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. MSPs block Ash Regan’s bill at Holyrood ⛔
MSPs have voted to block a bill that would have criminalised paying for sex in Scotland, with Ash Regan’s proposed legislation failing to pass stage one at Holyrood.
The Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill would have made buying sex illegal in all circumstances, while repealing solicitation offences for those selling sex and creating a legal right to support.
The bill was defeated 64–54, after the Scottish Government said it supported the principle of tackling demand but did not consider the legislation workable within the remaining parliamentary term.
The debate highlighted a long-running fault line in Scottish policy: some argue the “Nordic Model” reduces exploitation by targeting buyers, while sex worker-led and decriminalisation campaigners warn that criminalising clients can still push the industry further underground, making it harder for workers to screen clients, work together, and access support without fear of policing.
Source: The National
2. MPs welcome £170m HIV plan, but warn PrEP access still falling short 🏛️
MPs on Parliament’s Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) have welcomed the Government’s £170m HIV Action Plan, but warned that progress towards ending new HIV transmissions by 2030 will depend on improving access to PrEP and properly funding sexual health services.
The Committee backed the plan’s focus on expanding opt-out testing in high-prevalence areas, including encouraging testing in primary care, sexual and reproductive health services, and abortion services. But it said the Government is missing opportunities by not rolling out digital PrEP access nationally and by hesitating to involve community pharmacies.
The Government said it will invest £4.8m (2026–2029) in a national HIV prevention programme targeting groups disproportionately affected by HIV, and will review options for digital PrEP provision via the NHS App.
Source: UK Parliament
3. Reform UK candidate suggests tax on people without children 👶
A Reform UK candidate has come under renewed scrutiny after a resurfaced blog post proposed taxing people who do not have children, alongside tax breaks for women who have two or more.
Matt Goodwin, a GB News presenter and Reform candidate, argued in 2023 for a so-called “negative child benefit” aimed at boosting birth rates, a proposal critics say would punish women, undermine reproductive choice and intensify pressure to become pregnant.
Labour figures compared the idea to The Handmaid’s Tale, while campaigners warned it reflects a growing trend of coercive, pronatalist politics emerging amid falling birth rates across the UK and Europe.
Source: The National
4. Period blood test could offer gentler cervical screening 🩸
Researchers say testing menstrual blood for signs of cervical cancer could offer a less invasive alternative to traditional smear tests, which many people avoid due to pain, discomfort, or past trauma.
In a study of more than 3,000 women, period blood collected on a sanitary pad was nearly as accurate as clinician-taken samples at detecting high-risk HPV. Charities say the approach could improve access to screening for groups more likely to miss appointments, though further research is needed before it could be rolled out.
Source: BBC News
5. Life expectancy of sexual minorities lower than that of heterosexual people 👩❤️👩
In an experimental analysis, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) investigated for the first time differences in life expectancy by sexual orientation in England and Wales.
Based on data from the 2021 Census and death registrations, the ONS found that lesbian, gay, bi and other sexual minorities live, on average, around a year less than their heterosexual counterparts.
As Laia Becares, professor of social science and health at King’s College London, said: “Sexual orientation itself is not a risk factor, but the way sexual minority people are treated in society is.”
Another analysis published recently by the ONS found that sexual minorities in England and Wales are more likely to die from suicide, alcohol-related disease and drug overdose than heterosexual people.
Source: The Guardian
6. Grindr tests $500-a-month AI-powered premium tier 🤖
Dating app Grindr has begun testing a new premium subscription called Edge, with prices reportedly ranging from $80 a week to $500 a month, depending on the user.
The tier is built around Grindr’s in-house AI system and is part of the company’s plan to become an “AI-first” platform, offering features like chat summaries, personalised recommendations, and profile insights. Critics say the move reflects a wider trend of dating apps monetising basic connection, raising concerns about accessibility, equity, and who digital intimacy is really being built for.
Source: Them
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7. Speaking of Grindr: privacy protections return for Winter Olympics 🔒
After announcing a new AI-powered premium tier, Grindr has also confirmed it will reintroduce enhanced privacy protections for users inside Olympic Villages during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina.
As in previous Games, the app will disable distance-sharing by default, prevent users outside the Village from browsing athlete profiles, and unlock normally paywalled safety tools like disappearing messages and screenshot blocking. Private video sharing will be disabled, and users will receive regular safety reminders.
The measures follow past concerns about athletes being outed or targeted, particularly those from countries where being LGBTQ+ is criminalised. With a record number of openly LGBTQ+ athletes competing this year, campaigners say strong digital privacy protections remain essential.
Source: Them
8. UK public libraries have anti-trans books, investigation finds 📚
Parenting books encouraging detransition and “desistance” are available in 58 public libraries in the UK, a QueerAF investigation has found.
Recommending interventions and conversion practices, these books give advice to parents on convincing their children they are not trans in a variety of ways, including cutting off loved ones who disagree with their approach or putting them in anti-affirmation medical and educational settings.
A UN report has defined conversion practices as causing profound physical and psychological trauma, and as being comparable to acts of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Source: QueerAF
9. Study finds trans women’s fitness may converge with cis women over time 🏳️⚧️
A major review of research suggests trans women may not retain a consistent fitness advantage in women’s sport after starting hormone therapy, challenging claims that blanket bans are evidence-based.
Brazilian researchers analysed around 50 studies covering 6,485 people, including trans women before and after hormone therapy. While some differences in body composition (such as lean mass) remained after one to three years, the review found no clear differences in strength or aerobic fitness measures compared with cis women in the pooled data.
Experts not involved in the study urged caution about overgeneralising, noting gaps in evidence for young people and the need for sport-specific rules. The authors argue future research should focus more directly on athletic performance, not just physiology.
Source: The Independent
10. NYC to host an “AI dating café” for dates with chatbots ☕
A pop-up “AI dating café” is set to open in New York City in February, offering people the chance to take their AI companions on a “real-world” date, with solo tables designed for one person and a phone stand placed opposite like a partner across the table.
The project, run by EVA AI, taps into the rapid mainstreaming of AI companionship, with the company citing research suggesting many under-30s have already used chatbots for conversation, emotional support, or stress relief. Guests will create an AI companion through an app, join a waitlist, and book a reservation, with the space designed to feel like a date rather than a product demo.
Supporters frame it as low-pressure connection for people burnt out on dating apps or experiencing social anxiety, while critics warn it may deepen dependency and blur the line between technology and intimacy.
Source: Time Out
11. Bid to overturn FGM ban heard by Gambia’s supreme court 🚨
Religious leaders and an MP in the Gambia have launched a case at the country’s supreme court seeking to overturn a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), despite the practice being widely recognised as a serious human rights violation.
The challenge follows a failed parliamentary attempt in 2024 and comes after two babies died last year after undergoing FGM. Activists warn the case is part of a broader global backlash against women’s rights, as efforts to weaken protections gain traction in multiple countries.
FGM remains highly prevalent in the Gambia, with nearly three-quarters of women affected, most of them cut in early childhood. Campaigners say reversing the ban would put girls’ lives at risk and undermine years of progress.
Source: Human Rights Watch
12. Uganda drops first “aggravated homosexuality” case 🏳️🌈
A Ugandan court has dropped the first case against a man charged with “aggravated homosexuality”, an offence introduced in 2023 under the Anti-Homosexuality Act.
The case against a man in his 20s was dropped after prosecutors found that the man was “of unsound mind following a long period of detention on remand.”
Before the Anti-Homosexuality Act was introduced, Uganda already criminalised LGBTQIA+ identities. The new law further threatens their rights and is considered one of the harshest anti-LGBTQIA+ laws in the world, with life imprisonment for same-sex intercourse and the death penalty in cases defined as “aggravated”.
Source: Reuters
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