Voices
Refusing the weight in waiting
As a girl, I was made to believe that pleasure was something that existed outside my body, something that I had to seek out, something that was necessarily a product of a partnered experience. I don’t think I was even allowed to want pleasure, especially in its sexual forms.
By Aathira Gopi
March 15, 2022
The Time Machine – 5 In Plainspeak Articles that Celebrate Sexuality in its Diverse Forms!
The In Plainspeak team decided to time travel and re-discover previously published articles that explore the multiple ways in which people find joy and pleasure in their sexualities.
By TARSHI
Negotiating Expression
I am still coming to terms with my own femininity, as with new learnings I find myself regaining many facets of my personality which were lost while trying to ‘act like a man’ and ‘act tough’.
By Ambica Naithani
March 1, 2022
Pronouns and Rainbow Circles
During an orientation session of Queer Hifazat, a programme for queer youth run by my organisation Red Dot Foundation, Deepak*…
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
March 1, 2022
What Polyamory is and what it could be
Practicing polyamory comes with the struggle of breaking down value systems and non-acceptance that may lead to ostracism not only from the heterosexual world but also from the queer and trans community. Claiming oneself as queer depends not only on how one identifies, but also, in society’s eyes, on who one’s partner is; being single does not qualify and neither does being polyamorous as the latter is considered ‘non-serious’.
By Abhiti Gupta
February 15, 2022
On the Sustainability of (Non) Romance
Contemporary and predominant imaginations of intimacy focus primarily on a sex-centric (romance-centric?) model which assumes that sexual desire exists and holds the same value for every person and every relationship regardless of their subjective positions. Sexual intent and desire are often the cruces of how relational aspects such as intimacy are socially constructed.
By Fariha Sameen
February 15, 2022
Three Poems: ‘Untitled’, ‘Alchemy’ & ‘Third date’
He said ‘tender’ today/in such a way/I thought/I’d definitely like him saying/dirty things to me
By Carol D'Souza
February 1, 2022
Conceptualising Love on the Aromantic Spectrum
I now feel comfortable entertaining the thought that my ease with my selfhood does not necessarily have to be threatened by the possibility of love in coupledom. Indeed, comfort with one’s self can actually evolve into healthier forms of love towards the other(s).
By Shivani Rajan
February 1, 2022
एक ‘स्त्रीत्व’ गुणों वाली नारीवादी
एक समय ऐसा था जब मैं भी लड़कियों के लिए बनाई जाने वाली हर चीज़ से सिर्फ इसलिए दूर भागती थी क्योंकि मुझे लगता था कि नारीवादी दिखने के लिए एक खास तरीके से दिखना और व्यवहार करना आवश्यक है।
By Anubha Sarkar
February 1, 2022
मेनोपॉज़ और सेक्स
एक तो यह समझ नहीं आता की आखिर इसे मेनोपॉज़ क्यों कहते हैं? पॉज़ का मतलब तो यह होता है कि किसी चीज़ का कुछ समय के लिए रुकना और आप के चाहने पर दोबारा शुरू हो जाना। मेरे विचार से तो इसे मेनोस्टॉप कहा जाना चाहिए!
By Sashwati Banerjee
February 1, 2022
Kun Faya Kun: Embodying Non-Conformity
This article was originally published here. My social media timeline repulses me. It’s filled with cis-het conformity among other things,…
By Ghausia Rashid Salam
January 3, 2022
Of ‘Kinkfests’ And Forbidden Fantasies: The Subversive Potential of Erotic Fanfiction
This article was originally published here. It is a summer night in 2010 and my parents are asleep in the…
By Rohini Banerjee
Becoming a Womxn: An Autobiography on Pleasure
This article was originally published here. The canvas of a city is experiential – from the walls and windows that…
By Neel
January 3, 2022
Navigating love, loneliness and singlehood
The desire for intimacy might rob one of the intimacy that one shares with oneself and thus, being with the beloved can leave one feeling even lonelier because of the continuing struggle for validation and comfort.
By Anonymous
January 3, 2022
And quietly flow thoughts on being and not being…
In the uncertainty and volatility of the pandemic, Pramada Menon examines what has changed for herself, for the world, and for the various attributes of the workplace – mentorship, conversations, power, and purpose, among others.
By Pramada Menon
December 15, 2021