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

Activism

Activists are teaming up to spotlight trans issues ahead of U.S. election

As anti-LGBTQ2S+ discrimination shakes the U.S. South, a non-profit and team of activists join together to bring visibility to trans lives in South Carolina

By Alina Kim

Media

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose

By Katelyn Burns

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

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

Nightlife

Queer people of colour are still left out of Chicago’s queer neighbourhood

Local drag performers say the area mostly serves affluent white men

By Adam Rhodes

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

Activism

How activists in California are pushing back against anti-LGBTQ2S+ school policies

California is often viewed as an overwhelmingly progressive state—but the reality is much more complicated

By Catherine Caruso

Trans Health

The ex-gay movement crawled so the detransition movement could run

OPINION: We’ve been here before. And history shows what might happen next

By Katelyn Burns

Politics

The DeSantis presidential campaign is flopping. Here’s why that matters

ANALYSIS: DeSantis’s failure proves that obsessively campaigning against trans and queer people’s right to exist is not the crowd-pleasing populist position it’s been made out to be

By Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Politics

What U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s appointment means for LGBTQ2S+ people

OPINION: The Republican, who once tried to introduce a national “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” should worry all queer and trans Americans

By Katelyn Burns

Music

A love letter to MUNA’s Sapphic pop joy

“Bands like MUNA are a breath of fresh air”

By Dani Janae

Business

New survey breaks down how LGBTQ2S+ consumers respond to boycotts

“The data here is emblematic of a tidal wave shift that is coming with the younger generation”

By Rob Csernyik

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

As Told To

Why I was forced to move my family out of Florida

Despite building a healthy and happy life by the sea, we had to return to Colorado for the sake of my daughter’s well-being

By Avery Randolph

TV & Film

‘Dicks’ will make you gasp

REVIEW: Megan Mullally and Nathan Lane lead an all-star cast to irreverent heights in “Dicks: The Musical”

By Barry Levitt

Drag

Meet D’Arcy Drollinger, the world’s first Drag Laureate

The playwright, filmmaker, performer and now business leader discusses how he is shining a light for those less privileged

By Daniel MacIvor

Politics

The Texas drag ban has been ruled unconstitutional. But the fight isn’t over

OPINION: Some Trump-appointed judges are testing the limits of free-speech protections to help push forward right-wing agendas

By Katelyn Burns