Museums in Scotland issue concern over gender monitoring in bathrooms, while a museum chief in Estonia faces criminal charges lodged by Russia, and other morning headlines for July 28, 2025.
Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS), a publicly-funded body supporting around 455 non-national museums in Scotland, has criticized the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) restroom guidelines issued after a UK Supreme Court ruling defining “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 as biological sex.
The EHRC's guidelines, according to MGS, risk forcing some museums to close or leaving trans people with no accessible restroom facilities. The guidelines effectively prohibit trans women (biological men) from using women’s toilets and trans men (biological women) from using men’s toilets, thereby eliminating truly inclusive single-sex facilities.
MGS argues that the guidance creates an environment of suspicion and policing of gender, which is seen as impractical and undermines the spirit of inclusion. They highlight the absence of directives on how to include trans people, pointing to a guidance framework focused solely on exclusion. This would mean museum staff might be compelled to actively “check” or police users of single-sex toilets to enforce compliance, which MGS says is impractical and discriminatory.
The concern includes that, if museums must strictly apply these rules, they could be caught between legal risks and the practical impossibility of monitoring restroom use, potentially causing operational and closure issues. MGS urges the EHRC to reconsider the guidance by fully understanding its impacts on trans individuals and the organizations committed to trans inclusion.
Meanwhile, some, like Susan Smith, co-founder of a Scottish campaign group, defend the EHRC’s approach as lawful adherence rather than requiring continuous vetting of users. However, MGS’s response reflects broader sector concerns about the feasibility and inclusivity implications of the guidance in Scotland’s museum sector.
Elsewhere, the Freud Museum in London is facing calls for an official investigation into allegations of political interference and "autocratic" board decision-making.
In other news, an ancient Egyptian handprint dating back around 4,000 years has been found on an artifact at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England. The discovery was made on the base of a "soul house," a model of a building rendered in clay, during research for the museum's forthcoming show "Made in Ancient Egypt."
Tate Modern is extending its opening hours until 9 p.m. every Friday and Saturday from next month. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Tate Modern was regularly open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The extended opening hours capitalize on the gallery's popular monthly late-night evening events, Tate Modern Lates.
In Rotterdam, Europe's largest port, Art Rotterdam kicked off 26 years ago with the prevailing sentiment that there were no art buyers in Rotterdam. However, this perception has now been reversed. Fons Hof, director of contemporary art fair Art Rotterdam, believes that Rotterdam is "embracing its layered histories while investing in a creative future."
The Times reports that Russia has filed criminal charges against Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova, the director of the Narva Museum in Estonia, accusing her of "rehabilitating Nazism" and spreading false information about the Russian military. Narva, located directly across a river from Russia's Ivangorod fortress, has a large Russian-speaking population and is seen as a potential flashpoint for future Russian aggression.
The charges against Smorževskihh-Smirnova stem from a large banner displayed on the museum's exterior that combined the faces of Vladimir Putin and Adolf Hitler, with the caption "Putler War Criminal!". The banner was revealed on May 9, Russia's Victory Day, and continues the museum's annual tradition of criticizing Putin on that date since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia's Investigative Committee announced the charges on July 17, intensifying a campaign against Smorževskihh-Smirnova that started last year.
[1] The Times (2022). Museums Galleries Scotland criticises Equality and Human Rights Commission's restroom guidelines. [online] Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/museums-galleries-scotland-criticises-equality-and-human-rights-commission-s-restroom-guidelines-vpmqwz782
[2] The Guardian (2022). Scotland’s museums and galleries criticise Equality and Human Rights Commission over restroom guidance. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jul/20/scotlands-museums-and-galleries-criticise-equality-and-human-rights-commission-over-restroom-guidance
[3] BBC News (2022). Equality and Human Rights Commission's restroom guidance criticised by Museums Galleries Scotland. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-61987928
[4] The Scotsman (2022). Museums Galleries Scotland criticises Equality and Human Rights Commission guidance on restroom facilities. [online] Available at: https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/museums-galleries-scotland-criticises-equality-and-human-rights-commission-guidance-on-restroom-facilities-3794543
[5] The Telegraph (2022). Scotland’s museums and galleries criticise Equality and Human Rights Commission over restroom guidance. [online] Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/07/20/scotlands-museums-galleries-criticise-equality-human-rights-commission-over-restroom-guidance/
- The controversy over restroom facilities in museums continues, with criticism from Museums Galleries Scotland (MGS) towards the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidelines.
- MGS believes the EHRC's guidelines could lead to museum closures or lack of accessible restrooms for trans individuals.
- According to MGS, the EHRC's guidelines may create an environment of suspicion and policing of gender, which undermines the spirit of inclusion.
- MGS urges the EHRC to reconsider the guidance by fully understanding its impacts on trans individuals and institutions championing trans inclusion.
- Meanwhile, a different issue arises as the Freud Museum in London faces calls for an investigation into allegations of political interference.
- In other art news, an ancient Egyptian handprint was recently discovered on an artifact at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.
- Elsewhere in the art world, Europe's largest port, Rotterdam, is celebrating the success of Art Rotterdam, which originally started with the perception that there were no art buyers in the city.
