Groups rally on the Hill to encourage passage of AIDS drugs bill

I have a new piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is about a rally on Parliament Hill yesterday calling for the reform of Canada's Access to Medicines Regime. I've been following the CAMR issue for a couple of years now in its various incarnations in the Commons and the Senate, and with it coming up for another round of debate in the Commons, so I'll very likely be writing much more about this in the very near future.

Cause of Iraq War resisters is close to the heart of gay rights crusader

The second of my two pieces today on the national page of Xtra.ca is an update of the Iraq War resisters cause in Canada, on the eve of a vote in the House of Commons on a Private Members' Bill on the issue. The piece went up a few hours before the vote, which failed, so it will likely be edited shortly. However, I did find a different hook for the story than was pretty unique, so the edits won't change the story in any meaningful way.

Also - I took a couple of photos for the piece that weren't complete shite (as is my ususal photographic result), so there's a bit of a bonus.

Canada unresponsive to kidnapping of Russian gay activist

The first of my two new stories on the national page of Xtra.ca today is about the Canadian government's lack of response to the kidnapping and detention of a Russian gay activist by authorities in that country. This was under the radar for pretty much everyone, but considering that the government went to bat for gay rights in Uganda and Malawi, I felt the inaction on Russia was telling and needed to be explored further. And I think I got some interesting responses in the end.

Conservatives 'seriously considering' appeal of Ontario sex work decision

I have a new piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which was part of a very busy day. The Ontario Superior Court decision came down just before Question Period, so it was a bit of an interesting logistical issue getting the details emailed to me on my phone by my editor. And then the scrums in the Foyer afterward were a bit of a challenge to catch everyone's reaction (and thanks to the Gallery staff for sending me one of the scrums in an MP3).

I'll also say that the full story was a bit of a surprise in the end, given that this was initially supposed to be part of a larger Xtra article, but in the end, it became its own piece. But having it as a stand-alone piece is always appreciated.

Update: I've updated the piece on Thursday with reaction to the government's decision to appeal the ruling.

Critics slam Conservative MP's pitch to make buying sex illegal in Canada

I have a new story on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which takes a closer look at the proposal by Conservative MP Joy Smith to adopt the "Swedish model" of prostitution laws in Canada as a means of combatting human trafficking. It was an interesting story to write because I learned a lot about the differences in the laws between Canada and Sweden, but I also got to talk with new Liberal justice critic Marlene Jennings. And Jennings promises to return phone calls in a timely manner, unlike her predecessor.

To that end, I also have a "deleted scenes" Q&A post with Jennings on the Hill Queeries blog, which includes a video shot by Jennings' sister, who was visiting Parliament that day, and includes footage of my interview with her.

The early social network

My story on the Lambda Foundation has been reprinted in the current edition of Xtra Ottawa. I'm happy that this is getting some additional exposure, seeing as how the online version didn't get play in really enough time for the event it was coinciding with, and that it did see print eventually as it was destined to originally (only in the previous month's edition).

Is there a religious left in Canadian politics?

I have a feature in the September issue of Outlooks that examines the look at religious left in Canadian politics. This came about after reading Marci McDonald's great book The Armageddon Factor, which examines the role of the religious right in Canadian politics. Knowing that most of our out gay and lesbian Parliamentarians have a strong connection with the United Church of Canada, I spoke to MPs Rob Oliphant, Bill Siksay, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May, and so far the response has been quite positive - especially from my interview subjects.

The article is on pages 24 and 25 of the issue, which is on stands now.

PS - My interview with Marci McDonald about her book will be in October's issue.