Looking for progress on LGBTQ+ rights in 2024? Keep an eye on these countries

From Thailand and Namibia to Poland and the U.K., good news is on the horizon for queer and trans folk

Court rules that ‘groomer’ is a slur, not protected speech

Experts say the precedent means that the queer community will be able to protect themselves from defamation and hateful speech

By Dale Smith

Rainbow Rewind 2023

Righteous Queens and Shady Bitches 2023

An annual tradition returns: the highs and the lows of the past year, personified

By Xtra Staff

Queer Ink

20 Canadian queer and trans tattooers to check out

New year, new ink? Check out some picks for artists to inspire your next tattoo

By Ashleigh-Rae Thomas, Mel Woods, Phoebe Fuller

Rainbow Rewind 2023

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

By Xtra Staff

Rainbow Rewind 2023

How the moral panic around ‘parental rights’ in Canada defined 2023

ANALYSIS: The fight to protect trans and gender-diverse kids is far from over

By Dale Smith

Tech

YouTube is no longer the default site for coming out online, but its legacy lives on

ANALYSIS: What do Troye Sivan, Gigi Gorgeous, Tom Daley and Dodie have in common? They all came out on YouTube. But the platform is no longer as central to queer and trans narratives

By Jon Heggestad

Art & Photography

‘Renegades’ documents the queer history Chloe Sherman helped create

“Renegades: San Francisco, The 1990s” captures a vital and vibrant era of queer and trans life

By Cooper Lee Bombardier

Justice

The legal case for teachers defying anti-trans laws

OPINION: A petition calling on teachers to violate Saskatchewan’s anti-trans Parents’ Bill of Rights could help the cause of striking it down

By Charlotte Sheasby

Sports

Majority of non-binary youth aren’t participating in team sports

First study of its kind looks at some of the reasons why

By Michelle Kay

Queer Culture Catch-Up

Holidays got you blue? Here’s some joy and fight and warm hugs

Our culture maven S. Bear Bergman has some terrific suggestions on navigating family drama and crafting your own traditions

By S. Bear Bergman

Politics

Canadian Conservative ties to Hungary and Orbán are cause for concern

OPINION: The Danube Institute treated a group of Conservatives to a lavish trip, part of what could be a slippery ideological slope

By Dale Smith

Activism

Roz Kaveney on a lifetime of fighting for trans rights

The writer, poet and anti-TERF activist reflects on half a century of fighting for trans rights

By Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Sports

Meet the trans NHL organist who’s doing things her way

Anaheim Ducks organist Lindsay Imber is using her visibility to boost inclusion in hockey

By Frankie de la Cretaz

Homelessness

As the homelessness crisis worsens, Gay Villages are caught at a crossroads of identity

ANALYSIS: Unhoused people are a part of our communities, so what can we do?

By Nour Abi-Nakhoul

Activism

Activists are teaming up to spotlight trans issues ahead of U.S. election

As anti-LGBTQ2S+ discrimination shakes the U.S. South, a non-profit and team of activists join together to bring visibility to trans lives in South Carolina

By Alina Kim

Media

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose

By Katelyn Burns

Activism

Yes, Palestinian solidarity is a queer issue

At protests across the country, queer and trans people are insisting that LGBTQ2S+ liberation and Palestinian liberation are intertwined

By Ziya Jones