DIY Pride

‘Reclaiming the daylight’: Learning from Prides past

An older generation of activists recall the joyous power of their groundbreaking protests and celebrations

By Kate Sosin

Power

AIDS service organizations and other LGBTQ2 charities are struggling to raise money

COVID-19 has proven a daunting challenge to the non-profit sector

By Krishna Rau

Power

I dreamt of a march for Black queer liberation

The street awoke with the clang of our resilience ricocheting off the blank stares and raised eyebrows: They stared, we marched, they stared, we marched

By Cicely-Belle Blain

Politics

When queer TikTok memes get political

LGBTQ2 users are fighting for change and visibility on the social media platform—one short video snippet at a time

By Jake Pitre

Ask Kai: Advice for the Apocalypse

I’m an old gay rights activist who wants to support the younger generation. Shouldn’t I expect that support in return?

By Kai Cheng Thom

Your Communities in Action

COVID-19: Your communities in action, Mar. 25

A running diary of LGBTQ2 folk coping and caring for each other. Today: The 519 community centre in Toronto and North Carolina’s Campus Pride

By Gordon Bowness, Jon Higgins

TV & Film

What I learned celebrating trans women’s brilliance at Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon

Seeing the women of ‘Pose’ honoured shows how the shared humanity of Black queer and trans folk is finally being recognized

By Tre’vell Anderson

Health

Why anti-Black racism in Canadian blood donation is also a gay issue

Canada’s history of banning men who have sex with men and Haitians from donating blood goes back to its panic over HIV/AIDS and miscegenation

By OmiSoore Dryden

Activism

A searing exposé of anti-Black racism in Canada

In his new book, ‘The Skin We’re In,’ journalist Desmond Cole describes how the Black Lives Matter protests at Toronto Pride helped define a year of activism

By Desmond Cole

Human Rights

Writing hate and LGBTQ2 resistance into the national story

Site for ambitious LGBTQ2 monument announced in Ottawa

By Gordon Bowness

Politics

The facade of LGBTQ progress in Cuba

Legal wins may make the country appear queer friendly—but the social realities for LGBTQ Cubans suggest otherwise

By Jonathan Bertucchi

Rainbow Rewind 2019

The biggest stories in LGBTQ2 power and politics from 2019

From the rise of Mayor Pete, to the battle against Chick-fil-A to Trump’s loose lips on queer issues

By Arvin Joaquin, Erica Lenti

Hate Watch

Meghan Murphy, the Toronto Public Library and fighting transphobia: an explainer

Everything you need to know about the anti-trans speaker, the library and the trans activists and allies fighting against them

By Arvin Joaquin, Cameron Perrier, Erica Lenti

Still Fighting: LGBTQ2 Rights at 50

Cheri DiNovo on being one of the few women in the early LGBTQ2 movement

The minister and former politician reflects on nearly 50 years in activism and politics

By Cheri DiNovo

Still Fighting: LGBTQ2 Rights at 50

Having tough conversations about LGBTQ2 activism across generations

Why one BC oral history project asked youth to interview activists about the past 50 years of queer and trans reform

By Shilpa Narayan

Still Fighting: LGBTQ2 Rights at 50

A millennial and senior trans activist discuss the future of trans advocacy in Canada

Rupert Raj and Tatiana Ferguson talk community organization, early and late-life transition

By Xtra Staff

Analysis

What matters most to Black queer Americans

Takeaways from the LGB+ Black Census, the largest survey of Black people since the Reconstruction era

By Eternity Martis

Still Fighting: LGBTQ2 Rights at 50

How the police force has divided Toronto’s LGBTQ2 communities

Difference in opinion on Black Lives Matter, Pride Toronto and Marie Curtis Park polarized LGBTQ2 communities on policing practices.

By Arshy Mann