Your Weekly Wrap Up | 2 - 8 June đŚ
From WhatsApp privacy rulings to HIV cure breakthroughs, these are the headlines shaping sex, health, and rights this week.
Self-care note: This newsletter covers topics including gender-based violence, anti-LGBTQIA+ discrimination, abortion access, privacy violations, body image, and online harassment. 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.
Hello,
We spent yesterday at the Uncensored Market in Glasgow â chatting with folks, handing out zines, and asking the big questions. Specifically:
Whatâs something unsexy you find really hot?
The answers did not disappoint. Highlights included mushroom identification, being good with animals, and the oddly powerful charm of someone infodumping about their special interest.
Thanks to everyone who stopped by! It was a real joy reading your answers.
Now, onto this weekâs wrap-up, from #SkinnyTok getting banned to a breakthrough in HIV research.
Weight-loss jabs may affect the pill â ď¸
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued new guidance for anyone of child-bearing potential taking GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, or Mounjaro.
People are advised to use effective contraception while taking these medications and wait up to two months after stopping before trying to get pregnant. There isnât enough safety data to know how these drugs might affect a developing foetus.
The MHRA also warns that Mounjaro may reduce the effectiveness of the pill, so those using it should also use condoms or switch to another reliable method like the coil or implant.
Anyone taking a GLP-1 medicine who suspects they may be pregnant is advised to speak to a healthcare provider as soon as possible. These medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding, the agency adds.
Source: BBC News
HIV cure breakthrough leaves researchers âoverwhelmedâ đ§Ź
A team of researchers in Melbourne has found a new approach that brings hope in the search for a cure for HIV. Until now, one of the main challenges for researchers studying HIV has been the virusâs ability to hide inside human cells. However, using mRNA technology, the virus can be forced out of hiding and made visible, the researchers found.
More studies are needed, as this research was conducted in the laboratory and a cure will require further testing, including safety trials in humans. Nonetheless, the researchers were âoverwhelmedâ by the findings. Dr. Paula Cevaal, co-first author of the study, said: âIn terms of specifically the field of HIV cure, we have never seen anything close to as good as what we are seeing.â
Currently, almost 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV and must take medication to suppress the virus and prevent symptoms from developing.
Source: The Guardian
Spying on a partnerâs WhatsApp is a crime, rules Italian court âď¸
Italyâs Supreme Court has ruled that accessing a partnerâs private WhatsApp messages â even to prove infidelity â is a criminal offence.
The case involved a man who used messages and call logs from his ex-wifeâs phones during a separation case, without her consent. The court found this amounted to unauthorised access to a computer system, a serious crime in Italy punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Even if a phone is shared or temporarily handed over (say, to show a photo), using it to read private chats without explicit consent still violates the law.
The ruling reaffirms that messaging apps like WhatsApp are legally protected digital spaces, and that privacy within relationships isnât something that can be overridden by suspicion or jealousy.
Source: Corriere della Sera
Pornhub exits France over age verification law đ
Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, Redtube and YouPorn, suspended its websites in France on Wednesday in reaction to the countryâs new age verification requirements.
A new French law requires all porn websites to ask users to confirm they are 18+ not just with a click, as was previously the case, but by providing additional details, such as an ID or credit card, and websites must guarantee their usersâ right to privacy.
However, Aylo stated that this new procedure puts usersâ data at risk. France is Pornhubâs second largest market and has seen an increase in VPN signups since Wednesday.
Source: The Guardian
TikTok bans âSkinnyTokâ hashtag after EU pressure đľ
TikTok has officially blocked the #skinnytok hashtag worldwide after mounting pressure from European regulators, who raised alarms about its link to dangerous weight-loss content.
The hashtag had become associated with videos showing emaciated bodies, extreme dieting tips, and âthinspoâ culture, much of it targeted at young users.
TikTok now redirects searches for #skinnytok to mental health resources. The move follows lobbying from French and EU officials, including Franceâs Digital Minister, who called it a âcollective victory.â
But politicians say this is just the beginning. The EU is considering stricter rules to protect children online, including potential bans on under-15s using social media at all. TikTok is also under formal investigation under the Digital Services Act, the EUâs sweeping content moderation law.
Source: Politico
Hungaryâs LGBTQ+ media ban violates human rights, says EU lawyer đłď¸âđ
A top EU legal advisor has declared Hungaryâs ban on LGBTQ+ content in schools and on TV a violation of basic human rights.
The law, passed in 2021, blocks any references to gay or trans people from educational materials and from TV before 10pm. Itâs been widely compared to Russiaâs âgay propagandaâ law and now, a senior European Court of Justice (ECJ) advocate general has condemned it outright.
In her legal opinion, Tamara Äapeta called the law âstigmatising,â saying it harms LGBTQ+ youth by erasing their identities and promoting hostility. âRather than protecting minors from harm,â she wrote, âthe legislation expands such harm.â
She said Hungary had violated EU rights to dignity, non-discrimination, and private life =and also broke media and trade laws by restricting what broadcasters can show.
Though the court is not bound by the opinion, judges usually follow this type of legal advice.
Source: The Guardian
Hate against LGBTQIA+ community on the rise, GLAAD warns đ§ž
According to the new ALERT Desk report published by GLAAD, the past year has seen an increase in anti-LGBTQIA+ incidents in the United States.
The report, which tracks hate and harassment incidents against the LGBTQIA+ community in the US, recorded 932 anti-LGBTQIA+ episodes between May 2024 and May 2025, the equivalent of 2.5 incidents per day.
Of these, 52 per cent were against transgender and gender non-conforming people, an increase of 14 per cent from last year. The report also noted an increase in anti-LGBTQIA+ incidents against educators and librarians, up 10 per cent, and against state and local governments, up 57 per cent from last year.
According to the US organisation, there is a link between the rise in hate and the current political environment, including executive orders against trans people and DEI programmes, anti-LGBTQIA+ bills, as well as book bans in public schools that have targeted titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters.
Source: GLAAD
New law in Maine lets abortion pill prescribers stay anonymous đ
Maine has passed a new law allowing healthcare providers who prescribe abortion medication to withhold their names from pill bottle labels, in a move designed to protect them from threats and harassment.
The change comes amid rising political and personal attacks on abortion providers in the U.S. Following the rollback of federal abortion protections, many states have seen an increase in harassment and doxxing of clinicians.
Supporters say the law is a necessary step to protect providersâ privacy and safety while maintaining legal access to abortion.
Maine is one of several states working to shield providers from legal or extrajudicial pressure, especially in the context of medication abortion, which now accounts for over half of all U.S. abortions.
Source: Portland Press Herald
Thatâs all for this weekâs wrap up, but plenty is happening beyond the headlines. From workshops to book clubs, hereâs whatâs coming up across Scotland.
Join our Sex Positive Reading Group!
đGlasgow Zine Library đ 24 June đ¸ Free! â°7-8.30pm
The Sex Positive Reading Group is for anyone interested in learning more about sex education, sexual health, how we relate to the people around us, and how society impacts that. We welcome people of all genders, sexualities and ages in a non-pressured, non-academic setting.
If you have accessibility requests or other queries, send us an email at events@pillowtalk.scot.
Other spicy (and cuddly) events happening soonđśď¸
PaiSlay Pride. Paisley, 11 June.
Second Skin : Inside the Worlds of Fetish, Kink and Deviant Desire (Book launch). Edinburgh, 17 June.
Queer Sketch Club. Paisley, 19 June.
The Uncensored Lounge. Glasgow, 20 June.
Imagine a gender equal world - help write women onto Wikipedia! Edinburgh, 27 June.
Telling the story: Womenâs activism in our collections. Edinburgh, 31 July.
Are you hosting or have you spotted an event about sex, relationships, feminism, and other related topics that we have missed (especially outside of the Central Belt)? Send it over at events@pillowtalk.scot!
The purpose of Pillow Talk Scotland is to provide information. You must not rely on the information in this newsletter as an alternative to medical advice from your doctor or other healthcare professional. You must always consult your doctor or healthcare professional if you have any concerns about your medical condition, diagnosis or treatment. Pillow Talk Scotland is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damages resulting from the use of information contained within this site. If you have a complaint or wish to report any inaccuracies, you can email us at contact@pillowtalk.scot.
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