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Picture of an idol of goddess Durga, shown as half man half woman.

Androgynous Divinity: Celebrating Transsexuality in the Kolkata Durga Puja

The replacement of the traditional Durga idol by that of the Ardhanarishwara, without any obdurate protest, highlights the true carnivalesque spirit of Kolkata’s most looked-forward-to festival.

By Kaustav Bakshi and Arnab Adak

November 15, 2018

Androgynous Divinity: Celebrating Transsexuality in the Kolkata Durga Puja

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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.

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March 2024: Entertainment and Sexuality

While the primary purpose of entertainment might be to interest and amuse people, entertainment goes beyond merely being a mode of recreation. It influences social mores and norms just as much as it is influenced by them, factoring in play, pleasure, desire and fantasy. Through various mediums, entertainment can both subvert and reinforce stereotypes about certain individuals and communities. Popular or mainstream entertainment, by virtue of being made for mass appeal, can erase nuance, but it can also be a great sensitisation tool. Additionally, audience members also get a chance to participate in the process of meaning-making whether it be through fandom discussions or creating fan fiction. Alternatively, sexuality itself can be a form of entertainment, for example, drag, burlesque, peep shows, etc. What are acceptable modes of entertainment? How are they gendered and validated based on an individual’s social location? How has technology and the internet changed the ways in which we create and consume entertainment? Beyond token representation, how can we queer the idea and forms of entertainment? How can entertainment be used to disseminate rights-based and pleasure-affirming content on sexuality and SRHR, particularly Comprehensive Sexuality Education? In this issue of In Plainspeak, we examine how entertainment and sexuality are connected.

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April 2024: The Pandemic and Sexuality

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