The Falooda Collective (founded in 2021 with six members) aims to document the queer South Asian presence in Montreal. Their first project was a memorial documentary about Saleem Kidwai, who passed away in 2021. The collective pieced together Kidwai’s life by interviewing people who knew him during his time in Montreal. Kidwai struggled with exploring his queerness in public spaces, but his friends encouraged him to make connections and attend local queer parties. Tragically, during one such event at Truxx Bar, a gay bar downtown, armed police barged in and arrested Kidwai, along with 145 others, on charges of “being in a bawdy house.” Fearing how his family back home would perceive him, Kidwai eventually decided to return to India before appearing in court, leaving his PhD unfinished. Despite homosexuality still being criminalized in India at the time, Kidwai and many Indian queer people were able to live full queer lives. After retiring from teaching history in India, Kidwai co-edited Same Sex Love in India: Readings in Indian Literature, a queer history of South Asia, which was cited in hearings that led to the decriminalization of homosexuality in India in 2018. The Falooda Collective’s documentary had a profound positive impact on young South Asian queer people.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

With her girlfriend and cat in tow, Viktoriia Kovalenko escaped Kharkiv last year, embarking on a harrowing odyssey brightened by kindnesses from strangers. On February 24, 2022 at 5:00AM EET, Viktoriia was awoken by the sounds of shelling. Viktoriia recounts the harrowing experience of escaping Ukraine. Food scarcity, ceaseless shelling, and illness were just some of the trials depicted in her photo diary. After fleeing to Bucharest and struggling to receive medical attention from local healthcare professionals, Viktoriia was able to move to Canada Temporarily via the “Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel” program. After an adjustment period Viktoriia was able to settle in and now she works does photography for local queer events and weddings.

This article was adapted by Diamond Yao from an interview between Diamond and Viktoriia. This article was published in Xtra Magazine.

According to the seat of the Scottish Government, Holyrood, hate crimes against trans people has increased by 68 percent from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022. Green Party Equalities spokesperson Maggie Chapman told Herald Scotland, “This awful rise must also not be viewed out of context. It has been fueled by a cynical campaign of vicious lies and smears spread about our trans siblings. Much of it has been whipped up and encouraged by powerful voices, such as those with significant public platforms and those in the U.K. government who want to distract from their own failings.” After previously being tabled in 2016 by the Scottish National Party, the Gender Recognition Reform bill was passed in Holyrood at the end of last December with backing from all parties except the Conservatives. Under the new legislation, trans people no longer need to pass a psychological examination and diagnosis for gender dysphoria before obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) to have their gender legally recognized.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

As more anti-trans bills are being passed, the rate of internet searches for “suicide” and “depression” increased by 13-17%. It was found that when anti-trans bills were defeated, these search terms significantly decreased. Research by Dr. George Cunningham and his team found that areas with higher density LGBTQ2S+ populations had a strong correlation between anti-trans bills being passed and internet searches for “suicide”. In 2021, the Trevor Project reported receiving nearly 4,000 crisis contacts from trans and non-binary youth in Texas related to stress and suicidal thoughts due to anti-trans legislation. A study published in January 2023 found that trans and non-binary youths who receive gender-affirming hormone therapy are happier after the treatment. Nearly two-thirds of the participants with severe depression reported mild or moderate depression at the end of the study.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

As LGBTQ2S+ members face increasing pressure in the southern USA, Texas lawmakers have pre-filed a bill that would classify any business that hosts drag shows as a “sexually oriented business” through amending an existing statute about such businesses. Venues with this classification are liable to misdemeanour charges on par with vehicle burglary if anyone under 18 enters the premises, are obligated to charge entrance fees of at least USD $5 per patron and are forbidden from having sex offenders owning or operating the establishment. Under the new bill, the state attorney general will also have the ability to sue any venue that hosts drag performances in violation of the bill—which could lead to its potential closure. Advocates have pointed out that this bill effectively bans trans people from performing in any capacity and in effect bans all drag by making it impossible to host anywhere. This comes on the heels of other Texas bills that would criminalize gender-affirming care for minors.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Trigger warning: This article contains references to sexual violence.
Two weeks ago, Blonde, the newest biopic on Marilyn Monroe, was released on Netflix. A fictionalize take on Marilyn Monroe’s life, it has faced criticism over its insensitive portrayal of multiple sexual assaults, forced abortion, and lack of empathy for the real person. Further, the one-dimensional character of Monroe, focusing on her victimhood to the exclusion of her own thoughts and emotions was a sticking point. The fetishization of female pain, sensationalizing sexual violence, anti-abortion themes, and objectification of Monroe have also been criticized as being harmful to survivors of sexual violence, potentially having negative impact on young audience members, and being misogynistic.

This article is published in stylecaster.

Last week, the Miami-Dade school board voted against a proposal to recognize October as LGBTQ2S+ History Month. Proposed by Lucia Baez-Geller in an attempt to decrease the marginalization of LGBTQ2S+ people, dozens of parents and community members opposed the proposal on the grounds that it ran afoul of Florida’s parental rights law, also known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay.” Only Lucia Baez-Geller in favor of the proposal, with some members of the board citing the parental rights law as the reason behind their vote. The latest vote comes as LGBTQ2S+ people in Florida face significant mental health challenges—which appear to have worsened in the face of anti-LGBTQ2S+ legislation.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.

Members the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee, along with hundreds of other people and organizations, published an open letter demanding a public meeting with Mayor John Tory over the appointment of Myron Demkiw as Toronto police chief. Demkiv was involved in a 2000 raid of the Pussy Palace bathhouse, which was later judged to be a violation of the attendees’ charter rights. Mayor Tory offered a closed meeting with himself, Demkiw, plus Chanelle Gallant and JP Hornick of the Toronto Women’s Bathhouse Committee, which was rejected by the latter two. Members of the queer community wish to talk to the police service board to discern how this appointment came to be and address fundamental issues with the process.

This article is published in Xtra Magazine.