Self-care note: This wrap-up includes discussion of women’s health, anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and behaviours, gender based violence, and more. If you find this distressing or triggering, remember to take it at your own pace. You may prefer to read small sections, wait until you feel ready to read it all, or choose not to read it at all.
1. Scotland urged to move forward with conversion therapy ban 🏳️🌈
Campaigners are calling on the Scottish Government to press ahead with a ban on LGBT+ conversion practices, after plans for UK-wide legislation were limited to England and Wales.
Advocates say Scotland’s proposed legislation should protect all LGBT+ people, including trans and non-binary communities, and cover religious, family, community, and so-called therapeutic settings. Conversion practices aim to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity and can cause long-term psychological harm.
Campaigners say the issue has already faced years of delays and warn that political debate around trans rights could make progress more difficult, despite support from several parties at Holyrood.
Source: The National
2. World-first trial for “broken heart syndrome” treatment begins in Scotland ❤️🩹
Researchers at the University of Aberdeen have launched the world’s first clinical trial into long-term treatment for takotsubo cardiomyopathy, commonly known as “broken heart syndrome”.
The condition, often triggered by sudden emotional stress such as grief, weakens the heart muscle and can be mistaken for a heart attack. Around 5,000 people in the UK are affected each year, most of them women, yet there is currently no proven treatment specific to the condition.
The seven-year study will test whether a class of drugs already used for heart disease could reduce deaths, strokes, heart failure, and repeat attacks in takotsubo patients. Researchers hope the trial will lead to the first evidence-based treatment pathway for the condition.
Source: University of Aberdeen
3. Equalities watchdog guidance leaves trans people with “less rights,” advocacy groups warn 🏳️⚧️
Trans advocacy groups have raised concerns over new guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission on single-sex spaces and services.
The code of practice follows last year’s Supreme Court ruling on the definition of sex under the Equality Act. It says trans women should be excluded from women-only services and trans men from men-only services, while also advising that trans people should not be included in single-sex sports categories matching their gender.
Groups including TransActual, Scottish Trans and Stonewall say they are still reviewing the 340-page document, but warn it could restrict trans people’s access to public life and weaken existing protections. The Scottish Government said trans people remain entitled to dignity, respect and protection under the law.
Source: The National
4. Channel 4 removes Married at First Sight UK episodes after assault allegations 🚨
Channel 4 has removed all past episodes of MAFS UK from its streaming platforms after a BBC investigation reported allegations of sexual assault during filming.
Two former participants told BBC Panorama they were raped by their onscreen husbands, while a third alleged she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act. The broadcaster has commissioned an external review and said it takes its duty of care seriously, while the men involved deny the allegations.
Source: CNN
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5. MAnti-trans movement and media normalised hate against trans people, new report says 🌎
According to a new report from Amnesty International, an organised gender-critical movement started to grow in the UK about 10 years ago, during debates over changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The proposed change would have made it easier for trans people to have their gender legally recognised by removing the need for a medical diagnosis.
Anti-trans groups pushed back strongly, arguing the changes could affect women’s spaces, marriages, families, and the safety of women and children. Since then, these groups have become more influential and visible in public debate.
The report also found that between January 2020 and April 2025, around 17,000 articles about trans issues were published across four UK newspapers – The Guardian, The Sun, The Daily Telegraph, and The Times and The Sunday Times – an average of nine articles per day. According to Amnesty International, most of the coverage was negative towards trans people, and the amount of attention was “excessively high compared to the size of the trans population”.
Amnesty said the rise of the anti-trans movement and the amount of media coverage may be linked to changing public attitudes towards trans people. Various surveys found that negative views and prejudice against trans people have increased in recent years.
Source: Amnesty International UK
6. Female CPR manikin introduced to tackle stigma around helping women 🧑🚒
A fire service in England has introduced a female CPR training manikin to help tackle hesitation around giving emergency care to women.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service says the training will show people how to perform chest compressions, place defibrillator pads around breasts, and remove bras if needed during an emergency. The move follows research suggesting some people are reluctant to give CPR to women because they fear touching breasts or removing clothing.
Campaigners and trainers hope the new manikin will help build confidence and reduce delays in life-saving care, amid wider concerns about gender bias in emergency medicine.
Source: BBC
7. Montreal dancers plan strike over working conditions 👠
Sex workers in Montreal are planning a walkout during Formula One weekend to demand better labour protections and recognition as employees.
Many dancers at the city’s strip clubs are classified as self-employed workers, meaning they are not paid salaries and often pay fees to work each night.
Organisers say this leaves workers without access to protections such as paid sick leave, workplace injury support, or safeguards against harassment.
Campaigners say the strike aims to challenge the stigma around sex work and push for safer, fairer working conditions in an industry where workers often feel invisible or unsupported.
Source: Montreal Gazette
8. Hong Kong’s LGBTQIA+ event cancelled for the second year in a row 🌈
Pink Dot HK, Hong Kong’s largest LGBTQIA+ carnival, has been cancelled for the second year in a row, as organisers have not received licences, venue access, or approval from the authorities.
The event was planned for 14 June, and activists say the cancellation is linked to the 2020 national security law, which made dissenting acts illegal and made it more difficult to organise public gatherings in Hong Kong.
Source: The Independent
