Author: Nikzad Zangeneh

Two women wearing full black clothing and a headscarf sitting in a cafe. The photo is taken from other side of a glass door, such that they are blurred.

A Critical View Of Sexual Health Education In Iran

·August 1, 2015
·Nikzad Zangeneh

When I was 16, I thought: ‘Some topics in physics have no benefit for students throughout their life. For instance, we had a chapter in physics regarding ‘mirrors.’ My question is how important is it to know about the type of pictures in a curved mirror, for instance? I think that these topics can be…

Stage performance of Persian dance. Two women hold a chunni above the head of a woman dancing in between them. They all wear colourful full-length, full sleeves clothing.

Brushstrokes: Persian Dance

·January 15, 2015
·Nikzad Zangeneh

Persian dance in spite of its remarkable history has become a less known form of dancing from the Middle East, perhaps because of the present political situation in the countries of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan where it originates from. Where it is known, it is confused with and compared to Arabic dance, which is popular…

Two people wearing hijabs sit at a small table behind a foggy window

A Critical View Of Sexual Health Education In Iran

·December 1, 2013
·Nikzad Zangeneh
·0 Comments

When I was 16, I thought: 'Some topics in physics have no benefit for students throughout their life. For instance, we had a chapter in physics regarding ‘mirrors.’ My question is how important is it to know about the type of pictures in a curved mirror, for instance? I think that these topics can be…

In Plainspeak publishes two issues with a theme every month.
A cross-cutting theme across all forthcoming issues in 2020 is how we can expand safe, inclusive sexuality-affirming spaces.

THIS ISSUE:

January 2021
Wellbeing and Sexuality – Anthology Issue 2021
Faced with a pandemic in 2020, we were reminded to reimagine wellbeing as more than the absence of disease and rather as a mosaic, its many differently coloured tiles together constituting an intricate and interconnected whole. Wellbeing may consist in living in alignment with who we truly are and feeling fulfilled, freely expressing our sexuality, or even being able to run 10 kilometres at a go. Though unique to each one of us, our wellbeing is affected by some overarching aspects such as our physical and mental health, our self-image, and our relationships. Sexual wellbeing includes not only sexual and reproductive health but also expressing and experiencing sexuality safely, positively, and pleasurably. At a time when we are witnessing violence (sexual and otherwise) and uncertainty in our world, we probe wellbeing again – how might we care for ourselves, especially while caring for one another, and cultivate practices and spaces which may contribute to a sense of wellbeing? In our anthology issue in January 2021 we republish In Plainspeakarticles from previous years about what wellbeing means to our contributors.

February 2021
Singlehood and Sexuality, I Issue – Feb 1, 2021
We live in a culture organised around relationships. We are told finding ‘The One’ is integral to our well-being; our ‘soulmate’ will intuitively understand as well as fulfill all our emotional, sexual, and material needs and desires. Our engagement with dating is expected to culminate in cisgender-heterosexual marriage, but what if we aren’t looking to live ‘happily ever after’ with another person? Singlehood carries stigma – of being lonely, materialistic, selfish, sexually restricted or ‘unlucky in love’. However, not all of us seek companionship within a heterosexual and monogamous framework. We may not consider love or commitment a prerequisite to engaging in sexual activity; we may simply be ‘single and not looking to mingle’; we may express and experience intimacy outside of romantic and/or sexual relationships. When our self-worth is considered to be inextricably tied to having and being desired by a partner, being single may be an assertion of our agency against patriarchal norms around legitimate relationships, sexual behaviour, and family. In the February issue of In Plainspeak, we attempt to delve into these aspects of singlehood and how they relate to our socio-economic location, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability status.

March 2021
Ageing and Sexuality, I Issue – March 1, 2021
Juxtaposed against the broad category of youth, older adulthood is often considered as a period of decline instead of a stage as complex and full as any other in our life. Socio-cultural negativity around sexuality and ageing make the physical, psychological, and psychosexual changes that come as we grow older, unnecessarily difficult to deal with. As older adults we may be made to feel that our desires are superfluous and undignified, and our sexual performance is diminishing or compromised, as is our desirability. When we are older, our relationships, especially those which are romantic, are often portrayed as devoid of sexual passion and instead, as hingeing on companionship and caregiving, which is fine if that indeed be the case. However, sexuality may be as intrinsic to our relationship with ourselves and the world as we grow older, and with the confidence that comes with life experience and self-awareness, may be even more authentically expressed and enjoyed. In the March 2021 issue of In Plainspeak, we examine the place sexuality occupies in our life as we grow older, how it relates to our self-expression, relationships, and sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how notions of sexual wellbeing in older adulthood may be expanded.

For future issue themes, click here.

Would you like to contribute? Send an email to blogeditor@tarshi.net with your idea. Do take a look at our submission guidelines!

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