As Hard Copy reported back in January, in 2026 the fight for reproductive rights and healthcare is heading to the courts. Although there is little political support for limiting access to reproductive healthcare, groups looking to restrict or ban it are going to the courts on the state and federal level. For example, in order […]
More Heated Rivalry: International Cultural Phenomenon and Personal Stories
Heated Rivalry, the Queer Canadian sports series, is the gift that keeps giving. Hard Copy has reported on the series in previous editions (December 15 and January 15) and we can’t help but continue to report on the world-wide cultural sensation that is Heated Rivalry. If any more proof of the world-wide reach of the […]
From Stonewall to Disney: Diminishing Queer Visibility
The trans community isn’t the only cohort of the wider LGBTQ+ community seeing civil rights being pulled away. The ACLU maintains a map tracking attacks on LGBTQ right in US state legislatures. Two such bills in the Tennessee legislature are seeking to delegitimize gay marriage and eliminate employment discrimination protections. As if to illustrate the […]
Grindr Spikes Whenever ICE Comes to Town
Anti-deportation activists have noted a trend for Grindr activity to increase dramatically whenever ICE targets a jurisdiction for enhanced enforcement, as has recently happened in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. This may in part be due to ICE using Grindr and other social media as tools to track the location of their targets and set up […]
Orthodox Judaism Rejects Conversion Therapy
On a positive note, 75 Rabbis and Rabbaniyot have signed a public letter warning against treatments that claim to change a person’s sexual orientation. The letter states that “It is difficult to imagine a greater denigration…than the degradation and suppression that bring many victims of so-called conversion therapy to the brink of suicide, self-harm, or […]
Circumcision and FGM
At least 41 young men have died as a result of circumcision procedures performed as part of traditional initiation activities in South Africa. Traditional initiation is a rite of passage into manhood for young men. Every year some of the initiates die of complications of circumcision. This has forced the government to intervene through legislation to […]
Canada Not Turning Its Back on Queer immigrants
LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights and freedoms are in flux around the world, and the United States is leading the charge in turning back the clock where progress and justice are concerned for these intersecting population groups. In a breath of fresh air, Canada has reaffirmed its commitment to respond to the world’s immigration crises with […]
Meta Censors Sex Activism
Meta was criticized by sex worker activists in the UK for deleting the Instagram accounts of sex-worker led art collectives, including Sexquisite, Cybertease, and UK Sex Worker Pride. Advocates say these accounts, with over 52,000 followers, were fully compliant with Instagram’s rules, but were deleted without notice. This appears to be part of a larger […]
That Awkward World Cup Situation Continues to Unfold
There’s an interesting cultural phenomenon happening right now bringing queerness and organized sport together in the Zeitgeist. One example is the 2026 Fifa World Cup Match between Egypt and Iran scheduled in June in the midst of host city Seattle’s annual pride celebrations, a plan that was made prior to anyone knowing which teams would […]
“Gay Sheep” Take Over New York Catwalk
1 in 12 male sheep (rams) show a preference for other males and exhibit homosexual behavior. Because a ram’s function is to breed, when a ram refuses to breed, they are usually sold for their meat. To save the gay rams from the slaughterhouse, Michel Stucke and Nadia Leytes came up with Rainbow Wool. They […]