Rainbow Rewind 2023

Our power ranking of all 14 seasons of ‘Drag Race’ that aired in 2023

From the lead-footed Belgians to the high-flying French, we rate the world in heels

By Sam Franzini

Books

A deeply Cree and gloriously queer conversation with Kent Monkman and Gisèle Gordon

Get ready to love and laugh with Miss Chief Eagle Testickle

By Megan Scribe

Rainbow Rewind 2023

Righteous Queens and Shady Bitches 2023

An annual tradition returns: the highs and the lows of the past year, personified

By Xtra Staff

Rainbow Rewind 2023

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

By Xtra Staff

Art & Photography

‘Renegades’ documents the queer history Chloe Sherman helped create

“Renegades: San Francisco, The 1990s” captures a vital and vibrant era of queer and trans life

By Cooper Lee Bombardier

Monthly Tune-Up

New tunes from Sleater-Kinney and Kevin Abstract

Plus drag queen Pattie Gonia’s environmental anthem performed with trans Indigenous singer-songwriter Quinn Christopherson and acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma

By Jordan Currie

Sports

Meet the trans NHL organist who’s doing things her way

Anaheim Ducks organist Lindsay Imber is using her visibility to boost inclusion in hockey

By Frankie de la Cretaz

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