Your Weekly Wrap Up | 7 - 13 July 💦
This week: Scotland eyes marriage reform, UK expands miscarriage leave, global LGBTQIA+ updates, and more.
Self-care note: This newsletter includes discussion of anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments, miscarriage, cancer, 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.
Scotland is in the midst of a heatwave, and while it’s definitely no laughing matter in the context of climate change, this very pale woman couldn’t resist taking the chance to scuttle off to the beach.
(And by very pale, I mean I’ve now come back looking like Pimpa — for the non-Italians among us, Pimpa is a cheerful cartoon dog covered in big red polka dots. [We’ll add a picture here to spare you from having to see my actual sunburn.])
While actively burning, I was reading Fallosofia by Francesco Boer — an eccentric little book that blends philosophy and myth through the, well, phallic lens of human culture. Curious to know: what are you reading this summer? Drop me a reply or a comment, I’d love to hear.
Alright, sunscreen is on, aloe vera’s in the fridge, so let’s get into the wrap up. Here’s what happened this week…
Scotland to consult on raising minimum marriage age to 18 💍
Ministers in Scotland will launch a consultation on increasing the legal age for marriage and civil partnerships from 16 to 18, aligning it with England and Wales.
Currently, 16- and 17-year-olds can marry in Scotland without parental consent, a law some campaigners say leaves young people (particularly girls) vulnerable to grooming and coercion.
The Scottish government will also look at strengthening forced marriage laws, potentially making it a crime to force anyone under 18 into marriage.
UNICEF classifies any marriage under 18 as child marriage and a “fundamental violation of human rights.” Alba MSP Ash Regan, who has championed this change, said new safeguards are needed to “protect childhoods and life chances.”
Data shows these marriages are now rare: in 2023, only 38 men and 78 women aged 16-19 married in Scotland.
Source: BBC News Scotland
Scottish NHS delays leave women at risk: ‘I might have died without going private’ ⚕️
A woman in Elgin, Scotland, says long NHS waits nearly cost her her life after cancer was only discovered because she paid £15,000 for a private scan. Sarah Beaton, 43, was facing an 18-month NHS delay for gynaecology care after being told she had fibroids. Her private scan revealed uterine cancer, and she underwent a hysterectomy just two weeks later.
“If I’d waited, I’d be none the wiser,” she said. “People are dying on the waiting lists.”
Across Scotland, nearly 13,000 women are waiting for gynaecology care, with over 300 facing waits longer than three years. Another woman, Jeanette Miller, has lived with painful endometriosis symptoms for nearly a decade and is still awaiting a formal diagnosis.
Scotland’s women’s health minister accepted some people could be dying earlier due to delays, calling it “very wrong” for any woman to wait that long. The government has promised £8.8m to reduce waits, while patients and campaigners say real action is urgently needed.
Source: STV News
Miscarriage bereavement leave to be extended in the UK 🌸
Parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will soon have the legal right to take time off work to grieve under new UK plans.
Currently, statutory bereavement leave only applies after 24 weeks or if a child under 18 dies. The proposed change to the Employment Rights Bill means miscarriage at any stage will be recognised, with parents entitled to at least a week off. However, details like duration and whether a doctor’s note is needed are still being consulted on.
Deputy PM Angela Rayner said no one should “have to go back to work before they are ready” after pregnancy loss. The Miscarriage Association welcomed the move, saying it acknowledges the profound emotional impact.
Campaigners like Labour MP Sarah Owen called it a “huge step forward,” stressing that miscarriage is grief, not illness:
Nobody says 'get well soon' once you've had a miscarriage, they say 'I'm really sorry for your loss'. It's fantastic to see the law catch up with this
The government estimates that around 250,000 pregnancies end in miscarriage each year in the UK. Advocates say the change could also help break stigma and make it easier for people to speak openly about their losses.
Source: BBC News
London council faces lawsuit over trans pride crossings 🚦
A resident in Camden, London, is threatening to sue the council over four zebra crossings painted in the colours of the transgender pride flag, which were installed nearly four years ago to mark Trans Awareness Week.
Blessing Olubanjo, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, claims the crossings amount to “unlawful political messaging” and breach local government rules on neutrality. She also argues they infringe on freedom of belief under the Human Rights Act, saying:
As a Christian and a taxpayer, I should not be made to feel excluded or marginalised by political symbols in public spaces
The crossings, installed in Bloomsbury in 2021 at a cost of about £10,500, were meant to celebrate trans visibility. Camden Council has defended them as part of efforts to make all communities feel welcome.
Separate from this legal challenge, disability groups like the RNIB and TfL’s Independent Disability Advisory Group had previously raised concerns that such brightly coloured crossings could confuse people with visual impairments or cause anxiety for those with sensory sensitivities.
Source: The Standard
Do dads really sleep through their babies’ cries? 🍼
A Danish study has reignited debate over who handles the night shift.
Researchers from Aarhus University first found that women were 14 per cent more likely to wake to faint baby cries than men, but this difference vanished once the sounds were louder. In short, dads don’t sleep through cries once the baby’s wailing.
Yet in a second study of 117 new parents, mothers were still three times more likely to get up at night than fathers. Only 23 per cent of couples shared the duties equally.
The researchers believe social factors, like mothers being on leave first, breastfeeding, or fathers needing to return to work, drive the imbalance far more than biological sensitivity.
Source: HuffPost UK
Italian school adopts menstrual leave for students 🩸
A high school in Potenza, Italy, has become the first in the Basilicata region to introduce menstrual leave, allowing students to take time off for painful periods without it impacting their attendance record.
Starting next year, students at the Liceo artistico, musicale e coreutico “Walter Gropius” who have medical documentation of conditions that make menstruation particularly painful will be granted two absences per month, which won’t count against final evaluations.
The move came after a proposal from the provincial student council, backed by Simona Bonito, Potenza’s Equality Councillor. Bonito hopes more schools across Potenza will follow suit.
Source: La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno
Budapest police drop threats against Pride marchers despite ban 🏳️🌈
Budapest police say they won’t prosecute participants of this year’s Pride parade, even though the march was officially banned under Hungary’s tough anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
Organisers reported a record crowd of over 200,000 people, far surpassing past turnouts despite threats of fines, police investigations, and even jail for those taking part. Budapest’s mayor had defied the ban by declaring Pride an official city event, arguing this made the national ban irrelevant under Hungarian law.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has amended Hungary’s constitution to restrict LGBTQ+ rights, called the parade “repulsive.” His government recently expanded laws allowing Pride bans, citing “protection of children,” and used facial recognition tech to track attendees.
Budapest police ultimately said participants believed the event was legal due to the mayor’s stance, so they would not pursue charges. LGBTQ+ groups see it as a powerful moment of resistance, even as Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies continue to draw sharp criticism from the EU and human rights groups.
Source: DW
UN warns millions could die after US pulls HIV funding 🌍
The sudden US decision to halt most foreign aid has triggered a “systemic shock” to the fight against AIDS, according to a new UNAIDS report, which says it could lead to over four million AIDS-related deaths and six million more HIV infections by 2029 if the funding isn’t replaced.
The US has long been the world’s biggest HIV donor, mainly through the PEPFAR programme, which since 2003 has funded life-saving treatment for millions, covering everything from testing to prevention supplies. In Nigeria alone, PEPFAR paid for nearly 100% of HIV prevention medicines.
But in January, President Trump abruptly froze all foreign aid and began dismantling the US aid agency. This left clinics across Africa and Asia scrambling, forced testing programmes to shut down, and destabilised entire health systems overnight.
“We could be ending AIDS. Instead, the US is abandoning the fight,” said Public Citizen’s Peter Maybarduk, pointing to new breakthroughs like twice-yearly injections that can prevent HIV completely.
UNAIDS fears other donors might now follow suit, threatening decades of global progress. The agency says strong international cooperation is more crucial than ever, especially as wars and climate crises further destabilise healthcare.
Source: Euronews
UN votes to keep researching LGBTQIA+ abuse 🌈
The UN Human Rights Council has voted to renew the mandate of an independent expert on the protection of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
The mandate has been extended for three more years, with 29 votes in favour, 15 against, and three abstentions. Chile, Kenya, and Germany were among the supporters, while Qatar and China were among those who voted against.
The role, established in 2016, is tasked with investigating abuse and discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people and monitoring the implementation of international human rights law.
The renewal was welcomed by hundreds of organisations and advocates, who described it as a “spark of hope” in difficult times.
Source: ILGA World
Sleep quality in menopause linked to cardiovascular health ❤️🔥
A new study published in Menopause has found that sleeping well in menopause is particularly important for long-term cardiovascular health.
Researchers assessed how various risk factors influence long-term cardiovascular outcomes in midlife women, identifying blood glucose, blood pressure, sleep quality, and smoking as the most significant. Above all, healthy sleep (meaning getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night) was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events and/or mortality.
The research is based on data from about 3,000 women in the United States who participated in the ongoing, multi-ethnic Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), which began in 1996.
Source: MedicalXpress
That’s all for this week’s wrap up, but plenty is happening beyond the headlines. From workshops to book clubs, here’s what’s coming up across Scotland.
Join our Sex Positive Reading Group!
📌Glasgow Zine Library 📆 29 July 💸 Free! ⏰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 soon🌶️
Feminist Book Club. Glasgow, 15 July.
'Never Going Back' Screening. Glasgow, 16 July.
Moulin Rouge Night Market. Glasgow, 17 July.
Telling the story: Women’s activism in our collections. Edinburgh, 31 July.