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.

Politics

Democrats have reintroduced the Equality Act yet again

OPINION: We need more than a single piece of legislation to protect queer and trans lives

By Katelyn Burns

Culture

Florida’s drag ban is facing a new test: comic conventions

OPINION: The gender experimentation offered by the cosplay community must be preserved as conservatives continue on their mission to destroy gender nonconformity

By Katelyn Burns

Education

York Catholic school board votes against flying Pride flag: students plan walkout in protest

Ontario’s education minister says schools should “do the right thing” and celebrate Pride, but will not mandate flying the Pride flag

By Julia Peterson

Politics

Transphobes are targeting cis people now. That should be a wakeup call

OPINION: You cannot “eliminate transgenderism” without deeply restricting the gender presentation of all people in society

By Katelyn Burns

Politics

Florida’s bathroom bill would keep me from my family

OPINION: Visiting my parents in Florida used to feel like a safe home away from home. Now, the idea of it makes my stomach turn

By Katelyn Burns

Trans Health

First they came for trans kids. Now, in Missouri, they’re coming after trans adults

OPINION: Missouri’s targeting of gender-affirming care is part of the goal to eradicate trans people entirely

By Katelyn Burns

Sports

The NHL’s commitment to diversity doesn’t extend to trans people

OPINION: As players opt out of Pride nights—or teams cancel events altogether—it’s becoming clear that support for LGBTQ2S+ fans was always conditional

By Katelyn Burns

Power

The death of Eden Knight, a young trans woman, garners international attention

But we need more than outrage and temporary media coverage to save trans lives

By Katelyn Burns

Power

It’s not just drag artists who need to worry about bounty hunting bills

OPINION: With a new anti-drag bill in Texas, Republicans are once again attempting to use the bounty system to bypass constitutional law

By Katelyn Burns

Power

Decoding the language of the anti-trans movement

OPINION: Under the euphemisms, transphobic figureheads are sending a clear message

By Katelyn Burns

Travel

How Iceland became a country where one in three people attend Reykjavík Pride

At the capital’s Pride celebrations, the country’s we’re-all-in-this-together attitude shows that consensus is possible on LGBTQ+ rights

By Paul Gallant

Identity

Thanks to new legislation, it’s significantly easier for trans people to change their gender markers in Finland

The process no longer requires that trans people have surgery or a psychiatric assessment

By Claire Forth

Politics

No, Conservatives, you aren’t being discriminated against

OPINION: Conservatives are trying to protect political belief on human-rights grounds, betraying the whole reason human rights protections exist

By Dale Smith

Power

Forcibly outing trans kids is dangerous

OPINION: When schools are required to disclose a child’s trans identity, they prioritize parents over students’ well-being

By Katelyn Burns

Trans Health

Multiple states have proposed bills that would ban gender-affirming care for adults

OPINION: Newly proposed legislation shows that attempts to curb trans rights were never going to stop with kids

By Katelyn Burns

Sports

A U.S. court ruled to uphold the rights of trans athletes. Will the verdict stick?

OPINION: The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision is a huge victory but the future of trans athletes remains uncertain

By Katelyn Burns

Politics

Ten trans lawyers just got appointed to the Supreme Court bar. Here’s why that matters

OPINION: With these appointments, trans people will be able to argue for themselves, just as the most important trans rights cases start to hit the high court

By Katelyn Burns

Ask an Expert

Is Canada’s blood ban really over?

A public health researcher weighs in on what queer and trans people need to know about donating blood in Canada

By Cassandra Kislenko