Where does the new pope stand on queer and trans issues?

OPINION: Pope Leo XIV has said homosexuality is “at odds with gospel.” But I’m cautiously optimistic

Get ready for conservative civil war

OPINION: The Conservative Party of Canada leadership is at a crossroads. Here’s how Doug Ford, Jason Kenney and Pierre Poilievre could factor in

By Dale Smith

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

By Dale Smith

Identity

No one knows what ‘masculinity’ is, but it’s killing us

ANALYSIS: Does “masculinity” mean anything other than “being in charge”? Let’s talk to transfeminists and find out

By Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Rainbow Votes 2025

Aaron Gunn, Andrew Lawton among controversial MPs headed to Ottawa

ANALYSIS: The 2025 federal election winners include multiple people with concerning pasts around LGBTQ2S+ issues

By Mel Woods

Censorship

The Supreme Court hears book ban by another name

In Mahmoud v. Taylor, parents are trying to erase LGBTQ2S+ representation from schools

By Meg Simons

Dangerous Space

How the trans rights struggle affects everyone

OPINION: Precedents set by anti-trans movements are driven by the idea that the government and private institutions should have the power to police us all

By Kai Cheng Thom

Rainbow Votes 2025

Mark Carney’s Liberals projected to win Canadian federal election

What does the 2025 Canadian federal election result mean for LGBTQ2S+ people in Canada?

By Mel Woods

Politics

The U.K. Labour Party has no backbone to stand up for trans people

OPINION: A Supreme Court ruling has opened the door for the Labour Party to turn further against trans people

By Katelyn Burns

Rainbow Votes 2025

I helped write the NDP’s trans policy. Why have they abandoned our community?

OPINION: In a time when allies need to stand up for trans rights, the NDP has chosen to stand down—and pivot

By Jules Sherred

Rainbow Votes 2025

Where are the gays in the federal party platforms?

OPINION: All three major English party platforms offer thin gruel for queer and trans Canadians

By Dale Smith

Rainbow Votes 2025

Conservative platform pledges ban on trans women in women’s prisons

ANALYSIS: The Conservative Party of Canada’s 2025 federal election platform also hints at possible future anti-trans policies

By Mel Woods

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

Where Canada’s political parties really stand on queer and trans issues

Xtra put Canada’s major political parties under the microscope on everything from DEI rollbacks to trans athletes’ participation in sports

By Denio Lourenco

Video

Canadian musicians pull U.S. tour dates in wake of visa restrictions

Bells Larsen and T. Thomason are among trans travellers impacted by Trump’s immigration policies

By Mel Woods

Rainbow Votes 2025

LGBTQ2S+ parents exist—our federal leaders should value our experience

OPINION: The way Poilievre speaks of “biological clocks” as part of the affordability crisis erases the needs of queer and trans parents

By Tara-Michelle Ziniuk

Rainbow Votes 2025

Poilievre and the Conservatives have a ‘wokeism’ problem

OPINION: What would a “war on woke” look like for Canada if Poilievre wins?

By Dale Smith

Rainbow Votes 2025

We must be ready to counter the right’s obsession with trans people

ANALYSIS: Conservatives have shown they’re willing to make trans rights a wedge issue. Progressives can’t just stand by and watch

By Mel Woods