The surprising queer utopia of Duolingo

ANALYSIS: From LGBTQ+ characters in their lessons to hunky owls in the streets, Duolingo’s blend of inclusivity and absurdity has me primed for my next lesson

By Jon Heggestad

Censorship

Etsy crafts new puritanical policy

Opinion: Queer communities deserve platforms that won’t cast us off once they realize that queerness isn’t just rainbow pins and marketable slogans

By Noelle Perdue

Tech

Who does queer AI ‘art’ actually represent?

ANALYSIS: Accounts dedicated to queer AI art have popped off, but is there hope for anything beyond “boyfriend twins”?

By Jon Heggestad

Video

How AI image generators fail queer and trans people

The “Cass Review” and its use of AI-generated images highlight some of the key issues with depicting queer and trans people using artificial intelligence

By Xtra Video

Tech

The (missing) context around using AI to ban books

ANALYSIS: The case of an Iowa school district employing ChatGPT to enforce a statewide book ban has garnered significant attention—what concerns does it raise around AI-aided censorship?

By Jon Heggestad

Tech

YouTube is no longer the default site for coming out online, but its legacy lives on

ANALYSIS: What do Troye Sivan, Gigi Gorgeous, Tom Daley and Dodie have in common? They all came out on YouTube. But the platform is no longer as central to queer and trans narratives

By Jon Heggestad

TV & Film

Why Angelica Ross jumped at the chance to guest star on ‘Sort Of’

Playing a gender-affirming specialist inspired the multi-talented star to share her insights on transitioning: “The more comfortable you get with change, the more beautiful the experience becomes”

By Daric L. Cottingham

Social Media

The internet is toxic for queer people—and this new survey proves it

ANALYSIS: Policy advocate Sam Andrey provides insight into how queers confront hate while building digital communities

By Jon Heggestad

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

Identity

New resource creates guide for trans people changing names or gender markers

Transpapers auto-fills legal forms for Michigan residents changing their legal documents. Every state should have this tool

By Jeff Fuentes Gleghorn

Identity

The recent AI yearbook trend made me think about the girlhood I could have had

“I was intrigued by how it might let me have and hold something that had always seemed ephemeral and out of reach”

By Veronica Esposito

Social Media

Where have all the good gay memes gone?

ANALYSIS: Memes like the “Distracted Boyfriend” and “Right in front of my salad” have stood the test of time, but where are their contemporaries?

By Jon Heggestad

Tech

The case for digital minimalism—even for the gays who love excess

ANALYSIS: Digital minimalism is more than a time-management tool; it’s a whole new mindset. How might this approach to technology benefit queer users in particular?

By Jon Heggestad

Tech

There’s a reason why queer folks are turning to online spaces like Snapchat and Tumblr

ANALYSIS: Gender scholar Kathryn Bond Stockton coined the term “growing sideways” to describe the queer experience during childhood. Are some of our favourite social media offerings following suit?

By Jon Heggestad

Tech

I asked ChatGPT to write an article about trans athletes. It didn’t go well

OPINION: Language learning models are a threat to queer journalism that we should be taking very seriously

By Katelyn Burns

TV & Film

‘Black Mirror’ episode ‘Beyond the Sea’ is a brutal reflection of toxic masculinity in the Digital Age

The series known for its dark reflections on a tech-obsessed society turns its focus to the Space Age, toxic geek masculinity and the danger of the “magic circle”

By Jon Heggestad

Identity

Is fat queer goodness vanishing from your Instagram feed?

Social media’s body positivity might only apply to those who fit into familiar beauty ideals. Is AI systematically deleting the creators who sit outside the norm?

By Lydia Okello

Tech

AI art like the ‘RuPublicans’ is part of a long lineage of queer remixing

ANALYSIS: Viral posts of U.S. Republicans dressed in drag are fun and subversive, but issues of ownership from AI art are still a concern

By Jon Heggestad