Xtra’s Queering Family series has been nominated for a Digital Publishing Award in the Best Digital Editorial Package category among small publications.
Published in February 2023, Queering Family is a nine-part multimedia examination of how people across North America are redefining what it means to build and sustain familial bonds. It explores the myriad ways that fostering loving networks might just be a queer superpower—whether it’s through the story of a trans teen coming out, a drag family created from scratch, a nanny helping to raise someone else’s kids or queer seniors experiencing a new take on elder care.
The series was led by guest editor Stéphanie Verge; former Xtra executive editor Gordon Bowness and produced by a team of journalists. Named on the nomination are: Ziya Jones, Jordan Currie, Lito Howse, Tobin Ng, Tudor Robins, Evan Robins, Prairie Sky, Em Norton and Elham Numan.
In a climate of rising hate and violence directed at LGBTQ2S+ people, Queering Family made people feel seen in their authentic everyday lives. This was reflected in reader-submitted photos that comprised the series’ unique photo gallery and reactions on Xtra’s social media channels, among other places.
Verge’s in-depth look at North America’s first long-term care facility with a wing dedicated to LGBTQ2S+ seniors garnered some of the strongest responses to the array of stories featured.
“My husband [and I] were openly ridiculed, and he was abused and neglected during his [three years] in long-term care at two private care centres in Montreal,” one man shared. “This story makes me very happy. It gives our old and sick [people] a chance for the type of dignified care my hubby and scores of other gay [people] didn’t get.”
For others, the story was a wakeup call.
“The most touching thing I’ve read on social media in a long time. A complete ‘ah-ha’ moment,” one reader wrote. “We are missing so much when it comes to inclusive care.”
Other finalists for Best Digital Editorial Package among small publications at this year’s Digital Publishing Awards (DPA) are: Radio-Canada, The Local, Pivot and The Narwhal. You can read their entries here.
Xtra’s nomination comes on the heels of last year’s gold-medal win for general excellence at the DPAs. In awarding that honour, the jury singled out the breadth of Xtra’s content and the uniqueness of its POV, stating, “At a time where queer rights are endangered in Canada and the United States, Xtra Magazine stands as a beacon for reliable, in-depth coverage.”
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