Canada must lead on LGBTQ+ rights. Will Carney’s budget meet the moment?

With the U.S. shying away from supporting LGBTQ+ rights abroad, Canada must take global leadership

Disabled queer organizers refuse to leave anyone behind

From low-sensory spaces to masked events, expanding the menu of options can help make queer spaces accessible to everyone

By Julia Peterson

Social Media

Toronto lesbians gather for ‘performative masc’ competition

Butches, studs and mascs gathered in Toronto to compete for the title of the “ultimate performative masc”

By Cody Corrall

Taking Space

Away from home or school, queer youth find space to hope

As anti-LGBTQ2S+ legislation targets young people, they find refuge in drop-ins and book clubs

By Phoebe Fuller

Taking Space

What we gain, and lose, when a queer party goes sober

Nightlife is a significant part of queer and trans culture. How do we navigate all the booze and drugs?

By Kevin Hurren

E•MO•TEN

What is the most underrated song on Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘EMOTION’?

Yes, we all love “Run Away With Me.” But the whole album is full of absolute bangers

By KC Hoard, Mel Woods, Oliver Haug

Politics

Pierre Poilievre is headed back to Parliament. What happens now?

The Conservative Party of Canada leader faces a divided caucus and a leadership review in January

By Mel Woods

The Xtra Long Read

This online scam is putting the LGBTQ2S+ global activist community at risk

Scammers targeting money from queer people in intolerant countries

By Rob Csernyik

Politics

Carney’s focus on resource economy over people will hurt everyone

Women and Gender Equality Canada is facing cuts up to 80 percent of its budget

By Dale Smith

Taking Space

The women’s sports bars offering hope in a time of political uncertainty

Women’s sports bar owners say there’s no time like the present to open their doors

By Eve Cable

Politics

This Canadian think tank is claiming ‘victory’ over anti-trans legislation

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute routinely publishes material targeting trans rights

By Denio Lourenco

Taking Space

Can queer sex shops ever truly be radical?

Stores can provide important access to health resources and community—but queerness demands that we dream bigger

By Noelle Perdue

Politics

Canadian Nexus cards eliminate X gender marker in wake of Trump executive order

Nexus cards issued to Canadians will now only feature M and F gender markers in the wake of the Trump administration’s crackdown on trans people, despite previously offering an X option

By Cody Corrall, Mel Woods

Pride

Pride alternatives pop up in wake of Fierté Montréal controversies

Amid calls for a community-wide boycott, LGBTQ2S+ groups in the city are celebrating on their own terms

By Elena Sénéchal-Becker

Pride

Vancouver represents everything hard about hosting Pride right now

Every festival is a beast to pull together—but Vancouver’s faces the brunt of today’s economic and political pressures

By Kevin Hurren

Taking Space

Liberation has always been on the shelves of queer bookstores

Despite raids and threats, bookstores carry on as crucial LGBTQ2S+ organizing hubs

By Adam Rhodes

Music

What the heck is Saskatchewan? A guide for Chappell Roan fans

Chappell Roan’s teaser for “The Subway” has made Saskatchewan the belle of the ball. But what’s the deal with Canada’s most rectangular province?

By Mel Woods

Immigration & Refugees

That decision on a non-binary America’s deportation from Canada? There’s more to it

The decision to halt the deportation of a non-binary American from Canada was celebrated as a legal win. But it may not be not as precedent-setting as it first appears

By Charlotte Sheasby