Cruising the Shelves

‘No God but Us’ delves into the parallel universes created by war and displacement

Bobuq Sayed’s debut novel considers borders and ethics through the eyes of two queer Afghan lovers

By H Felix Chau Bradley

Music

Bentley Robles wants a brotherhood of gay pop stars

The yellow-haired singer talks rising stardom, Zara Larsson and dating while gay-famous

By Russ Martin

Music

Vivek Shraya is hot, blond and hitting the dance floor

The Toronto multi-hyphenate’s new album, “VIVICA,” shirks respectability politics for a sensual, high-gloss exploration of queer and trans desire

By Elena Sénéchal-Becker

TV & Film

Director Bretten Hannam on breaking the ghost story form in their new Indigenous-led thriller

The Two-Spirit filmmaker tells Xtra about twisting time, space and sound in “At the Place of Ghosts”

By Colby Payne

Sports

Media is unprepared for how to appropriately cover women’s sports

Coverage of Azzi Fudd and Natasha Cloud show how media fails to properly cover women’s sports like the WNBA

By Frankie de la Cretaz

We've Been Here

The complicated legacy of Renée Richards

The former tennis player broke barriers for trans athletes in 1977. Then she changed her tune

By Cody Corrall

Tech

This former OnlyFans creator wants to make sexy content better for everyone

From Calgary to OnlyFans to Silicon Valley—Grant McNaughton’s journey has led him to build his own platform for X-rated videos

By Kevin Hurren

Consumed

‘Survivor’ helped me climb a volcano

Instead of training for a gruelling day-long hike, I listened to podcasts about my favourite TV show. It paid off

By KC Hoard

Media

Only 1 in 5 ‘New York Times’ news stories about trans issues quote actual trans people: report

A new ‘Assigned Media’ report found that the ‘New York Times’ rarely cited trans people in coverage about trans issues

By Cody Corrall, Mel Woods

Inside Xtra

Xtra nominated for National Media Awards and Canadian Association of Journalists Awards

Nominees include contributors Zena Sharman, Rob Csernyik and Arvin Joaquin, along with Xtra editor KC Hoard

By Xtra Staff

TV & Film

‘Mother Mary’ nails how devastating a first lesbian breakup can be

In A24’s new pop star drama, Anne Hathaway captures the physicality of a tormented ex-lover aching for answers—and deliverance

By Tobin Ng

We've Been Here

The radical legacy of ‘On Our Backs’ magazine

“On Our Backs” filled a void by authentically documenting—and celebrating—lesbian sexuality

By Cody Corrall

Cruising the Shelves

In ‘Afternoon Hours of a Hermit,’ Patrick Cottrell writes a protagonist who does everything wrong—again

The pseudo-sequel to Cottrell’s acclaimed first novel brilliantly retraces old ground

By H Felix Chau Bradley

Gaming

Queer players are finally ‘Living the Dream’ in the new ‘Tomodachi Life’ sequel

The latest instalment of Nintendo’s life-sim game breaks ground with new Mii gender, pronoun and attraction options

By Jacob Aron Leung

We've Been Here

The haunting photographs of Peter Hujar

Photographer Peter Hujar’s work revelled in eroticism, pain and the thin line between life and death

By Cody Corrall

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 15 power ranking: Battle of the queens

Ten eliminated competitors returned for the LaLaPaRuZa, but who won?

By Kevin O'Keeffe

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Season 18, Episode 15 recap: All Ru, all the time

This season’s LaLaPaRuZa is all about Mother

By Kevin O'Keeffe

Cruising the Shelves

‘Work to Do’ shows just how dramatic a grocery store can get

Jules Wernersbach’s energetic novel delves into the intricacies of queer entrepreneurship, climate change—and class revolt

By H Felix Chau Bradley