Coming out is a near-universal queer experience. The coming-out story recurs again and again in queer cinema: it’s our version of the coming-of-age tale. But where the traditional narrative and reality diverge is at the assumption that coming out is something that only happens once in a lifetime. In the movies, the quiet boy starts […] More »

I love pink. I look good in pink. In fact, I think everyone looks good in pink. And that’s good news, because February 19th marks the first international Day of Pink, an annual event to raise awareness to stop bullying, discrimination and homophobia around the world. This Thursday, a quarter of a million people will […] More »

[Editor’s Note: from time to time we feature guest bloggers on important issues. Email editor at thismagazine dot ca to enquire about contributing.] BY CATE SIMPSON Forty years after the Stonewall riots, Julie Bindel, writing in The Guardian earlier this week, claims that trans men and women haven’t earned the right to be recognized by […] More »

Up to 20 men have been arrested in the African nation of Senegal because they are gay, according to yesterday’s press release from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). “Many consider Senegal to be one of the most progressive African countries on the issue of homosexuality,” said Joel Nana, IGLHRC’s Program Associate […] More »

Makvan Mouloodzadeh was executed in Iran’s Kermanshah Central Prison at 5 a.m. yesterday morning, according to a report from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). Mouloodzadeh, 21 at the time of his execution, had been accused of having raped other boys when he was 13. But at his trial, all the witnesses […] More »

More than a hundred people gathered in Uganda’s capital city two weeks to debate the future of LGBT rights in the notoriously homophobic nation. According to Uganda’s Penal Code Act, homosexuality is a criminal offense. In 2004, the government fined a radio station $1000 for airing a positive portrayal of LGBT people. More recently, James […] More »

Wait your turn. I’m sure we all heard those words as children, as we stood in line for rides at amusement parks, or impatiently allowed siblings to play with coveted new toys. But in the fight for human rights, should we be telling anyone to wait their turn when it comes to such urgent matters […] More »

Last Thursday, I puckered up with my sweetie, and did some smooching for social change. The venue was a cheesy Mexican restaurant at Dow’s Lake in Ottawa — an unlikely venue for a queer kiss-fest. But after Adam Graham and Phillip Banks were asked to “cool it” for sharing a gentle kiss by the water, […] More »

The internet has been going berzerk for the last few days, after Bill O’Reilly aired this report on CNN: Yes, O’Reilly reported that “a lesbian gang called GTO, Gays Taking Over, are involved in raping young girls. And in Philadelphia, a lesbian gang called DTO, Dykes Taking Over, are allegedly terrorizing people, as well.” Yeah, […] More »

When I read the news a couple of days ago the Michael Glatze, former editor of Young Gay America Magazine, and one of the filmmakers behind the incredible queer youth documentary Jim In Bold, had come out as “ex-gay,” I was flabbergasted. That makes two editors of queer magazines in the last several months that […] More »

I just returned from Toronto’s gay pride celebrations, and I was so thrilled to spend a few hours on Friday night at Goodhandy’s, Toronto’s “pansexual playground.” The bar is only one year old, but in that short period of time has established itself as a gathering place for trans people and their allies, alternative burlesque […] More »