Capital Xtra!
Encyclopedia
Xtra Ottawa is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender
community newspaper published in Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. It was launched in 1993. Unlike its biweekly sister publications Xtra
in Toronto
and Xtra Vancouver in Vancouver
, Xtra Ottawa, which started as a monthly, is now published 17 times a year, with a publication schedule of every three weeks. The Ottawa edition has a current circulation of 20,000 copies which reach 36,000 readers.
Xtra Ottawa also publishes a gay tourism map, Out in Ottawa, every spring; the Ultimate Pride Guide in mid-July; and the Index gay business directory in December.
in 1993, shortly after the organization learned that Ottawa's existing LGBT publication, GO Info
, had largely collapsed and was publishing irregularly with only a skeleton staff. Brandon Matheson, then a freelance journalist working in the Parliament Hill
Press Gallery, was chosen to launch the project in conjunction with George Hartsgrove, then an administrator at the University of Ottawa
. GO Info briefly tried to beef up its content in the face of its new competition, but folded in early 1994.
In 2007, Ottawa City Council
attempted to pass restrictions on the paper's distribution in public facilities after a complaint was filed by Greg Evans. Evans, a father who sat down to read the newspaper while his eight-year-old son was participating in basketball practice at the Hunt Club-Riverside Community Centre, was reportedly offended by the sexually explicit nature of two advertisements in the publication. Evans stated that he was LGBT-friendly and that his complaint was not motivated by homophobia
, but by a concern for the possibility of exposing children to sexually explicit material regardless of whether that material was gay or straight in nature.
In March 2010, Capital Xtra was rebranded Xtra Ottawa with the launch of a redesign of the Xtra papers in the Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver markets.
, Alex Munter
, David Pepper, Andrew Griffin and Don McLean.
Because of its location in Canada's capital, the paper also publishes extensive coverage of LGBT issues in national politics, which is also reprinted in its sister publications in Toronto and Vancouver. The chain's first national political journalist was Neil Herland, and its current national political journalist is Dale Smith.
Matheson is now the publisher of all three Xtra! publications.
Associate publisher and managing editor
Marcus McCann has been running the newspaper's operations since August 2008. Gareth Kirkby was the associate publisher and managing editor from 2005 until August 2008.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community newspaper published in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was launched in 1993. Unlike its biweekly sister publications Xtra
Xtra!
Xtra! is a gay magazine, on newsprint in tabloid format, published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History and content :...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Xtra Vancouver in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Xtra Ottawa, which started as a monthly, is now published 17 times a year, with a publication schedule of every three weeks. The Ottawa edition has a current circulation of 20,000 copies which reach 36,000 readers.
Xtra Ottawa also publishes a gay tourism map, Out in Ottawa, every spring; the Ultimate Pride Guide in mid-July; and the Index gay business directory in December.
History
Xtra Ottawa was launched by Pink Triangle PressPink Triangle Press
Pink Triangle Press is a Canadian non-profit organization which specializes in LGBT media including publishing, online interactive media, and television. PTP's main asset is the LGBT magazine, Xtra! and its spinoffs Xtra! West and Capital Xtra!...
in 1993, shortly after the organization learned that Ottawa's existing LGBT publication, GO Info
GO Info
GO Info was a monthly newspaper for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities in Ottawa, Canada from July 1972 to September 1995....
, had largely collapsed and was publishing irregularly with only a skeleton staff. Brandon Matheson, then a freelance journalist working in the Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
Press Gallery, was chosen to launch the project in conjunction with George Hartsgrove, then an administrator at the University of Ottawa
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...
. GO Info briefly tried to beef up its content in the face of its new competition, but folded in early 1994.
In 2007, Ottawa City Council
Ottawa City Council
The Ottawa City Council is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 23 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each of the councillors represent wards throughout the city. Council members are elected to four year terms with the...
attempted to pass restrictions on the paper's distribution in public facilities after a complaint was filed by Greg Evans. Evans, a father who sat down to read the newspaper while his eight-year-old son was participating in basketball practice at the Hunt Club-Riverside Community Centre, was reportedly offended by the sexually explicit nature of two advertisements in the publication. Evans stated that he was LGBT-friendly and that his complaint was not motivated by homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
, but by a concern for the possibility of exposing children to sexually explicit material regardless of whether that material was gay or straight in nature.
In March 2010, Capital Xtra was rebranded Xtra Ottawa with the launch of a redesign of the Xtra papers in the Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver markets.
Contributors
Early contributors to the magazine included Irshad ManjiIrshad Manji
Irshad Manji is a Canadian author, journalist and an advocate of "reform and progressive" interpretation of Islam. Manji is director of the Moral Courage Project at the Robert F...
, Alex Munter
Alex Munter
Alexander Mathias Munter is a former politician and journalist in Ottawa, Canada's capital city. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario....
, David Pepper, Andrew Griffin and Don McLean.
Because of its location in Canada's capital, the paper also publishes extensive coverage of LGBT issues in national politics, which is also reprinted in its sister publications in Toronto and Vancouver. The chain's first national political journalist was Neil Herland, and its current national political journalist is Dale Smith.
Matheson is now the publisher of all three Xtra! publications.
Associate publisher and managing editor
Managing editor
A managing editor is a senior member of a publication's management team.In the United States, a managing editor oversees and coordinates the publication's editorial activities...
Marcus McCann has been running the newspaper's operations since August 2008. Gareth Kirkby was the associate publisher and managing editor from 2005 until August 2008.