suspicious man" in the area. What ensued was "a struggle" according to police, which was only partially caught on body camera, as all of the officers' body cameras allegedly fell off during the incident. McClain was held in a carotid hold, a controversial restraint technique banned in some cities for its potential danger, and was also given a shot of ketamine by paramedics. He had a heart attack on the way to the hospital and died there three days later, after having been declared brain dead. He was unarmed. He was only 23. And his last words as the officers held him down are heartbreaking. UnknownThe full body camera footage of the entire evening's events was posted on YouTube by the Aurora Police Department in November, three months after McClain's death. (Discretion is advised.) Body Worn Camera Regarding the In-Custody Death of Elijah McClain www.youtube.com After the body camera footage was released, according to the Sentinel, District Attorney Dave Young sent a letter to Aurora police chief Nick Metz stating, "Based on the investigation presented and the applicable Colorado law, there is no reasonable likelihood of success of proving any state crimes beyond a reasonable doubt at trial. Therefore, no state criminal charges will be filed as a result of this incident."The officers were cleared of all wrongdoing. — (@) However, the public outcry over the case has grown into a tsunami of calls for accountability. More than 2.2 million people have signed a Change.org petition calling for a more in-depth investigation into McClain's death. On June 9, City Manager Jim Twombly agreed to an independent investigation of McClain's death. But even that investigation has hit snags, as the initial attorney commissioned to lead the investigation was a former police officer who specialized in defending police departments in liability cases. "Unfortunately, an attorney with a long career in law enforcement that specializes in defending municipal police departments from liability claims doesn't qualify, in our minds, as a neutral review," the Aurora city council said in a statement.Some policy changes have taken effect in Aurora this month. According to CBS Local in Denver, Interim Police Chief Vanessa Wilson has announced that officers can no longer use the carotid hold, they must give warnings before shooting, must intervene if they see an offer using excessive force, and relieve other officers when a use-of-force incident occurs. They will also be trained to not assume a person is suspicious based off of a 911 call. — (@) Victims of police brutality don't need to be angels. What's wrong is wrong. But when a demonstrably tender and sweet soul like Elijah McClain is killed from a police encounter and no wrongdoing is found, it's long past time to examine the rules that govern the entire system. No one in their right mind can say this young man shouldn't be alive right now, playing violin for lonely kittens on his lunch hour.

A Florida teacher has been fired for giving her students zeros for missing assignments.Diane Tirado has been a teacher for years. Most recently, she was an eighth-grade history teacher at Westgate K-8 School in Port St. Lucie, Florida.Diane recently gave her students two weeks to complete an Explorer notebook project, but several students simply didn't hand it in. Since there was zero work done, Diane gave them zeros.She got fired for it.The elementary school has a rule called the “no zero policy." The lowest possible grade that teachers can give students is a 50, even if they don't turn anything in. A letter from fired teacher Diane TiradoDiane Tirado/FacebookIt's a rule that Diane, unsurprisingly, does not agree with. After she was fired for disobeying, she left her students a charming goodbye message on the whiteboard."Bye kids. Mrs. Tirado loves you and wishes you the best in life. I have been fired for refusing to give you a 50 percent for not handing anything in. Love, Mrs. Tiado"The scale, as outlined by the school, reads as follows:A = 90 to 100B = 80 to 89C = 70-79D = 60-69F = 50-59Diane later shared the story on Facebook, hoping to spread awareness about the school's policy.“A grade in Mrs. Tirado's class is earned," she said.“I'm so upset because we have a nation of kids that are expecting to get paid and live their life just for showing up and it's not real."Diane's post has gone viral, and most commenters agree with her position – it's not fair to hand out grades for work that doesn't exist.“The reason I took on this fight was because it was ridiculous. Teaching should not be this hard," Diane said.This article was originally published on 7.26.19 by our partners at Wimp.

Anyone who has been a stay-at-home mom knows that it's not easy. But many people who haven't been one assume that it can't be that hard. I mean, what's so hard about taking care of a baby or a toddler or two? Don't babies basically just lie there? Don't you have all kinds of free time while they nap? It's hard to describe what it's like to those who haven't experienced the near-constant demands of hands-on, full-time mothering. I've had multiple jobs in my life, from flipping fast food burgers to teaching in public schools, and nothing compares to being a mom. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful in a million ways, but it's friggin' hard. My kids are all in the double digits now, but I remember those early years of staying home with my wee ones and feeling totally and completely spent by the end of the day. Many moms I know lament that their husbands don't seem to understand why they are so exhausted when "all they do" is "just stay home" with the kids all day. That's probably why this dad's photo of a steamy shower door has resonated with so many. It reads: "I came home yesterday evening after working 12 hours. I went into the bathroom to get cleaned up and ready for dinner. I noticed my daughter's bassinet in the bathroom. I asked my wife if she had put her in there, and how she did in it. She said she put her in it as she had showered during the day. We continued to talk about how good she had been and how much she's growing up and so forth. This morning I came home from the gym and turned the shower on to get cleaned up for work. I turned to the door and saw where my wife wiped away the steam from the glass, so she could see our baby girl in the bassinet. I literally just sat there and stared at the glass and smiled. I could see it, I imagined it, it was like I was there in the room with them. I could see Heather just looking through the glass and making faces at Lottie as she smiled and played in her bassinet! I just melted! It's so crazy to me, how the smallest things can make me so appreciative of my wife. It's the little sacrifices my wife makes for this family, that would normally go unnoticed. From caring for our daughter 24/7, to caring for me, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the animals, and taking care of herself (yeah right, there's no time for that.) It just makes me stop and think. I work hard. I work long 10-12 hours days, I get tired, I have stressful days and that's my right, as the working member in the household. I have the right to be catered to hand and foot when I get off?!? All she does is have to take care of a baby. So, it should be that she cooks, and keeps the house clean, dishes washed, laundry clean and put up, animals tended to... and I'm a man, have I mentioned my needs yet?!? I mean seriously, she's at home all day after all! Mannnnn... I can't tell you how much this fogged up glass means to me! The fact that my wife can't even shower without caring for someone else; tending to someone else's needs. She doesn't get a second to herself to relax. My wife doesn't get to clock out, my wife doesn't get the satisfaction of seeing a check deposited in the bank in return for her hard work, my wife doesn't get to eat lunch with coworkers, my wife doesn't get to just walk outside and just take a deep breath. This may be just a fogged-up piece of glass to some, but to me it means so much more. It's the little things like this that don't go unnoticed. it's the little things like this that constantly remind me how badass she is. it's the little things like this that make me fall in love with her all over again, Heather Williams! Thank you for being the amazing woman you are... it doesn't go unnoticed! I love you My Queen." ? ❤️ The fact that he saw in this smeared glass the sacrifices his wife makes being home with their baby is wonderful. I know some will say this dad doesn't deserve a cookie simply for seeing his wife, but so many stay-at-moms would love to receive this kind of acknowledgement from their partners.The reality is when you are taking care of a baby, you are "on" all the time. When the baby is asleep, you might get a chance to do some housework. Or you maybe get to close your eyes for a few moments to try to make up for the lack of sleep you got the night before from the baby waking you up to eat. Sometimes the kiddo won't stop crying and your nerves get fried by noon. Sometimes it's 2:00 in the afternoon, you're covered in breastmilk and spit up, you haven't showered, and you can't figure out where the time has gone. Once your baby is crawling or toddling, you can't take your eyes off them or they might literally die. There's pee and poop and every other bodily fluid you can think of, all day, every day. It's non-stop attention, non-stop need-meeting, non-stop love, but also non-stop work. And then people ask you what you do all day. More shower door recognition please, partners. Trust me, the mother of your children will appreciate it.

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