Voices
A time to #metoo or not to
Time and sexuality, neither is one-dimensional, neither is neat and both have a way of being always in a state of movement, whether we like it or not, flow with it or not.
By Shikha Aleya
November 1, 2017
General and not so General
The relationship between caste and sexuality has always been a complicated one, one that is performed through socially sanctioned practices,…
By Aiman Khan
October 16, 2017
Veiled Desires
I still remember my early childhood days when we used to get lessons on caste in our day-to-day lives. Coming…
By Prarthana
October 3, 2017
Queer Women in Aranyani’s A Pleasant Kind of Heavy and Other Stories*
Aranyani’s writing most certainly has a sensory charm and no two people are going to experience her narration the same way. I wish you a happy and gloriously gay reading of this fleshy collection of erotic stories!
By Swati Vijaya
September 1, 2017
Reflections on accessibility and sexuality
I thought of myself as a feminist activist much before I formally entered the development sector space. I participated in…
By Shreshtha Das
August 16, 2017
From the periphery to the core: How can we hear more women’s voices from rural India?
Neha is a proud, beaming 16-year-old. Standing on the lawns outside Delhi’s India Gate, she speaks to the camera about…
By Gram Vaani
Accessing Safer Sex – what does it mean to have access to exploring and enjoying your sexuality safely?
The discourse on safer sex is usually couched in medical language– protection from STIs and unwanted pregnancies are what supposedly…
By Unnimaya Kurup
“Do You Get What I’m Saying?” – Discussing Sexual and Reproductive Rights in Indian Regional Languages
Language is central to how we think about concepts and ideas, and rights-based language matters enormously when we talk about sexuality. However, much of what many of us know about sexuality-related topics is constructed, explained and communicated solely in English.
By Vani Viswanathan
Queer Pride in India: Creating Space for Intersectional Queer Identities and Other Marginalised Voices?
There are many ways to be queer. Apart from the fact that queerness encompasses a wide variety of sexual expression,…
By Sonia Dhawan
The United States of Indian-Americans
It is very easy to fall into the trap of believing that the survival of the larger group is more important than the rights of an individual. This is especially true in diasporic communities, where people are constantly struggling to keep their cultural identities intact while simultaneously assimilating to the majority culture just enough to survive.
By Sonia Dhawan
July 15, 2017
On Being Gay and Muslim
My entire life has been a struggle of confused identities. I stood at the intersection of gay, Muslim and economic privilege.
By Aersh
July 15, 2017
Hum Aapki Hain Samdhan*
Let me begin with a confession. I have always loved the idea of marriage. What is one to do when…
By Manak Matiyani
July 1, 2017
Early ‘Love Marriage’ and the Big, Bad Internet
In fact, the Internet actually allows adolescents access to a wide range of information including on sexual health. A 2015 study by Marie Stopes International[2] (an organisation that provides contraception and safe abortion services) found that the main source of information on sexual health among adolescents is the Internet.
By Shubha Kayastha and Indu Nepal
June 1, 2017
How We Can Make Our Cities Safer Using Crowdsourced Data
Sexual violence is a global pandemic affecting one in three women at least once in their lifetime. The statistics in India are equally shocking. National Crime Records Bureau statistics of 2014 indicate that a rape occurs every 20 minutes in India.
By ElsaMarie D'Silva
Cashless and Stranded in Budhwar Peth: How the 2016 Demonetisation Affected Sex Workers
The disruptions in sex work due to demonetisation were not merely about the cash crunch though. Probing deeper, the real problems were to do with a breakdown in the rituals of soliciting, and what it meant behaviourally for the women.
By Sutapa Majumdar and Rohini Sahni