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In his December 21st message to cardinals and the upper bureaucracy of the Catholic church, Karl Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict XVI, claims that gay marriage is part of an attempt to “manipulate” human nature, and that modern gender theory is all wrong. Merry Christmas from the Vatican!

Last Friday, Oct 5, the Supreme Court released a decision that will affect how HIV positive people will be prosecuted when accused of aggravated sexual assault for failing to disclose their HIV status to a sex partner. A coalition of HIV/AIDS groups who acted as intervenors in the two cases called the decision “a cold endorsement of AIDS-phobia,” with several groups criticizing the Supreme Court for perpetuating the stigma and violence lived by HIV+ people, particularly women.

I was in Ottawa on the same day that Janice Kennedy published her sickeningly offensive op/ed “What does tacky sex have to do with gay pride?” I visited the Capital Pride control room at City Hall, where volunteers were preparing for the weekend they work towards all year. Ms. Kennedy’s column spat on them, spat on our community, all in the name of “taste.” Hopefully, before the week is over, we will be able to refer to her as “former Ottawa Citizen columnist.”

Robyn Maynard reports on representing Montréal’s Stella at the Sex Workers Freedom Festival in Kolkata, which took place from July 21-26 as a satellite to the the 19th Annual HIV/AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C. “The HIV/AIDS epidemic has never been purely a neutral public health issue,” she writes, explaining how infection rates have manifest along the lines of structural inequalities within societies, on a global scale.

Something about the intersection of pride season and the upcoming American presidential election has brought out a bevy of stories about gay life, social acceptance, and that age-old search for normalcy and difference. After Vice, the National Post, and Google, here’s my two cents…

As the panels celebrating the 30th anniversary of Montréal’s Village are about to go up, 2B celebrates the lasting contribution of ACT-UP!
Herewith: Michael Hendricks on the Parc de l’Espoir…

Protesting has regained in strength and tenacity since Bill 78 was passed. Despite numerous calls from the opposition and notable civil society groups, the bill became law on Friday. Today’s planned protest will gather over 140 groups and organizations, with upwards of 300,000 people expected at 2pm at Place des Festivals to oppose the law and the Charest government’s tuition.

From gay divorce to transgender rights in airports, the first year since the Harper government’s majority victory in the May 2011 elections has not been quiet for LGBT people. For Philip Toone, openly gay Member of Parliament (NDP) for the Gaspé, the discriminatory trend is likely to continue in the coming months. Êtremag’s Antoine Aubert caught up with the Honorable Mr. Toone to look back on a year of Tory rule.

“A few powerful experiences made me passionate about sex education as well as contributing to my desire to build a place to counter the sex negativity in our culture,” says Shelley Taylor, founder of Venus Envy. In the Top 10 for 2B’s 10th Anniversary: obviously!

When we asked Glenn Crawford what he was most proud of when he saw the City of Ottawa erect “The Village” signs in October 2011, he said it was “having our community come out of the closet.” We felt like we could relate: Glenn is an out and proud member of our exclusive Top 10 Personalities of the Decade for 2B’s 10th Anniversary.