Federal Judge Rejects Trump Request to Delay Enlistment of Trans Troops

Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who has already temporarily blocked the trans military ban, issued a clarifying order today.

www.advocate.com/military/2017/11/27/federal-judge-rejects-trump-request-delay-enlistment-trans-troops

Trudeau Govt. to Pay $100 Million to Canadians Whose Careers Were Destroyed by Homosexuality Convictions

The Trudeau government will pay more than $100 million to Canadians convicted for “gross indecency” or forced from military careers due to their sexual orientation.

CBC News reports:

The money will be paid out as part of a class-action lawsuit settlement to employees who were investigated, sanctioned and sometimes fired as part of the so-called gay purge.

An agreement in principle in the court action emerged Friday, just days before the government delivers a sweeping apology for discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.

Details of the agreement must still be worked out by the parties and approved by the Federal Court, but it’s expected that several thousand people will be eligible for the financial compensation.

As we reported last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will deliver a public apology to those convicted gay men in the House of Commons tomorrow.

The post Trudeau Govt. to Pay $100 Million to Canadians Whose Careers Were Destroyed by Homosexuality Convictions appeared first on Towleroad.

Trudeau Govt. to Pay $100 Million to Canadians Whose Careers Were Destroyed by Homosexuality Convictions

The Shawl: An Animated, True, Love Story With An Assist By Stevie Nicks

The Shawl on Kickstarter looks promising and features a couple we love. Shane is part of the house team at Upright Citizens Brigade comedy team, does a monthly one-man variety show in New York City and makes videos for the New York Times.  Dusty also performs live, teaches high school, and is an “on hiatus” fashion designer, who regularly turns out amazing looks for himself that become part of the conversation far beyond just the clothing.

Alone they are entertaining and inspiring. Together they create community and co-parent a good many members personally while coaching them creatively.

They’ve connected with with kindred-spirit Sara Keiner, who is directing the project, working with her her friend, illustrator Bryanne Farley, on an animated short version of their romance. And you only have a short time to be a part of it and help over the top at Kickstarter. The Kickstarter pitch says “Let’s be real. The world is a really crazy place right now. Creating and sharing stories that celebrate JOY and LOVE in every form is necessary for survival. Plus, I mean, who doesn’t love a real life “fairytale” love story, presided over by the Goddess herself, Stevie Nicks?!?!”

The Kickstarter ends Wed, November 29 2017 10:00 AM EST. And as a part of it they have some great pins, sneak peak viewings to get in with the cool kids and other opportunities.

“You should support the Shawl if you believe in non-traditional love stories; if you enjoy the work of Stevie Nicks; if you like adorable and well-executed animation; and if you like brief but satisfying storytelling which is all combined in this short film.” is Shane intros the video below. Enjoy.

The post The Shawl: An Animated, True, Love Story With An Assist By Stevie Nicks appeared first on Towleroad.

The Shawl: An Animated, True, Love Story With An Assist By Stevie Nicks

Many Babies Who Died Due To Issues During Labour Could Have Been Saved, Report Finds
The majority of babies who died due to issues during labour in the UK could have been saved if improvements were made to their care during birth, a report has found.

In a review of 78 babies who died during or shortly after childbirth in 2015, but were alive at the onset of labour, researchers found in nearly 80% of deaths, improvements in care may have made a difference to the outcome for the baby.

In total, 225 babies died in 2015 due to intrapartum (death occurring during the act of birth) stillbirth and intrapartum-related neonatal death.

A team of academics, clinicians and charity representatives, called MBRRACE-UK, said that while the number of intrapartum-related deaths has more than halved since 1993, there needs to be more improvements in care.

Professor Elizabeth Draper, professor of perinatal and paediatric epidemiology at University of Leicester explained: “The main issues identified were care before labour (including induction), monitoring during labour, delay in expediting birth, heavy workload of the units, a lack of joint obstetric and neonatal input into bereavement care and a lack of rigour in the local review of the deaths.”

In the report, MBRRACE-UK looked at the quality of care for intrapartum-related deaths, where the babies were alive at the onset of labour.

All babies were singletons (sole births) and were not affected by a major congenital anomalies.

In the sample of 78 babies, the care provided for these mothers and babies was reviewed against national care guidelines by a panel of clinicians, including midwives, obstetricians, neonatologists, neonatal nurses and pathologists.

Poor “service capacity” (volume that staff could handle while maintaining standards of quality) affected over a fifth of the deaths reviewed.

The report found “heavy workload” contributed to delays in induction in one third of cases being induced.

There was a significant delay in both the decision to expedite the birth (speed up the process) and in actually achieving birth in approximately a third of the deaths reviewed.

There was also a failure to recognise the transition to the active phase of labour and to begin appropriate monitoring in one-eighth of cases.

MBRRACE-UK found there were errors in the “method, interpretation, escalation and response” to foetal monitoring during labour: Two fifths of babies had “intermittent auscultation” (previous form of foetal monitoring), which was “not compliant with national guidance”.

The researchers found that “for most cases”, resuscitation was delivered effectively by clinical staff present at the delivery.

The team concluded: “overall the quality of bereavement care was variable, with a lack of joint obstetric and neonatal input”.

Although the majority (95%) of intrapartum-related deaths were reviewed, many of the reviews were found to be “lacking in quality”.

Professor Sara Kenyon, professor of evidence-based maternity care at the University of Birmingham and joint author of the report said that while it is good that the number of babies who die has fallen, there remain problems with the quality of care, which need to be addressed.

“The forthcoming introduction of a national standardised tool to support staff reviewing perinatal death in their Trusts is an important step forward,” she said.

“If we learn the lessons and implement the changes the report has highlighted, the numbers of babies like this that die should reduce.”

Responding to the report, Dr David Evans, consultant neonatologist and vice president for training and assessment at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) agreed that we should focus on what else needs to be done to prevent the deaths that do occur.

“Perhaps most concerning is the finding that service capacity affected over a fifth of deaths reviewed,” he said.

“Heavy workloads are cited as contributing to delays in induction in a third of women, which can have devastating effects for the unborn child.

“Neonatal units have a strict set of services standards in place in order to protect their vulnerable patients, but the RCPCH knows from its own surveys that many units fail to meet these standards due to workforce pressures.

“Standards will only be met, and the quality of care driven up, with investment in staff. Government must look at this with urgency. The lives of many babies could be saved as a result.”

Gill Walton, chief executive and general secretary at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) added: “We must ensure we have enough midwives and obstetricians to provide safe care throughout the maternity pathway and adequate facilities in all birth settings.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/babies-die-childbirth-improvements-in-care_uk_5a1bf756e4b0cee6c050cabb

Olympic swimmer and TV personality comes out
Mark Foster says he wants to live life more “authentically.”

www.queerty.com/olympic-swimmer-tv-personality-comes-20171127?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

Kentucky Southern Baptists Consider Expelling LGBT-Affirming Churches

If churches drop a ban on LGBT employees, they’re “redefining sin,” says the president of the Kentucky Baptist Convention.

www.advocate.com/religion/2017/11/27/kentucky-southern-baptists-consider-expelling-lgbt-affirming-churches