Lennie Pennie

Someone recently approached me at an event and asked me when I had learned to forgive myself for staying so long in an abusive relationship. I often get the opportunity to discuss things like this, in every audience I perform to there are survivors, and I always feel so privileged when they disclose this to me, but the phrasing of the question took me aback. To say I had forgiven myself would be to imply that in not leaving, I, and by extension anyone else in a similar situation, had done something wrong by staying. When it comes to the self-blame I feel when I reflect upon the times I could have left and didn’t, could have told someone and didn’t, could have reported to the authorities and didn’t, I like to remove myself from the situation entirely and pretend like I’m hearing the story from a friend, a family member, someone I love as much as I should love myself. I would never judge someone else for staying in an abusive situation, I would never consider them weak, or incapable, so as difficult as it is I must extend this empathy and understanding inwards and not use it to continue the cycle of abuse upon myself.

For his series on Jeffrey Dahmer, writer and producer Ryan Murphy said he contacted the surviving family of Dahmer’s victims, and when none responded to him he decided to go ahead with a series dramatising the brutal torture, murder and dismemberment of their loved ones.

Recently I was invited to speak at a fundraising event for the Moira Anderson Foundation (MAF), and to learn all about the incredible work they do.

Every single year, Scottish police record around 60,000 cases of domestic abuse. That’s just one sobering statistic in a slew of others, a drop in an ocean of violence. Every time I write about this topic I struggle to find new data that will finally convince people to start listening and trying to affect change.

The singer Chappell Roan recently made headlines for apparently releasing a furious rant, condemning her own fans. Was she slinging insults and burning bridges? No, all she did was make a video in which she clearly and concisely asserts her boundaries, asking for privacy and reminding her fans that although they may enjoy and support the fruits of her musical labour, they don't actually know her.

So you're watching an Olympic volleyball match between Norway and the Netherlands, and there's something you can't quite put your finger on. Amid the smiles and celebration, when one particular member of the Dutch team walks out, boos and jeers erupt.

When it comes to understanding violence against women, there's an extremely effective model that helps visualise how pervasive and insidious it is. Picture a pyramid, on the bottom are bigoted attitudes and beliefs, sexist jokes, problematic language, the most socially acceptable expressions of misogyny frequently dismissed under the guise of plausible deniability. Further up is cultural stereotypes and stigma, followed by threats and harassment, progressing to rape, sexual assault and abuse. At the top is femicide, the murder of women as an act of gender based violence. There's hardly a news cycle that passes without ever more stories of women being killed. We are living in a culture of perpetual mourning, failing women not only throughout their lives, but in the way we treat them posthumously.

As part of Keir Starmer’s new financial plan he's set his sights on the private education sector, with a view to taxing them less like a charity, and more like a business. This would bring the rest of the UK more in line with the Scottish education system, which stripped private schools of some charitable exemptions from business rates, with exceptions being made for schools solely educating disabled students and those with additional support needs.

Usually when we hear about the generational divide, it’s being highlighted in order to pit us against each other. Recently I’ve been hearing more and more from older people, apologising for causing problems in society, and expressing gratitude that younger generations are going to fix those problems. While I appreciate the sentiment, it’s not entirely accurate, and it's not really fair.

Autobiographical work is more popular than ever, whether it's entirely fact-based documentaries and memoirs, fictionalised retellings, or artistic interpretations. This combined with a societal fascination for true crime and emotional catharsis means there is a real appetite for art borne of trauma. More and more personal art traversing topics which might once have been considered taboo or niche spring forth, opening our eyes to the many varied ways that human beings can experience and articulate pain.