Sarah Soysa, Author at In Plainspeak

Sarah Soysa

Date Name

Desc Asc

A woman from Sri Lanka holding up a placard which has information on why abortion should be legal

In Sri Lanka, abortion is only permitted in cases where pregnancy or childbirth is life-threatening for the woman. Nevertheless the number of reported daily abortions taking place in Sri Lanka is more than 750.

By Sarah Soysa

April 1, 2014

Campaign for Safe Abortion in Sri Lanka

Between the Nation State and a Hard Place

Cultural norms and religion no doubt affect the way we perceive the world. They shape one’s behaviour, habits and practices,…

By Sarah Soysa

May 15, 2015

Between the Nation State and a Hard Place

A meme of a woman with her finger pointing outward speaking angrily. Text written reads, "Meaningful youth participation means involving young people in decision making process, not just making them as decoration!"

Nothing for us without us: Young People and Development

There are many mechanism, agendas and processes such as the post-2015 mechanism in development to ensure gender equality and ‘to…

By Sarah Soysa

September 1, 2015

Nothing for us without us: Young People and Development

Themes

In Plainspeak publishes one issue every month, with a single theme running across two months. Our aim is to expand safe, inclusive self-affirming spaces.

CURRENT ISSUE:

June 2025: Language and Sexuality

Language bestows on us the gifts of self-expression, conceptualisation, communication, and interaction, amongst others. At the same time, many languages being gendered in their vocabulary and grammar restrict how we might speak, and even think, about sexuality. Does language then affect gender and sexual expression, and the manner in which we experience and express desire, intimacy, pleasure, frustration, and even violence? Do we use language in different ways with different people – rough and ready language with our friends and lovers and more formal language in public? What does this say about the ‘rules’ around sexuality? Is there a language that signals belonging to a group or community (queer or kink, for example)? Do some languages have a more generous vocabulary than do others? Given that we live in a world increasingly dependent on AI-based technologies, do Large Language Models like Chat GPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, etc. reflect and perpetuate existing biases and societal values around sexuality? What are the effects of all of this? How can we use language to expand safe, inclusive and self-affirming spaces for all? This issue of In Plainspeak explores these and other fascinating connections between language and sexuality.

UPCOMING ISSUE:

July 2025: Language and Sexuality

August-September: Climate Change and Sexuality

Floods, storms and droughts, so-called ‘natural’ disasters, are becoming more common as a result of climate change. Climate change refers to long-term regional and global shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused largely as a result of human activity, such as by the over-use of fossil fuels. Increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, severe fires, and intense tropical storms are some of the other fallouts of climate change. There are further consequences too, the most brutal – the lack of food, water, clean air and shelter – being felt first by those most vulnerable. Those like hotter summers and colder winters, some people deal with by a mere flick of an AC switch. Given where we are situated on the spectrum of privilege, all of us use adaptive mechanisms to cope with major disasters and minor discomforts. Is climate change related in any way to sexual wellbeing and SRHR? How does it affect sexual behaviour? Sexual health and access to SRHR services? Discrimination and violence against already marginalised groups? Do the mechanisms people use to adapt to climate change violate sexual and reproductive rights? Conversely, can the realisation of sexual and reproductive rights build resilience and contribute to positive climate action? This issue of In Plainspeak explores these and other important questions.

अगस्त-सितंबर – जलवायु परिवर्तन और यौनिकता

जलवायु परिवर्तन के परिणाम स्वरूप बाढ़, तूफ़ान और सूखे जैसी तथाकथित ‘प्राकृतिक’ आपदाएं, आम होती जा रही हैं। दुनिया भर में और अलग-अलग क्षेत्रों में तापमान और मौसम के रुझानों में दीर्घकालिक बदलावों को जलवायु परिवर्तन कहा जाता है। ये परिवर्तन ज़्यादातर मानवीय गतिविधियों के कारण होते हैं, जैसे कि बहुत ज़्यादा जीवाश्म ईंधन (फॉसिल फ्यूल) का इस्तेमाल करना। बढ़ता तापमान, समुद्र का बढ़ता स्तर, पिघलते ग्लेशियर, भयंकर आग और तीव्र तूफान, जलवायु परिवर्तन के अन्य परिणाम हैं। इसके और भी दुष्परिणाम हैं, जिनमें से सबसे गंभीर हैं – भोजन, पानी, स्वच्छ हवा और आश्रय का अभाव होना – जिसका अनुभव सबसे पहले उन लोगों को होता है जो इसके प्रभावों के प्रति सबसे अधिक संवेदनशील होते हैं। कुछ लोग तपती गर्मी और कड़क सर्दी से जूझते हैं, जबकि कुछ लोग इन सबसे ए.सी. के स्विच के एक झटके से ही निपट लेते हैं। विशेषाधिकार की विस्तृत श्रेणी (स्पेक्ट्रम) पर हम जिस स्तर पर हैं, उसे देखते हुए हम सभी बड़ी आपदाओं और छोटी-मोटी असुविधाओं से निपटने के लिए अनुकूली रणनीतियों का उपयोग करते हैं। क्या जलवायु परिवर्तन किसी भी तरह से यौन खुशहाली (वेलबीइंग) और यौन एवं प्रजनन स्वास्थ्य एवं अधिकार (SRHR) से जुड़ा हुआ है? यह यौन व्यवहार को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? यौन स्वास्थ्य और SRHR सेवाओं तक पहुँच को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? जो समूह पहले से ही हाशिए पर हैं उनके ख़िलाफ़ भेदभाव और हिंसा को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? क्या जलवायु परिवर्तन के अनुकूल होने के लिए लोग जिन तरीकों का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, वे यौन और प्रजनन अधिकारों का उल्लंघन करते हैं? इसके विपरीत, क्या यौन और प्रजनन अधिकारों को प्राप्त करना, समुत्थान शक्ति (रिज़िलीएन्स) पैदा कर सकता है और सकारात्मक जलवायु कार्यवाही में योगदान दे सकता है? इन और अन्य महत्वपूर्ण सवालों पर इन प्लेनस्पीक के इस अंक में चर्चा की जायेगी।

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TARSHI Corner

Watch a webinar exploring the changing contours of masculinities and sexuality, featuring two In Plainspeak contributors: Ishan Mehandru and Sudipta Das.

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In Plainspeak

Sarah Soysa

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