Conservatives plan to spend Pride Month pressing for blood ban changes

The opposition party tabled a draft order to end the discriminatory practice for queer men and trans people

More WAPs, less cops

In the second installment of the “Protest and Pleasure” series, we explore why defunding the police is the best protection against sexual violence

By Chanelle Gallant

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under’ Episode 5 recap: Marketing genius

A dynamite lip sync to “Absolutely Everybody” caps an otherwise frustrating episode

By Kevin O’Keeffe

The Xtra Long Read

What if we weren’t born that way?

The immutability of sexual orientation and gender identity has been the cornerstone argument for LGBTQ2S+ rights. The trouble is that not everyone fits that mold

By Heron Greenesmith

Politics

Bardish Chagger, our voice at the Cabinet table

Xtra asks Canada’s Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth about the millions of dollars set aside for LGBTQ2S+ policy and funding in last month’s federal budget

By Dale Smith

Dispatch

The Turkish government is targeting LGBTQ+ communities, but activists refuse to back down

Despite increased police presence and the derision of LGBTQ+ people by government officials, queer and trans Turks are making themselves even more visible through Pride and protest

By Clare Busch

Protest and Pleasure

Let’s celebrate our vulnerable, ‘imperfect’ bodies

In the first installment of the “Protest and Pleasure” series, disability justice activists explain how liberating ourselves from ableism makes sex hotter for everyone

By Chanelle Gallant

Politics

Despite its best efforts, the Canadian government others trans folks in its latest census

There’s a lack of data on trans Canadians. But the 2021 census still fails to capture an accurate portrait of trans lives in Canada

By Niko Stratis

Politics

Canadian government looking to quash inquiry into Health Canada’s role in blood ban

Christopher Karas filed a human rights complaint against the government body over Canada’s blood donation ban in 2015

By Dale Smith

TV & Film

When a circle of Vancouver queers sponsors a Ugandan refugee, both sides learn hard lessons

An award-winning new documentary teaches us about the importance—and the pitfalls—of helping LGBTQ+ people flee persecution

By Niko Bell

Politics

The personal price paid by families under the onslaught of America’s anti-trans legislation

Supportive parents, especially supportive trans parents, are facing terrible choices

By Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Dispatch

I found trans resilience in an eighth grade, rural Ohio classroom

When I wound up in a traditional community for my student-teacher placement, I sought comfort in unspoken LGBTQ2S+ connections

By Gill Platek

Politics

What a Canadian court ruling on polyamory means for multi-parent families

Members of a triad in B.C. have been recognized as equal parents, changing legal and societal conceptions of what families look like

By Niko Bell

Dispatch

After a summer of protest, queer Nigerians continue to fight for rights

Whether on the streets or in creative ways online, LGBTQ+ Nigerians are creating community and calling for change in the wake of the #EndSARS movement

By Ugonna-Ora Owoh

Power

4 simple ways LGBTQ2S+ folks can become money savvy

Queer financial gurus offer up their best advice to thrive in a society that isn’t always set up for our success

By Chaya M Milchtein

The Xtra Long Read

Can the Conservative Party of Canada come out of the closet?

Tories have long made LGBTQ2S+ rights a wedge issue. Now the issue is dividing the party—and thwarting its chances at winning the next federal election

By Erica Lenti

Opinion

What gets ignored in campus debates over ‘free speech’

Controversies at two Canadian universities demonstrate how students on the margins get overlooked again and again

By KC Hoard

Politics

What’s in Canada’s budget for LGBTQ2S+ people?

The Liberal government’s proposed ‘inclusive recovery’ addresses queer and trans folks’ lived realities—and that’s a good start

By Dale Smith