If you aren’t from Ottawa, you might not have heard of Dixie Landers. And if you don’t read the queer press, you probably haven’t heard that the popular and well-loved drag personality has been in a coma for the last three days, after being severely injured in a bar fight. The story hasn’t hit the […] More »

I know I’m not the only one who started singing “ding-dong the witch is dead” when I heard yesterday that gay-hating televangelist Jerry Falwell had kicked the bucket. I felt not a second of hesitation before letting out a little cheer, imagining an afterlife for Mr. Falwell filled with teletubbies, feminists and sodomites. Does this […] More »

I thought I’d post a quick update, because I mentioned this a few weeks ago. Happily, the City of Ottawa has come to its senses, and remembered that it has no authority to censor community newspapers. Hooray for small victories. You can read about it here. More »

Okay, take a look at the image for yourself: This is the photo that Fondation Emergence has chosen to illustrate this year’s National Day Against Homophobia on May 17th. In my latest column for Capital Xtra, I argue that this kind of imagery elicits pity rather than celebration, and treats the queer community like we’re […] More »

God, this feel like so-20-years ago. Censorship is rearing its ugly head in Ottawa once again, after a father complained to the Hunt-Club Riverside Community Centre, after his son picked up a copy of Capital Xtra, Ottawa’s gay and lesbian newspaper. He is, of course, objecting to an ad for a gay chat line, which […] More »

Researcher Cory Alan Johnson The history of AIDS in Africa is a story intertwined with the ongoing legacy of colonialism, poverty, racial discrimination and other systemic ills. Including homophobia, according to the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC). People often point to the African situation as “proof” that “AIDS isn’t a gay disease,” […] More »

My heart sank a few days ago when I learned of the death of longtime lesbian activist Chris Bearchell. I remember seeing Bearchell on the streets at a demo back in the late eighties and being too timid to approach her. I was shy, and she was already a legend in political circles by then. […] More »