An HIV vaccine could be on the horizon thanks to COVID-19 research

New mRNA technology developed for the Moderna vaccine could fast-track HIV vaccine

A queer atheist goes to church

Excerpt: In her new memoir, Ontario politician-cum-minister Cheri DiNovo remembers exploring her faith for the first time

By Cheri DiNovo

Culture

Everything you need to know about JoJo Siwa’s rise to queer icon status

The social media superstar rocked the world when she came out as queer in January

By Mel Woods

Relationships

No, transitioning doesn’t always spell the end of a marriage

My relationship with my partner went through ups and downs—but my transition brought us closer together

By Sydney Bauer

Politics

Why did Ontario vote to accredit an anti-LGBTQ2S+ college?

Charles McVety’s Canada Christian College may soon grant bachelor’s degrees thanks to a Fordian business bill. Many fear it could signal the erosion LGBTQ2S+ protections in post-secondary schools

By Paula Tran

TV & Film

Celebrating the Black female TV characters that Black queer men love

From Khadijah James in “Living Single” to Jodie Landon in “Daria”

By Eric Ford

My Safe Space

My bath time ritual is the perfect pandemic salve

The joy of bathing is the pleasure of being partially or wholly unobserved in the steam

By Hannah Copestake

Xtra Weekly

Topline: Getting my queer social fix on Twitch

The streaming platform has become an unlikely community hub for LGBTQ2S+ gamers

By Erica Lenti

Opinion

Trans folks need more than just visibility

At its best, Trans Day of Visibility is a nod of solidarity between trans people across the world. At its worst, it’s a paltry marketing effort

By Nour Abi-Nakhoul

Activism

How 5 LGBTQ2S+ organizations are serving our communities during the pandemic

The Canadian government has doled out funding to 76 queer and trans-centric organizations. Here’s a sample of how that money will be used

By Logan Summer

Xtra Weekly

Topline: A history of anti-Asian violence

Following last week’s mass murder in Atlanta, Asian people and allies are demanding an end to anti-Asian hate

By Rachel Giese

Power

What did Dan Savage do this time?

The columnist came to the defence of controversial journalist Jesse Singal this week, reminding the internet of his past transphobia

By Nour Abi-Nakhoul

Justice

Everything you need to know about Quebec’s gender marker legal ruling

The landmark case removes barriers for LGBTQ2S+ Quebecers who want to change their legal IDs. The rest of Canada still lags behind

By KC Hoard

Identity

For LGBTQ+ Nigerians, Twitter is home for unbridled queer celebration

In the community colloquially known as “Qwitter,” users find safety, comfort and joy with other queer folks—often for the first time

By January Ikeoluwa

Culture

At Paris’ Dirty Lemon, a new kind of lesbian bar has emerged

Ruba Khoury prioritizes queer connection, good eats and tasty cocktails above all—a testament to what LGBTQ+ women really want in their bars

By Emily Monaco

Education

Most Catholic school boards still refuse to recognize Pride

At the world’s largest publicly funded Catholic school board, located in Toronto, the object lesson is prejudice and indifference

By Erica Lenti

Dispatch

How queer South Koreans are finding resilience during COVID-19

An outbreak of the virus in a Seoul gay club early in the pandemic left LGBTQ+ Koreans an easy target for homophobia. But the community continues to fight back

By Heezy Yang

The Xtra Long Read

Making tech queer- and trans-friendly is about much more than hiring

Diversity is not an end in itself. Technologies need to serve their users

By Caitlin Stall-Paquet