Mel Woods
@melwoods.me
Senior Editor, Audience Engagement at xtramagazine.com 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
(they/them) from the prairies, now in Vancouver
I also play Magic: The Gathering a lot
Subscribe to my newsletter, Ranch Baby: https://ranch-baby.ghost.io/
Work with me: melwoods.me
(they/them) from the prairies, now in Vancouver
I also play Magic: The Gathering a lot
Subscribe to my newsletter, Ranch Baby: https://ranch-baby.ghost.io/
Work with me: melwoods.me
Pinned
Mel Woods
@melwoods.me
· Dec 30
2025’s been a long year (and a hard year), but I did a lot of work I’m proud of this year—particularly for a variety of outlets and in a lot of different formats!
From calling out Danielle Smith’s lies about trans kids to making a gay reality TV podcast, it’s been busy!!
A thread ~
From calling out Danielle Smith’s lies about trans kids to making a gay reality TV podcast, it’s been busy!!
A thread ~
Reposted by Mel Woods
While the policy resolution around opposing a conversion therapy ban didn’t pass, the closeness of the vote will put pressure on Poilievre to define his and the party’s stance on conversion therapy and LGBTQ2S+ issues in general writes @melwoods.me
Close vote on conversion therapy ban shows divided Conservative Party | Xtra Magazine
While Pierre Poilievre decisively won his leadership review, his party remains muddled on where to go next
xtramagazine.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:38 PM
While the policy resolution around opposing a conversion therapy ban didn’t pass, the closeness of the vote will put pressure on Poilievre to define his and the party’s stance on conversion therapy and LGBTQ2S+ issues in general writes @melwoods.me
Reposted by Mel Woods
While Pierre Poilievre passed his leadership review, a close vote on a policy resolution about conversion therapy shows the division Conservatives will have to overcome in order to find success, writes @melwoods.me
Close vote on conversion therapy ban shows divided Conservative Party | Xtra Magazine
While Pierre Poilievre decisively won his leadership review, his party remains muddled on where to go next
xtramagazine.com
February 2, 2026 at 9:02 PM
While Pierre Poilievre passed his leadership review, a close vote on a policy resolution about conversion therapy shows the division Conservatives will have to overcome in order to find success, writes @melwoods.me
Went to see "Iron Lung" last night and our theatre was full of horror teens. And truly, bless the horror teens.
At one point when someone's arm got pulled off, the girl in front of us—in full horror makeup on a random Monday night—jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist in excitement.
At one point when someone's arm got pulled off, the girl in front of us—in full horror makeup on a random Monday night—jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist in excitement.
February 3, 2026 at 4:54 PM
Went to see "Iron Lung" last night and our theatre was full of horror teens. And truly, bless the horror teens.
At one point when someone's arm got pulled off, the girl in front of us—in full horror makeup on a random Monday night—jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist in excitement.
At one point when someone's arm got pulled off, the girl in front of us—in full horror makeup on a random Monday night—jumped out of her seat and pumped her fist in excitement.
Reposted by Mel Woods
New from me today about the Conservative convention ... Poilievre survives, but there are still some big questions about he and the party will tackle LGBTQ2S+ issues
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
Close vote on conversion therapy ban shows divided Conservative Party | Xtra Magazine
While Pierre Poilievre decisively won his leadership review, his party remains muddled on where to go next
xtramagazine.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:54 PM
New from me today about the Conservative convention ... Poilievre survives, but there are still some big questions about he and the party will tackle LGBTQ2S+ issues
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
New from me today about the Conservative convention ... Poilievre survives, but there are still some big questions about he and the party will tackle LGBTQ2S+ issues
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
Close vote on conversion therapy ban shows divided Conservative Party | Xtra Magazine
While Pierre Poilievre decisively won his leadership review, his party remains muddled on where to go next
xtramagazine.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:54 PM
New from me today about the Conservative convention ... Poilievre survives, but there are still some big questions about he and the party will tackle LGBTQ2S+ issues
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
xtramagazine.com/power/conver...
😢
Catherine O’Hara, the Canadian actor known for her comedic roles across the decades including Schitt’s Creek and Home Alone, dies at 71.
tgam.ca/4qcKxLX
tgam.ca/4qcKxLX
January 30, 2026 at 6:53 PM
😢
I cannot WAIT to see the far-right media spin on this
Hudson at the Prime Time screen and media industry conference in Ottawa
via llsebben
via llsebben
January 30, 2026 at 1:42 AM
I cannot WAIT to see the far-right media spin on this
I'd say this, like a lot of AI video slop, looks like a video game cut scene ... but that's an insult to video game cut scenes
First trailer for Darren Aranofsky's new AI animated series 'On This Day... 1776'
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
• Tells short narrative stories about the Revolutionary War
• Uses Gen AI tools, including tech made by Google DeepMind
• Has SAG voice actors
January 29, 2026 at 6:42 PM
I'd say this, like a lot of AI video slop, looks like a video game cut scene ... but that's an insult to video game cut scenes
Reposted by Mel Woods
Wrote about some anime horse girls taking over nfl TikTok and what that means for the future of fandom for @aftermath.site
A Horse Tries To Make It To The Super Bowl
Anime and football fandoms collided during the Denver Broncos' season, as Umamusume cosplayers rallied around their local team
aftermath.site
January 29, 2026 at 3:55 PM
Wrote about some anime horse girls taking over nfl TikTok and what that means for the future of fandom for @aftermath.site
Reposted by Mel Woods
If you don't need to be on social media today, I would strongly recommend turning off auto play on videos and logging off of different platforms for several hours. Donating money to local organizations in Minneapolis will also feel better than doomscrolling.
January 24, 2026 at 5:16 PM
If you don't need to be on social media today, I would strongly recommend turning off auto play on videos and logging off of different platforms for several hours. Donating money to local organizations in Minneapolis will also feel better than doomscrolling.
Reposted by Mel Woods
The Tyee is hiring a reporter for a biodiversity beat! #journalism #journalismjobs
More info here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...
More info here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...
Are You The Tyee’s New Biodiversity Reporter? | The Tyee
We’re looking for a sharp journalist to join our team. Apply by Feb. 8.
thetyee.ca
January 23, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The Tyee is hiring a reporter for a biodiversity beat! #journalism #journalismjobs
More info here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...
More info here: thetyee.ca/Tyeenews/202...
I may have greater tolerance than most people for fandom being incredibly weird and parasocial about Heated Rivalry because my internet identity was forged in the fires of late '00s/early '10s fandom tumblr.
Not that it is ok, but also what is going on right now is deeeeeeeply familiar to me.
Not that it is ok, but also what is going on right now is deeeeeeeply familiar to me.
January 21, 2026 at 4:51 PM
I may have greater tolerance than most people for fandom being incredibly weird and parasocial about Heated Rivalry because my internet identity was forged in the fires of late '00s/early '10s fandom tumblr.
Not that it is ok, but also what is going on right now is deeeeeeeply familiar to me.
Not that it is ok, but also what is going on right now is deeeeeeeply familiar to me.
If you missed me on CBC's Just Asking this weekend talking Heated Rivalry and queer romance, the full episode is online!
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.
www.cbc.ca
January 20, 2026 at 5:29 PM
If you missed me on CBC's Just Asking this weekend talking Heated Rivalry and queer romance, the full episode is online!
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...
Reposted by Mel Woods
You won't find much public information about Prolife Alberta leader Murray Ruhl. We did some extensive digging and found he has an alternate online life as a traditionalist Catholic blogger. Read our joint investigation with @xtramagazine.com
zurl.co/EiNkD
zurl.co/EiNkD
January 14, 2026 at 2:15 PM
You won't find much public information about Prolife Alberta leader Murray Ruhl. We did some extensive digging and found he has an alternate online life as a traditionalist Catholic blogger. Read our joint investigation with @xtramagazine.com
zurl.co/EiNkD
zurl.co/EiNkD
OBVIOUSLY much to hate about all of this, and I tend to not even engage with anything about HP these days ... but the choice of shipping Harry/Ron as opposed to Drarry is frankly an insult!!
Heated Rivalry wouldn't even EXIST without a generation of Drarry fanficiton, and that is the truth!!
Heated Rivalry wouldn't even EXIST without a generation of Drarry fanficiton, and that is the truth!!
January 18, 2026 at 7:06 PM
OBVIOUSLY much to hate about all of this, and I tend to not even engage with anything about HP these days ... but the choice of shipping Harry/Ron as opposed to Drarry is frankly an insult!!
Heated Rivalry wouldn't even EXIST without a generation of Drarry fanficiton, and that is the truth!!
Heated Rivalry wouldn't even EXIST without a generation of Drarry fanficiton, and that is the truth!!
This starts in about half an hour!
Tune into CBC Radio 1 where I'll be taking listener calls all about Heated Rivalry and queer romance!
Tune into CBC Radio 1 where I'll be taking listener calls all about Heated Rivalry and queer romance!
I'll be LIVE on CBC Radio 1's "Just Asking" tomorrow at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT talking all things #HeatedRivalry and queer romance.
Tune in! And catch up on my piece from last week about why Canada is so good at making gay TV:
xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-f...
Tune in! And catch up on my piece from last week about why Canada is so good at making gay TV:
xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-f...
What ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ say about the Canada we want to be | Xtra Magazine
There are surprising commonalities between "Heated Rivalry" and "Schitt's Creek," two of Canada’s most successful TV exports
xtramagazine.com
January 17, 2026 at 9:31 PM
This starts in about half an hour!
Tune into CBC Radio 1 where I'll be taking listener calls all about Heated Rivalry and queer romance!
Tune into CBC Radio 1 where I'll be taking listener calls all about Heated Rivalry and queer romance!
Reposted by Mel Woods
Queer activists organizing against ICE, @xtramagazine.com, from September: xtramagazine.com/power/activi...
Meet four LGBTQ2S+ activists who are fighting ICE | Xtra Magazine
Since its inception, ICE has held a long record of violence toward the LGBTQ2S+ community. Here some of the activists who are fighting back
xtramagazine.com
January 16, 2026 at 9:34 PM
Queer activists organizing against ICE, @xtramagazine.com, from September: xtramagazine.com/power/activi...
I'll be LIVE on CBC Radio 1's "Just Asking" tomorrow at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT talking all things #HeatedRivalry and queer romance.
Tune in! And catch up on my piece from last week about why Canada is so good at making gay TV:
xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-f...
Tune in! And catch up on my piece from last week about why Canada is so good at making gay TV:
xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-f...
What ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ say about the Canada we want to be | Xtra Magazine
There are surprising commonalities between "Heated Rivalry" and "Schitt's Creek," two of Canada’s most successful TV exports
xtramagazine.com
January 16, 2026 at 6:15 PM
I'll be LIVE on CBC Radio 1's "Just Asking" tomorrow at 5 pm ET/2 pm PT talking all things #HeatedRivalry and queer romance.
Tune in! And catch up on my piece from last week about why Canada is so good at making gay TV:
xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-f...
Tune in! And catch up on my piece from last week about why Canada is so good at making gay TV:
xtramagazine.com/culture/tv-f...
Reposted by Mel Woods
Reposted by Mel Woods
A Goo Goo to cleanse your timeline.
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
January 15, 2026 at 7:31 PM
A Goo Goo to cleanse your timeline.
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
It is very telling that companies publishing AI "journalism" insist on creating fake bylines for it, because they know that readers trust actual people rather than a faceless/nameless entity.
Last week, I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, on a publication I don't write for. It sent me down a very strange rabbit hole involving a mysterious content publisher. There's a lot I don't understand, but here's what I know:
aftermath.site/nicole-carpe...
aftermath.site/nicole-carpe...
I'm Not That Nicole Carpenter
I got a corrections request for a story I didn't write, and it pulled me down a journalism rabbit hole.
aftermath.site
January 15, 2026 at 11:24 PM
It is very telling that companies publishing AI "journalism" insist on creating fake bylines for it, because they know that readers trust actual people rather than a faceless/nameless entity.
A Goo Goo to cleanse your timeline.
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
January 15, 2026 at 7:31 PM
A Goo Goo to cleanse your timeline.
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
She says “stop scrolling and go find a sunbeam to lie in” and you HAVE to listen to her!! That’s the rule!!!
Reposted by Mel Woods
For my @xtramagazine.com column this month, I wrote about the simultaneous mainstream media erasure of Renee Good's queerness and the right wing amplification of it as a post hoc justification for her murder. xtramagazine.com/power/activi...
Renee Nicole Good’s queerness isn’t an aside—it’s a key part of her story | Xtra Magazine
We can’t ignore the misogyny and homophobia baked into Good’s killing—and erasing her wife does just that
xtramagazine.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:42 AM
For my @xtramagazine.com column this month, I wrote about the simultaneous mainstream media erasure of Renee Good's queerness and the right wing amplification of it as a post hoc justification for her murder. xtramagazine.com/power/activi...
Reposted by Mel Woods
In its embrace of earnest queer love, Heated Rivalry demonstrates the best of Canada and the nationalism we should aspire to.
And it’s not the first Canadian TV show that found an audience in the U.S. to do so.
And it’s not the first Canadian TV show that found an audience in the U.S. to do so.
What ‘Heated Rivalry’ and ‘Schitt’s Creek’ say about the Canada we want to be | Xtra Magazine
There are surprising commonalities between "Heated Rivalry" and "Schitt's Creek," two of Canada’s most successful TV exports
xtramagazine.com
January 12, 2026 at 5:49 PM
In its embrace of earnest queer love, Heated Rivalry demonstrates the best of Canada and the nationalism we should aspire to.
And it’s not the first Canadian TV show that found an audience in the U.S. to do so.
And it’s not the first Canadian TV show that found an audience in the U.S. to do so.