Rainbow Votes 2025

Canada’s Parliament just got a lot less queer

Only three incumbent openly queer MPs are headed back to Ottawa after the 2025 federal election

Rainbow Votes 2025

Ahead of the election, LGBTQ2S+ organizations are underfunded and under attack

Queer and trans organizations are calling on federal candidates to prioritize stable funding and to protect their communities

By Emma Bainbridge

Rainbow Votes 2025

Mark Carney calls LGBTQ2S+ rights ‘fundamental’

The Liberal leader made his first public comments about LGBTQ2S+ issues of the campaign at a stop in Alberta

By Mel Woods

Rainbow Votes 2025

Rainbow Votes returns for the 2025 Canadian federal election

Subscribe now to Xtra’s free pop-up election newsletter and stay looped into all things election 2025

By Mel Woods

Health

More than $40 million coming to queer organizations

Women and Gender Equality Canada is providing grants dedicated to healthcare, strengthening communities and raising awareness

By Silas Le Blanc

Proud Lives

5 things to know about Dorothy Allison

The lesbian feminist writer passed on Nov. 6

By Tara-Michelle Ziniuk

Politics

Canada’s queer and trans non-profits are teetering on a financial cliff

Given the current political climate, many are looking for sources of funding outside of government grants and ways to increase visibility

By Kevin Hurren

Politics

The state of trans rights, post 3 provincial elections

New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and B.C. voters all went to the polls, and largely rejected anti-trans rhetoric, but there are still some alarming trends

By Caitlin Hart

Censorship

Etsy crafts new puritanical policy

Some platforms have a habit of casting us off once they realize that queerness isn’t just rainbow pins and marketable slogans

By Noelle Perdue

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9’ Episode 9 recap: Badge swap

At this late juncture, two queens finally think strategically when it comes to badge donation

By Kevin O'Keeffe

Music

10 queer and trans country artists for your big gay twangy summer playlist

From Canadian breakout Robert Adam to trans industry vet Namoli Brennet

By Jesse Locke

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9’ Episode 7 recap: It’s gonna get scandalous

RuPaul acts opposite the queens in a campy challenge

By Kevin O'Keeffe

‘PTP Pink Paper’ casts critical eye on LGBTQ2S+ representation in movies, TV, streaming, video games

Report shows urgent need for better queer and trans stories—and representation among the people who make them

By Mel Woods

Pride

Artists call out Target after company scales back Pride collection

Non-binary illustrator En Tze Loh’s involvement was limited to a single item sold online. Other artists say they also have been affected

By Oliver Haug

Travel

How to take PrEP on the other side of the world

Taking a pill once a day sounds simple. But what happens when you put the intricacies of travel into the mix?

By Dean Lisk

Inside Xtra

Xtra’s ‘Queering Family’ named a finalist for digital journalism award

The nine-part multimedia series examines how people across North America are redefining what it means to build and sustain familial bonds

By Angela Mullins

Culture

Why the Banff media festival is putting a spotlight on queer representation

LGBTQ2S+ representation in the Canadian screen industries will be the focus of a Pink Paper

By Dean Lisk

Politics

Why you should worry about age verification laws

OPINION: Calls to restrict access to supposed adult content should be called out for their true intentions: relegating queer content to the shadows

By Nneka Ewulonu