Queer View Mirror

The siren song of Andrew Holleran’s 1978 novel ‘Dancer from the Dance’

How one queer classic keeps moving me after all these years

By Christopher DiRaddo

Rainbow Rewind 2021

The best and worst social media moments of 2021

Here are 10 times queer and trans people broke the internet over the past year

By Jordan Currie, Michelle da Silva

Rainbow Rewind 2021

The righteous queens and shady bitches of 2021

Celebrating the GOATs and condemning the flops in yet another pandemic year

By Xtra Staff

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

By Thomas Leblanc, Tranna Wintour

Rainbow Rewind 2021

7 moments of trans brilliance from 2021

While there is plenty from the last year to hate, these are the culture touchpoints we should focus on

By Tre’vell Anderson

Drag Race

What casting a straight cis man means for ‘Drag Race’

OPINION: RuPaul’s empire has transformed over the last two decades. A cis straight contestant is the latest big change

By Mel Woods

Politics

House of Commons surprisingly passes a tougher conversion therapy ban

ANALYSIS: A unanimous vote on Bill C-4 has fast-tracked the legislation. But has anything actually changed for the government and its opposition?

By Dale Smith

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

By Thomas Leblanc, Tranna Wintour

Health

Overcoming fatphobia takes hard work

OPINION: But the rewards are worth it, especially the sex—wet, filthy, kinky sex where bellies slap and flesh wobbles in shameless ecstasy

By Quenby

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?

By Thomas Leblanc, Tranna Wintour

Identity

True gender-neutral clothing must go beyond fancy sweatpants

OPINION: As we head into the holiday season, brands are championing “gender neutral” lines that are really just fancy loungewear

By Mel Woods

Power

The cost of policing public sex

OPINION: Five years ago, Toronto police cracked down on park cruising in a campaign called Project Marie. But LGBTQ2S+ activists fought back, reshaping the community’s relationship to the police

By Marcus McCann

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

By Thomas Leblanc, Tranna Wintour

Power

A proposed change to Quebec ID gender markers would legally out trans people

OPINION: Bill 2 would document both sex and gender identity on the birth registry—a major step back from past legal victories in the province

By Florence Ashley

Opinion

We need to talk about transphobia in Canadian media

Three recent pieces from the “Toronto Star,” CBC and CTV show a worrying trend towards anti-trans narratives

By Mel Woods

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

By Thomas Leblanc, Tranna Wintour

Power

New program allowing queer men to donate plasma is a first step toward ending the blood ban

The pilot project in Calgary and London will use a behaviour-based screening questionnaire in lieu of policies that single out queer and trans people

By Dale Smith

Sports

The NFL must work harder to fix the hate behind those Jon Gruden emails

Gruden’s emails—and the response to them—show the league has a long way to go when it comes to inclusivity

By Mel Woods