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Opinion

How things changed since I came out 2.5 years ago

I came out in March 2020. Since then, I’ve had a chance to reflect on my newly found queerness.

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Opinion

My thoughts 2 years out of the closet

I’ve been out of the closet for a couple of years now, and there are some things I have to say about that metaphor.

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News

The anti-queer politics of Lethbridge and Alberta

How many pride flags have been burned or torn down in Alberta in the past 5 years? How many Pride crosswalks have been vandalized? If your answer is greater than zero for either, there’s a problem. In Lethbridge, the Pride crosswalks downtown were vandalized twice in the summer of 2017. During the month of June […]

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News

Canadian MPs approve conversion therapy ban

Canadian MPs voted 263–63 to pass Bill C-6, effectively banning conversion therapy.

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Opinion

Actually, homophobia is a fear

Often when I use the word homophobia—especially in spaces that aren’t exclusively leftist—someone challenges my usage, saying that it isn’t an accurate term, that it isn’t a true fear. Except I argue that the word homophobia actually does describe a real fear. People who express (or even feel) homophobia are afraid of what the presence […]

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News

Lethbridge prison can’t accommodate trans inmates

A recent criminal case regarding a Lethbridge trans woman found that the local prison puts unnecessary punishment on trans inmates.

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Opinion

One way homophobia hides within us

Homophobia and transphobia area more embedded in us than some of us would be willing to admit. Sure some homophobia and transphobia show up in pretty obvious ways, such if someone uses a slur or pathologizes sexuality or gender (such as calling them a mental illness) or even dismisses them outright by saying they’re not […]

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Opinion

Conversion therapy isn’t the only way we force others to be straight

As someone who has always passed as a straight man, I’ve never experienced explicit homophobia directed specifically at me. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve never been the recipient of homophobia as a closeted queer person.

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News

Hyggen and Mauro move to delay Lethbridge conversion therapy bylaw

Last month, Lethbridge city council passed first reading of Bylaw 6228, which would prohibit the business practice of conversion therapy. Second reading was scheduled to occur on Monday. Blaine Hyggen and Joe Mauro want to delay it.

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Opinion

Pride is an act of resistance

Pride should be more than an act of inclusivity; it should be an act of solidarity.