A digital magazine on sexuality, based in the Global South: We are working towards cultivating safe, inclusive, and self-affirming spaces in which all individuals can express themselves without fear, judgement or shame

Author: Almas Shamim

A still from a music video, showing a bunch of men dancing on the street.

Twerkingly yours

While there have been many music videos objectifying women where they are shown to be given favours by men, it is amazing to note that even in a song where a woman is being refused the ‘gifts’ she seeks, the objectification of women persists.
Read »

BEAUTY

And all my life I’ve lived alone. What it means to be beautiful, I’ve never known. I’ve had partners but I pushed them all away, My sense of ugliness was like a fort to keep love at bay. Now, at fifty three, I take marriage vows again. Love can kiss wrinkles, scars and sagging breasts.…
Read »
A pair of hands with wrinkles on them holding each other. One of the hands is wearing a gold band on their ring finger

Beauty

And all my life I’ve lived alone. What it means to be beautiful, I’ve never known. I’ve had partners but I pushed them all away, My sense of ugliness was like a fort to keep love at bay. Now, at fifty three, I take marriage vows again. Love can kiss wrinkles, scars and sagging breasts.…
Read »
Deepika Padukone wearing a black dress facing a mirror

When the infinite was not enough!

Once upon a time on a magical island lived a young girl named Almas. She was in love with a handsome boy (let’s not bother with his name). This could have been the beginning of a beautiful fairytale-like-love-story, but, unfortunately, this was real life and real life has real issues! Almas always found herself questioning…
Read »
Picture two hands holding each other, with rainbow colours painted on them

‘बीमार’ होने को विवश

लम्बे समय तक, हमारे समाज के एक बड़े हिस्से द्वारा यौनिक ‘अल्पसंख्यकों’ को मानसिक रोगी माना जाता था। यह माना जाता था कि उनकी यौनिकता का थेरेपी, मनोरोग चिकित्सीय सलाह, दवाइयों एवं काउन्सलिंग द्वारा ‘इलाज’ किया जा सकता है। आज भी कई लोग इन बातों को मानते हैं और इस बात को नकारा नहीं जा…
Read »
Silhouette of the head of a figure emitting the colours of the rainbow flag

Forced into illness!

For long, a major section of our population considered people belonging to sexual ‘minorities’ as being mentally ill. They believed that their sexual orientation could be ‘cured’ by therapy, psychiatric consultation, medicines and counselling. Many, even today, hold similar opinions, and it cannot be denied that we still have a long way to go. But…
Read »
x