Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
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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Image Description: Naomi Wolf. On Thursday, Blackwell’s hosted a ‘Philosophy in the Bookshop’ talk with Naomi Wolf to promote her new book Outrages. Her recently-published work explores the life and work of John Addington Symonds, a queer English poet who fought for gay rights through persistent expression of his homoerotic experience, and more poignantly, tormented […]
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“Arthur”, a children’s television show airing since the 90s, kicked off its twenty-second season with a homosexual wedding between the main character’s teacher Mr. Ratburn and his husband Patrick. Arthur the aardvark begins the episode by trying to guess who the bride-to-be is but is surprised to find out the bride is actually a groom. […]
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Being gay at Oxford for me is a very polarised experience; my college is one of the most accepting places I’ve ever been to, and I’ve never felt so comfortable anywhere about my identity before, but the institution at large still suffers with an amount of internalised homophobia I naively thought was extinct. Being a […]
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Image Description: Mostar Bridge, Bosnia and Herzegovina Travel, without any doubt, is my greatest pleasure. I usually travel alone, and for the purpose of leaving my comfort zone. At the border crossing between Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, I puff out my chest a little and sit up straight. I keep a stony face. The […]
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Image Description: Gay couple with a child Throughout childhood, images of the typical ‘nuclear family’ pervaded my everyday life. At school, the odd sex education lesson involved fondling an overripe banana with a lube-loaded condom. Any discussion of family planning focused upon the cementation of heteronormative values. Whilst the education system seemingly lacked perspective, I […]
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