China raids gay businesses ahead of Olympics

Today's stories that have queer people talking

China is raiding its gay activists and businesses in an apparent attempt erase all evidence of homosexuality before Beijing hosts the Olympics starting August 8. In other Olympic news, the entire men’s synchronized swimming team appears to have gone missing.

Pierce Brosnan was voted top gay icon over 50 in a UK poll. The former James Bond still looks great but we’re glad the poll chose 50 as the cutoff age: while Ian McKellen would’ve been fine for an over-60 prize, anything higher would stick us with John McCain’s vogueing. Scary!

The owner of Crews Inn in Dallas is in trouble for banning drag queens on busy Tuesday nights but the owner of nearby Zippers says they’re always welcome. Leaving aside the blatant trans discrimination for a moment, I have to ask: Crews? Zippers? Are there only four names for gay bars out there?

Tom Cruise is in talks to return as flyboy Maverick in “Top Gun II.” Sorry, Tom, but your homoerotic volleyball days are two decades behind you. We’ve lost that lovin’ feeling!

A former editor of the late, lamented fab magazine, Scott has been writing for Xtra since 2007 on a variety of topics in news pieces, interviews, blogs, reviews and humour pieces. He lives on the Danforth with his boyfriend of 12 years, a manic Jack Russell Terrier, a well-stocked mini-bar and a shelf of toy Daleks.

Read More About:
Power, Canada

Keep Reading

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose