Self-care note: This wrap-up includes discussion of women’s health, miscarriage, racism, 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. Kate Forbes speaks at Jordan Peterson’s ARC conference 🎤
Scotland’s former Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has spoken at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) conference in London, an event co-founded by psychologist Jordan Peterson that brought together conservative politicians, commentators and activists from across Europe and North America.
The conference featured Reform UK MPs, Trump administration officials and representatives from the anti-abortion legal group Alliance Defending Freedom, alongside speakers from several European right-wing parties. In her speech, Forbes reflected on her Christian faith, defended her stance during the 2023 SNP leadership contest, and argued that biblical values underpin concepts such as freedom, liberty and human dignity.
Forbes also criticised what she described as a double standard in public debate around faith, including during discussions on assisted dying, saying religious viewpoints are too often dismissed while other moral frameworks go unchallenged.
Source: The National
2. UK conversion practices bill criticised over loopholes 🏳️⚧️
The UK government has published its long-awaited draft bill to ban conversion practices in England and Wales, but LGBTQIA+ organisations and campaigners have raised concerns over major loopholes.
The draft legislation would create new criminal offences for carrying out conversion practices and for encouraging or assisting them abroad. If passed, someone found guilty could face an unlimited fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
Campaigners have welcomed the bill’s publication after years of delays, but warned that exemptions around “legitimate” healthcare and wording around sexual orientation and gender identity could allow harm to continue.
TransActual said the bill risked becoming an “instruction manual” for avoiding accountability, while the Ban Conversion Practices Coalition said publication was not the finish line, but the start of further scrutiny.
Source: QueerAF
3. Most IVF add-ons lack evidence of success, new review reveals 🧪
There is not enough evidence to show that many additional procedures, medicines and techniques often offered to patients undergoing IVF improve fertility, a new study has found.
Published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, the study analysed several IVF add-ons, including acupuncture and endometrial scratching, and found either no evidence, weak evidence of benefit, or inconclusive results due to a lack of data.
As these IVF add-ons are widely available in many countries, including the UK, the researchers are worried that they may lead people to increased stress, false hope, unnecessary medical procedures and higher costs.
Source: News-medical
4. Pride postponed in Paris due to heatwave 🥵
This year’s Paris Pride March, scheduled for Saturday 27 June, was postponed as France is experiencing an exceptional heatwave, with temperatures expected to exceed 35°C.
The decision came after police ordered the event to be called off, as emergency services and hospitals are already under pressure due to the extreme heat.
The organisers said the march is likely to take place in September.
Source: Reuters
5. Swedish minister brings baby to EU meeting to highlight parental leave’s benefits 👶
Sweden’s environment minister, Romina Pourmokhtari, brought her three-month-old baby to an EU meeting. It is believed to be the first time a minister has done so.
It was her first meeting after giving birth to her son. She said she decided to bring him along in the hope of highlighting the importance of parental leave policies and showing that mothers should not have to choose between work and family responsibilities.
“I wanted to showcase being an example of not having to make that choice. Which, of course, also requires having a partner that’s not a dinosaur, someone who’s quite modern and up for it to tag along,” Pourmokhtari said.
Source: Reuters
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6. Gay sheep find sanctuary on German farm 🐑
A nonprofit in Germany is rescuing rams who refuse to mate with females and would otherwise risk being sent to slaughter.
Rainbow Wool was founded by farmer Michael Stücke in 2023 and has since turned the wool from its flock into a project supporting LGBTQ+ advocacy. In 2025, the nonprofit collaborated with Grindr on a knitwear collection made from the sheep’s wool, with proceeds supporting LGBTQ+ organisations and people fleeing anti-gay persecution.
The project uses the sheep’s story to challenge the idea that homosexuality is a choice, while raising money for queer rights work. Stücke says the farm will continue after the death of his husband and co-founder, Johan, who described the project as an important response to rising anti-gay narratives.
Source: PEOPLE
7. Dua Lipa opens library with banned books 📚
Artist and book lover Dua Lipa has opened a library in Porto, Portugal, featuring 100 books that “challenge power, censorship, exclusion and dominant narratives”.
Called Manifesto Library, the new space is located inside the Livraria Lello bookshop and features books that have been banned or challenged, including Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Reginald Dwayne Betts’ Felon.
In a statement, Dua Lipa said: “Here you will find one hundred books that ask questions, or have been questioned. Some have been banned by school districts for themes of race or sexuality. Others, written for LGBTQIA+ readers, have been restricted from display. In some cases, the author has paid for their words with their life.”
Source: Rolling Stone
8. Support for LGBTQIA+ is widespread but lower than in the past, new report finds 🏳️🌈
A new 26-country survey conducted by Ipsos has revealed that many people around the world support LGBTQIA+ rights and anti-discrimination measures. However, the survey also finds that the picture is more nuanced.
For instance, while 42 per cent of respondents support brands promoting equality for LGBTQIA+ people, support has fallen from 49 per cent in 2021.
The report also found widespread agreement that transgender people face discrimination, but views diverge on policies and access to rights.
Support for transgender athletes competing according to their gender identity has also fallen, from 32 per cent in 2021 to 22 per cent in 2026.
Source: Ipsos
9. Access to fertility preservation remains limited for young female cancer patients in the US 🥚
A new study has found that access to fertility preservation care remains limited and unequal for girls and young women with cancer in the US.
As thousands of adolescents and young adults in the US undergo cancer treatment that can affect their fertility, fertility preservation is recommended as part of their cancer care. However, access for young female patients remains limited and unequal, and is lower than for young male patients.
The report also found that racialised patients were less likely to receive counselling, referrals, and fertility preservation care.
Source: News-medical
10. Ovaries may have immune role after menopause 🧬
New research suggests ovaries may take on an unexpected immune function after menopause, challenging the idea that they become biologically inactive once reproductive function ends.
Scientists at Northwestern University studied mouse ovaries and human ovarian tissue, finding that older ovaries showed changes in immune cell activity and produced different proteins with age. In mice, post-reproductive ovaries contained higher levels of immune cells and showed increased activity in genes linked to inflammation.
Researchers say it is not yet clear what these changes mean, but the findings could have implications for understanding health after menopause, including chronic inflammation and ageing. They argue that the post-menopausal ovary remains under-studied and deserves more attention in women’s health research.
Source: Science
