Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
Image Description: Two men laying down on their side surrounded by technology *MSM stands for men who have sex with men For MSM, the internet can be both the best and worst place. On one hand, it offers an anonymous place where one can express their sexuality, learn more, and meet others whether they are […]
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Image Description: Female presenting person waving pride flag on a truck As with many facets of the LGBTQ+ community, our flags are not without controversy. As we progress through another LGBTQ+ history month, it is important to look back on these flags and remember where they come from and what they mean. Obviously, there are […]
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Image Description: Alan Light and Ellen DeGeneres at the 1994 Emmy Awards I recently had the misfortune to read a fairly obnoxious op-ed entitled ‘Ellen doesn’t have to be nice to you. She’s not your mom.’ (sic) The publication that had put out this particular piece was one of those vapid LGBTQ+ ‘news’ sites whose […]
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Image Description: Protestor in knitted hat at the 2018 Women’s March Cw: Transphobia All too often I hear the words ‘I support equality between men and women but I’m not a feminist’. Even the feminist icon, Simone de Beauvoir, repeatedly refused to align herself with the feminist movement until later in her career in 1972. […]
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Image Description: Silhouette of an unidentified person standing on a hill during a starry night looking up at the sky. Faith wasn’t ever something I thought I’d develop and it certainly wasn’t something I thought would be reconcilable with my LGBTQ+ identity. Since starting at Oxford, the process of integrating these aspects of my sense […]
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Like many, I find it easy to promote the existence of spaces exclusively for the LGBTQ+ community, but difficult to imagine the practice. We are a community in advocacy of inclusivity; harbouring those who face rejection for who they are and providing the familial support that so many need. How can this possibly be married […]
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The drag queen Trixie Mattel, otherwise known as Brian Firkus, is the winner of Drag Race All Stars Season 3, but also a confessed, obsessive Barbie doll collector. Firkus’s love for Barbie started when he was young. As a gay boy from Milwaulkee, he wasn’t allowed “girl toys,” but was fascinated by the tanned, blonde, […]
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After months of sashays, shantays and Snatch Game, this tumultuous season of Drag Race is finally over. Without a doubt, this has been the most controversial season of the show to date (yes, even considering that mini-challenge in season six). For me though, one word sums up this instalment of the drag-based reality series: uncomfortable. […]
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Image description: rainbow flags flying on a street in London When the organisers of Pride in London announced that 2020’s festivities will be postponed due to Coronavirus, many within the LGBT+ community will have been saddened by the loss of the biggest queer event of the year. Not me. While I won’t deny that thousands […]
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Photo description: an AIDS awareness mural by Keith Haring in Barcelona The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a proliferation of medical trials seeking to treat and eventually cure the virus, one of which is the convalescent plasma trial. Scientists hope that, by recruiting volunteers who have had coronavirus, they will be able to develop a […]
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Image description: A Punch and Judy puppet show Vada’d any bona eeks recently? No? Surely you’ve at least zhoozed your riah? Blimey, you’ve really let yourself go. Contrary to popular belief regarding the quality of my writing, I have not, in fact, smashed my keyboard and sent it off with a smile and a wave. […]
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Image description: Joe Exotic crouching next to a tiger Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has taken the world by storm. A missing husband, a sex cult, a murder attempt and hundreds of captive jungle cats have made for incredible, if completely bizarre, entertainment under lockdown. The ‘Tiger King’ himself, Joseph Maldonado-Passage – more […]
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I want to start by acknowledging how lucky I am. Many of my fellow LGBTQ+ people at Oxford will have been forced to lockdown without their significant other. Some are even shut away in hostile family environments, or trapped in the closet with no clear reprieve. I know how fortunate I am that that is […]
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Image description: a person at the window of dark room “I’m going to make sure that your wedding is nearby so I can visit you lots.” The acrid taste of my dinner after my mother said these words was not due to the food going off in those few moments. When saying this, I imagine […]
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Last Thursday, I attended a philosophy reading group which aimed to unpack the term ‘queer theory’ and the implications of such a term. In summary, queer theory explores how LGBTQ+ narratives are created and perceived in the culture of heteronormativity. Stephen Turton, an English DPhil student, led the discussion by dissecting Michael Warner’s 1991 article, […]
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Those of us who exist within the Queer spaces of social media will no doubt have been confronted with the ‘rainbow poppy’ controversy. It brings with it the toxic and all-too-familiar dog whistles of ‘I’m not homophobic but…’ and ‘I don’t care what you identify as, just don’t shove it in my face’. But why […]
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Image description: the interior of a church with empty pews. Disclaimer: this is my experience of Christianity and of people of faith who I have interacted with – I believe that no one is inherently homophobic because their religious beliefs. People are often surprised when I mention I am a Christian (or Agnostic) – usually […]
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Image description: Three generations of a Chinese family “I couldn’t make any sense of it. I couldn’t get over it. That precious son of mine, what happened to him?” These were the confused words of Hao’s mother, fat teardrops sliding down her face. “When I had my son, I loved and treasured him. Plus I […]
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Whilst my escapades with you have not always been riveting, and often not positive, the bizarre social dynamics of this bubble we live in has broadened my perspective on casual sex. In coming to this university, I felt that I was equipped with enough experience to sleep around and ‘sow my wild oats’ as my […]
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