Jagmeet Singh’s plan for an inclusive Canada

The NDP leader spoke to Xtra about banning conversion therapy, improving trans healthcare and why representation is so vital in politics

By Erica Lenti

Politics

How do Canada’s political parties rank on LGBTQ2S+ issues?

Where the parties stand on conversion therapy, poppers, trans health care and more

By Mel Woods

Politics

Prepare to be disappointed in party platforms this election season

The NDP, Conservatives and Liberals could be doing much more for LGBTQ2S+ Canadians. Instead, they’re doling out a lot of the same empty promises

By Dale Smith

Culture

3 political campaign lessons from queer TV

Justin Trudeau has a lot to learn from Bette Porter’s “L Word” mayoral campaign

By Mel Woods

Politics

Jill Andrew’s revolutionary politics

As the first openly queer Black MPP in Ontario, the Toronto-based politician wants to build a more inclusive province in the wake of COVID-19

By Samantha Peters

Politics

What are conscience rights and why are they in the Conservative platform?

What Erin O’Toole’s pledge to defend conscience rights means for LGBTQ2S+ people

By Mel Woods

Politics

How to tell if that ‘feminist’ election group is actually anti-trans

As the federal writ drops, TERFs will be out claiming to “protect women”

By Mel Woods

Inside Xtra

A federal election?! Don’t worry, Xtra has you covered

Senior politics editor Erica Lenti gives you a sneak peek into our extensive coverage of the forthcoming Canadian election

By Erica Lenti

Politics

This Conservative MP’s call to study poppers may just be the right move

Michelle Rempel Garner’s open letter to the minister of health is an example of true allyship—if it doesn’t become an election punchline

By Dale Smith

Queer Culture Catch-Up

Communing butch voices, dance documentaries and writers on writing

Our recommendations for what’s up and what’s on, beginning Aug. 12

By S. Bear Bergman

Politics

What an election could mean for Canada’s LGBTQ2S+ communities

Spoiler alert: If past elections are any indication, expect broken promises

By Dale Smith

Power

When investigations into the deaths of trans women go unsolved

A veteran journalist explores what the Bruce McArthur case can teach us about other unsolved murder investigations and the policing of sex work

By Nour Abi-Nakhoul

Books

First Lady Nancy Reagan befriended gay men, then betrayed them

The legacy of the Reagan presidency’s callous handling of the early HIV/AIDS crisis still haunts us today

By Daniel Sanchez Torres

Dispatch

Despite ongoing homophobia, Kenya forms an LGBTQ+ state agency

The agency will report back to the government on discrimination faced by marginalized queer and trans Kenyans

By Gitonga Njeru

Excerpt

How the fight to legalize gay marriage in the U.S. was kickstarted by a PR stunt in Hawaii

Bill Woods thought his plot to procure marriage licences for gay couples would make news on the islands. He didn’t think, 25 years later, it would make history

By Sasha Issenberg

Politics

All parties get to wear the failure to ban conversion therapy in Canada

Bill C-6, which would have prohibited the harmful practice on a national level, did not pass through the Senate—and there’s plenty of blame to share across party lines

By Dale Smith

The Xtra Long Read

After more than two years of Bolsonaro, queer Brazilian artists and entertainers feel like they’re losing ground

The unexpected death of comedian Paulo Gustavo has focused attention on the government’s disregard for LGBTQ+ culture

By Nicole Froio

Politics

This Canadian senator wants your porn habits tracked

An Independent senator’s proposed legislation would use facial recognition to keep kids away from sexually explicit content—privacy be damned

By Dale Smith