Voices
The Villainised Other: Understanding Portrayals of Female Masculinity in Bollywood
Apart from the masculinity portrayed in commercial films with heterosexual tropes, Bollywood has produced movies portraying distorted female masculinity.
By Soumili Paul and Tiyasha Purohit
The Various Hues and Hemlines of African Women’s Attire
Sub-Saharan Africa itself is very diverse. There are Muslims, Christians and people whose cosmological beliefs and practices hark back to the thousands of years before the arrival of the monotheistic faiths. South Asia has also had some cultural impact, particularly in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. Against this general background, it is not surprising that notions of feminine modesty, which influences the regulation of dress, vary across regions and religious traditions.
By Edward Kannyo
August 2, 2016
The Unqueer Classroom
I remember realising that ‘gender’ was a construct when I was 9 or so, that it wasn’t real. I was…
By Aradhana Phadke Sardesai
July 22, 2024
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
The Union of Our Inner Masculine and Inner Feminine
Feminine energy is supposed to be yin, receptive, gentle, intuitive,and fulfilling. Masculine energy is supposed to be yang, active, fast, fierce, emptying, goal-oriented and focused.
By Pallavi Barnwal
The Unbearability Of Desire
Intimacy can never thrive in an environment of rigid certainty. Intimacy requires surrender – not in the sense of submission – but in the willingness to be with another person without detachment or defences.
By Shaifila Ladhani
March 17, 2025
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
The Taste of Purple
Stop everything! I have a condition that you must follow before you read any further, before you consume what I’ve…
By Hanish Srinivasan
July 17, 2023
The Sociolinguistics of Sexting
Typos are speed breakers, and autocorrect has kinky preferences
By Rajashree Gandhi
May 1, 2018
The Silent Theft of Consent: How Patriarchy Undermines Women at Every Step
When a woman, in her own house, is told by her family members, to always seek their consent before doing anything, and to always keep them informed of every activity she engages in, or even to seek a job in her chosen field, her freedom is taken away from her. She is expected to take their consent for anything and everything, but her own consent is taken away from her.
By Aanya Narula
The Side People
We all are members of ‘The Side People’. No, we don’t sit around a table every Saturday to cry.
By Sonakhya Samaddar
October 15, 2025
The Serious Dangers of ‘High Risk Group’ing in HIV and AIDS Prevention
Sex has always been at the core of HIV and AIDS since the virus was first identified almost 30 years…
By Sankhya Bommana
December 15, 2015
The Role of Digital Platforms as Workplaces: Sexual Expression and Harassment in the Virtual Realm
Moving from the broader implications of the digital workspace it is essential to discuss specifically how these platforms influence the exploration of sexual identity.
By Yash Singh Sisodiya
The Risks and Gains of Coming In
I had risked so much already, not just by loving another woman, but by acting on my desires. By allowing myself to feel intimacy and connection with another queer person. Despite feeling guilt and shame, this risk had become increasingly vital to take.
By Sweta
October 15, 2020
The Right to Desire in a Dying Climate
To talk about climate justice, then, is to talk about who gets to feel safe, who gets to choose, who gets to want.
By Abhigya Singh
August 19, 2025