Xtra is an online magazine and community platform covering LGBTQ2S+ culture, politics and health. We aim to break boundaries, think outside of binaries and build bridges within our communities and beyond.

That’s the Way It Is

The top 100 defining pop culture moments of 2021

Here’s Thomas and Tranna’s mega-list of the good, the bad and the cringe from the past year

December 21, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Tammy Faye, Gucci, Halston, Spencer, Céline… when reality is a drag

A recent spate of films prove biopics are the ultimate Snatch Game

November 30, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Why do people love Adele so much?

Is it her voice, her artistry, her relatability, her ascent to Mount Olympus?

November 16, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Which pop star is trying to steal the crown from Mariah, the queen of Christmas?

From Kelly Clarkson to Ariana Grande and even Big Freedia, there are plenty of pretenders to the throne

November 2, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Ricky Martin at 49 is the Latin pop daddy we deserve

His tour with Enrique Iglesias proves that masculinity is performative

October 19, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Why does Rihanna insist on selling clothes, not making music?

Her “Savage X Fenty Show” overflowed with celebrities parading in their underwear

September 28, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Mariah Carey’s star vehicle ‘Glitter’ flopped, but her 2001 album deserves a revisit

Released on 9/11, “Glitter” suffered from bad timing and maybe even sabotage

September 14, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Pop hasn’t been kind to women over 40. Can Beyoncé break the curse?

In her illustrious career, Beyoncé has blazed trails for Black women and inspired a zillion drag queens

August 31, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

The right tried to cancel Kathy Griffin, but the tenacious comedian is determined to have the last laugh

After surviving the T***p mask controversy, Griffin reveals her cancer diagnosis and struggle with addiction

August 10, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

If the Spice Girls were so disposable, why are we still humming “Wannabe” 25 years later?

The Spice Girls topped the charts for just a short time, but they will forever be fetish objects for queer kids from the 1990s

July 27, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

After the ‘Ellen’ trainwreck, which talk show diva will be the new queen of daytime TV?

Meghan McCain was easy to hate watch, but Wendy Williams remains the best sort of weird

July 13, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

We still can’t tell if Céline Dion is a child prodigy made good or a heartless robot bent on world domination

One thing’s for sure: after 40 years in showbiz, the beloved Quebec chanteuse has never figured out how to be cool

June 29, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Jean Smart is still a saucy survivor the gays can’t help rooting for

Playing a standup comedian on HBO Max’s “Hacks,” the screen icon is at the centre of a very queer universe

June 15, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

If Carrie couldn’t handle bisexuality, how will she do with pronouns on the ‘Sex and the City’ reboot?

In these uncertain times, nostalgic TV brings comfort, even when it should make us cringe

June 1, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ turns 10 this week. Queer landmark or sell-out mess?

Mother Monster was starting to take herself much too seriously

May 18, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Why Janet Mock’s takedown of Hollywood matters more than who’s sleeping with who on the set of ‘Pose’

Talented queer and trans people shouldn’t have to stay quiet to get work

May 4, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Colton Underwood and the commodification of Beautiful Gays™

Why does the success of a hunky white cis guy get us so riled up?

April 20, 2021

That’s the Way It Is

Demi Lovato and Tina Turner’s duelling documentaries

Thomas and Tranna unpack generational differences around stardom, authenticity and trauma

April 9, 2021