Xtra is an online magazine and community platform covering LGBTQ2S+ culture, politics and health. We aim to break boundaries, think outside of binaries and build bridges within our communities and beyond.

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

TV & Film

Leonard Bernstein was a towering genius, a man of multitudes. Addressing his sexuality is no easy feat

ANALYSIS: While the new biopic “Maestro” embraces Bernstein’s queerness, it still leaves questions lingering

By Barry Levitt

Queer Culture Catch-Up

Miss Chief’s memoirs, ‘Next Goal Wins,’ drag kings, gay bar history and more

Looking for a happy cry? S. Bear Bergman has you covered

By S. Bear Bergman

TV & Film

‘Out in the Ring’ documentary unmasks the queer history of professional wrestling

Ry Levey’s debut feature celebrates today’s out performers who are transforming the sport while unearthing its hidden past

By Christos Tsirbas

Identity

Connecting generations of femmes

Twenty years after the publication of “Brazen Femme,” a new podcast reflects on the anthology, and femme identity then and now

By Sid Drmay

Politics

The seemingly benign phrase ‘parental rights’ hides a dangerous, anti-democratic, Christian nationalist movement

ANALYSIS: North America has a long history with racist, misogynist and anti-queer activism focused on schools

By Zack Ford

TV & Film

Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Strange Way of Life’ answers a question ‘Brokeback Mountain’ asked 18 years ago

REVIEW: With restrained performances and über design, Almodóvar’s new short film finally lets two gay cowboys ride off into a Technicolor sunset

By Christos Tsirbas

Queer Culture Catch-Up

Mashed-up historical romance from Lex Croucher, ‘Yesterqueers’ on TikTok and musicians Kaien Cruz and Moe Reen top our calendar this week

Plus national treasure Walter Borden is onstage in Toronto

By S. Bear Bergman

Faith & Spirituality

Rachel Pollack’s vision of spirituality may be her greatest accomplishment

Tarot legend and comics writer Rachel Pollack’s legacy is epic

By Jude Ellison S. Doyle

What is a photograph?

The ArQuives celebrates 50 years of liberation and advocacy

Created for The ArQuives

The Xtra Long Read

Living sound forever: The genius of Wendy Carlos

The trans synth pioneer changed music—and the world—forever

By Kristen S. Hé

History

British drag has always been radical

In the wake of drag icon Paul O’Grady’s death, it’s time to excavate Britain’s radical drag history

By Jake Hall

History

A pioneering Canadian trans woman is being commemorated with a plaque in her hometown

Dianna Boileau’s life is being celebrated in the small northwestern community of Fort Frances

By Silas Le Blanc

History

Beyond Stonewall: new project documents more than 600 forgotten LGBTQ2S+ protests

U.S. researchers uncover hundreds of queer and trans protests from 1965 to 1973

By Denio Lourenco

Queer View Mirror

The queer comfort of ‘The Parent Trap,’ 25 years later

From Lisa Ann Walter’s character Chessy to “Tie-Dye Girl,” the ’90s classic is a beloved entity for queer folks

By Michael Elias

History

Learning local queer history helped me reclaim my right to public space

After an incident of homophobic harassment, learning about my local park’s LGBTQ+ history gave me the confidence to keep going out for daily walks

By Rosen Pitman-Wallace

Identity

German parliament centres LGBTQ+ experiences on Holocaust Memorial Day for the first time

The remembrance comes after years of campaigning from activists

By Jackie Richardson

History

Authorities have been trying to suppress public gender nonconformity for centuries—and now the U.S. is stepping up the attacks

A surge of proposed drag bans, which would bar “male or female impersonators” from appearing where children could see them, form part of a very contemporary moral panic—but the ideologies at their core are nothing new

By Kit Heyam