What you need to know about non-monogamy and mental health
Today, as openness to non-monogamy grows, a number of people—queer and straight, cis and trans alike—are questioning whether monogamy is the ideal relationship structure and many have shifted towards non-monogamous relationships. While these relationships can be a source of joy, they also com with unique challenges, some exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article…
How having queer folks in power at non-queer media organizations can shift coverage
In 2020, Viet Tran launched the magazine Sticky Rice, which focuses on Asian Canadian issues, in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic and a rising wave of anti-Asian racism. A psychiatrist by training, Tran is the editor-in-chief of this successful publication, and we sat down with him to discuss how being a gay Asian man…
Future Mothers Can Still Get Breast Implants
Breast implant surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures around the world. For future moms-to-be it is fine to done, so long as potential complications are accounted for. Namely, long-term care will be needed including another surgery down the road, the impact of changes to one’s breasts arising from pregnancy, avoiding breast milk…
Ruth Lor Malloy
Ruth Lor Malloy (née Lor), journalist, writer, activist (born 4 August 1932, in Brockville, ON). Malloy was a key figure in fighting against discrimination in Ontario in the 1950s (see Prejudice and Discrimination in Canada). She participated in the high profile Dresden restaurant sit-in of 1954. In 1973, she published the first English-language guidebook to…
Here’s how Biden is fighting to strengthen healthcare protections for LGBTQ2S+ Americans
The Biden administration released proposed regulations on July 25 that would enhance existing protections for the LGBTQ2S+ community. Specifically, the new rules reaffirm that discrimination against LGBTQ2S+ people, and people who have had abortions, is illegal in federally funded health settings and explicitly prohibits healthcare discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. However, the proposal…
Treatment for body dysmorphic disorder is still failing queer people of colour
Treatment for body dysmorphic disorder is still failing queer people of colour. Stella, a pansexual Korean-Greek woman struggling with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), found that her therapists didn’t acknowledge her racialization and her queerness during her treatment, which limited its effectiveness. As Nyinawumuntu, the founder and director of the Black Healing Centre, has described it:…
Antigua and Barbuda strikes down law criminalizing gay sex in victory for LGBTQ+ community
In a landmark ruling for its LGBTQ+ community, anti-buggery laws were struck down in Antigua and Barbuda. Honourable Justice Marissa Robertson of the twin island nation’s High Court ruled on July 5 that sections 12 and 15 of the Sexual Offences Act of 1995 contravene its constitution. The Sexual Offences Act states that a person…
Injectable PrEP is safe and effective in preventing HIV/AIDS among trans women, study finds
A recent study found that long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is effective and safe for trans women in preventing HIV/AIDS. The new research presented at the 24th International AIDS Conference in Montreal on July 31 showed that PrEP works just as well for trans women as the treatment does for bisexual and gay men. Additionally,…
Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community fights back against bigotry
In Ghana LGBTQ+ advocates are banding together to sue the state for human rights violations against its queer community as the country experiences a rise in anti-LGBTQ+ violence. On June 14, two separate lawsuits were filed in the Ghana High Court against the inspector general of police and the attorney general of Ghana for violating…
New study finds that top surgery improves quality of life in trans youth
A new study published by Northwestern Medicine researchers in peer-reviewed journal JAMA Pediatrics, has discovered that top surgery improves quality of life in trans youth. It compared two groups of patients aged 14 to 24: one group of 36 patients received top surgery, while a control group of 34 patients received gender-affirming care without top…
Pakistan’s trans community fears loss of protections as senator launches attack on trans rights bill
Senator Mushtaq Ahmed of the Jamaat-e-Islami Party, Pakistan’s largest religious party, filed a petition to rescind protections for trans people in the country arguing that Pakistan’s 2018 Transgender Rights Bill went against the country’s Islamic principles. The senator also suggested that people who wish to change their gender marker should undergo a medical test first,…
Watching Dune, I’m reminded of the young European explorers I envied — and resented — in my youth
Watching Dune, I felt myself reminded of several old childhood memories. Paul Atreides was reminiscent of young European explorers from the Age of Discovery, heroes charged with a royal mandate to explore, albeit they ultimately harmed the existing inhabitants of the locations they would visit. These explorers begged the question of why they could have…
Racism led to a rise in anti-Asian hate in the pandemic. What the community wants to see in Canada’s next leader
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many challenges and disruptions and among them was a spike in anti-Asian racism. Asian-Canadians seniors faced a surge of attacks and many Asian-Canadian businesses were the victim of vandalism. In this article we hear from members of the Chinese-Canadian community on their concerns regarding this issue, access to health-care,…
Pour ne plus disparaître
Durant 2021 plusieurs femmes inuit de la communauté du square Cabot sont décédées ou disparues à Montréal. Avec l’approche d’hiver, la communauté inuit est peur qu’il n’y ait pas assez de ressources pour empêcher que de nouveaux décès ne surviennent. En novembre dernier des plusieurs membres de la communauté ont pris du temps pour commémorer…
Comment rendre justice à Joyce Echaquan ?
Un an après le mort du Joyce Echaquan, comment nous pouvons rendre justice ? Comment pouvons-nous éviter qu’une telle tragédie se reproduise? On regarde les effets dévastateurs du le racisme systémique et le combat contre cette vile réalité. Cet article a été publié dans La Converse, un nouveau média d’actualités numériques qui un journalisme de…
Sauver les femmes afghanes : une instrumentalisation occidentale
Face à la crise du logement qui sévit à Montréal, des citoyens redoublent d’efforts pour changer la donne et faire valoir leurs droits. Ici on voir ce qui se passe à Avec les états-unis ont déclaré le retrait complet des troupes américaines de l’Afghanistan pour le 31 août 2021, et que les talibans maintenant contrôlent le…
La mobilisation citoyenne pour le droit au logement
Face à la crise du logement qui sévit à Montréal, des citoyens redoublent d’efforts pour changer la donne et faire valoir leurs droits. Ici on voir ce qui se passe à Parc-Extension et Pointe-Saint-Charles, le budget insuffisant pour le logement social, et des mouvements qui ont réussi. Cet article a été publié dans La Converse,…
Élections : Les plateformes pour lutter contre l’urgence climatique sont-elles réellement inclusives?
La crise climatique s’est fait durement sentir au Canada et avec une élection en cours la crise climatique est un enjeu de grande importance. Dans cette article je regarde quoi les cinq principaux partis fédéraux proposent pour lutter contre la crise climatique, si les partis sont suffisamment ambitieux, et le problème que les autochtones sont…
Racisme systémique et réconciliation : les élections sous la loupe
Lors de cette élection, le racisme systémique et la réconciliation se hissent comme un enjeu électoral. Dans cette article nous regardons quoi les élus proposent pour combattre ces enjeux. Nous abordons les sujets des mesures contre le racisme systémique, la violence policière et carcérale, la lutte contre la haine, la réconciliation avec les peuples autochtones,…
Faire preuve de créativité pour lutter contre les rénovictions
Les rénovictions qui sévissent dans les quartiers populaires de Montréal touchent à plusieurs enjeux complexes. En plus beaucoup des locataires ne connaissent pas leurs droits et des propriétaires privés les exploitent. Ici je regard quoi des citoyens engagés et arrondissements proposent pour adresser ça. Cet article a été publié dans La Converse, un nouveau média…
La blessure du 1er juillet: entre deuil et guérison
À l’occasion du 1er juillet, je suis allée couvrir la manifestation #cancelcanadaday à Montréal où des milliers d’autochtones et d’allochtones ont défilé. Depuis que 1505 enfants ont été retrouvés sur les sites d’anciens pensionnats à travers le pays, les nations autochtones sont en deuil. Elles ont été sollicitées de partout pour témoigner – une tâche difficile qui…
As a Chinese Canadian, I’m joining hands with Indigenous communities to speak up about this nation’s history of violent oppression
I wrote about why I will not be celebrating Canada Day tomorrow. As a Chinese-Canadian who has seen my community suffer throughout history in Canada and who stands in solidarity with other racialized Canadians, Canada Day is a day of mourning for me. I hope my fellow Chinese-Canadians will join me in solidarity with other…
How Tam Found Empowerment in the Closet
Many queer people find incredible strength and power in the act of coming out fully as themselves. While being able to show up as our full queer selves in our lives is a very beautiful thing, it can also be a lot of pressure to craft the perfect official coming out. This is especially true…
Do Queer Asians Even Exist?
This 3-part series of articles explores the different facets of queer Asian invisibility in Montreal and the specifics of that particular intersectionality. Throughout the series I follow the lives of six queer Asians in Montreal – Linh, JP, Shawn, Fang, S. and A.L. – as they navigate life at the intersection of their identities and…
UBI: A New Form of Artistic Patronage?
Artistic labour has always been traditionally devalued and exploited, and now this reality is more stark than ever. On September 19, 2020, as part of the International Basic Income Week, I attended an informational gathering organized by Revenu de Base Québec at Espace Lafontaine to spread the word on UBI. The main purpose of the gathering…
Culture Pledge: Sharing the Arts Crowdfunding Story
The art world has traditionally been elitist and inaccessible to many artists as well as many art enthusiasts from marginalized backgrounds. This inaccessiblity has recently sparked discussions in the mainstream about representation and diversity in the arts, and many are trying to figure out the best way forward. As a regular contributor to Culture Pledge,…