authenticity

BDSM Play – Performance and Beyond
Picture of a black lacy mask with a black string portruding from it

Just like sex can be happy, sad, awkward, angry and so many other emotions, rather than the mere act of pounding, so is BDSM.

By Asmi
September 4, 2018
BDSM Play – Performance and Beyond
BRUSHSTROKES: HAPPY DOODLES
A screenshot of an illustration by Buddha Doodles

We found these heart-warming doodles that are dedicated to staying conscious of things that matter for our personal well-being and our relationships with others but that we tend to lose touch with from time to time.

By Curated Content
January 4, 2021
BRUSHSTROKES: HAPPY DOODLES
VIDEO PAGE: THE IMPORTANCE OF VULNERABILITY
A screenshot of the video ‘The Importance of Vulnerability’

In a way, the expression of vulnerability can be a foundation of trust and mutual support in a relationship, often leading to a sharing of burdens and the building of a deepened connection and solidarity.

By Curated Content
January 4, 2021
VIDEO PAGE: THE IMPORTANCE OF VULNERABILITY
BLOSSOMING INTO A GARDEN: SPIRITUALITY, SEXUALITY AND ALL-CONSUMING QUEER LOVE IN ‘PUU’
‘Puu’ webcomic

Puu, an episodic comic (consisting of 92 serialised episodes) created in 2016 by Nabigal-Nayagam Haider Ali – going by Nabi online – is woven together with vast, expansive threads of similar intense spiritual moments and reflections on devotion, faith, and love.

By Rohini Banerjee
January 4, 2021
BLOSSOMING INTO A GARDEN: SPIRITUALITY, SEXUALITY AND ALL-CONSUMING QUEER LOVE IN ‘PUU’
HOW I LEARNED THAT I DESERVE TO LOVE MYSELF
A pattern of many illustrated flowers interwoven together

“I feel comfortable with who I am,” he responded. “I’m at ease with myself. I don’t wake up and hate myself. I can’t tell you how amazing that feels.”

“I know how that feels,” I told him.

By Guest Writer
January 4, 2021
HOW I LEARNED THAT I DESERVE TO LOVE MYSELF
SELF-CARE AND MASTURBATION – LET’S GIVE IT THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE IT DESERVES
Neon-lit red typography saying GIRLS

Our body is home. We exercise, we eat right. We adorn it with jewels and tattoos. We live well and breathe easier if our home (our body) is clean, fed and rested. Come home to yourself. Masturbation is one of the easiest ways home.

By Jhilmil Breckenridge
January 4, 2021
SELF-CARE AND MASTURBATION – LET’S GIVE IT THE FEMALE PERSPECTIVE IT DESERVES
A GARDEN OF ONE’S OWN
A photograph of a stone structure and archway on a rocky terrain

Therapy gives us tools and time, but the actual work of dismantling the forest is ours as we are the only persons with access to that forest. So queer affirmative therapy validates our beliefs and helps us identify the poison, cut it down, dissect it, unroot it.

By Poorva Parashar
January 4, 2021
A GARDEN OF ONE’S OWN
Interview: Radhika Chandiramani on What Self-Care and Sexuality Have to Do With Each Other
A photograph of Radhika Chandiramani, a clinical psychologist, writer and editor, and founder of TARSHI.

Sexuality and self-care are related at many levels, right from the level of knowing what you want and what you don’t, how you feel about yourself, how you are able to communicate your desires and how you are able to enjoy your experiences.

By Anjora Sarangi
January 4, 2021
Interview: Radhika Chandiramani on What Self-Care and Sexuality Have to Do With Each Other
Editorial: Anthology Issue – Wellbeing and Sexuality
A yellow and blue gradient close-up photograph of a water droplet creating ripples

Happy New Year! As 2021 begins and we are filled with a sense of hope and desire for better times, we resolve to find ways of sustaining ourselves while caring for others. And so, in this anthology issue we republish articles about wellbeing.

By TARSHI
January 4, 2021
Editorial: Anthology Issue – Wellbeing and Sexuality
Steering Through Singlehood

I am 27 now and marriage is the most brought-up topic of conversation by my parents and relatives. Now, choosing or wanting to stay single is inversely proportional to my reputation, respect, and worthiness.

By Nidhi Chaudhary
February 1, 2021
Steering Through Singlehood
 Navigating love, loneliness and singlehood
A photograph of an individual’s neck and shoulders, with a focus on the collarbone.

I believe that queer friendships and intimacies are sheer resistance, which not only swallow the despair and pain that might be perpetrated on gender-nonconforming people by their families, but also recognise all the lies about love that have been sold to us.

By Anonymous
February 1, 2021
 Navigating love, loneliness and singlehood
Kun Faya Kun: Embodying Non-Conformity
A photograph of a person’s palms held out in prayer. The light is streaked with shades of pink and blue.

For a queer person, or for someone who remains single by choice, everyday existence requires strength and will. That is the embodiment of kun faya kun as a personal philosophy: to manifest the person you want to be through sheer will.

By Ghausia Rashid Salam
February 1, 2021
Kun Faya Kun: Embodying Non-Conformity
In Appreciation of Singlehood
A photograph of a woman facing a water body lined with blades of grass. The sky is tinged with orange and blue.

Growing up, for me, has been about accepting that the loneliness and sadness woven into the fabric of my being do not go away with entering conventional arrangements like monogamous relationships or marriage.

By Siddhi Pandey
February 1, 2021
In Appreciation of Singlehood
 Whatever it takes…walking life as single women
A photograph of a woman’s silhouette against a pink and purple sky.

What I am proposing here is to look at being in a relationship and being single together because what is important here is the idea of ‘be-ing’ as opposed to the stereotypes and perceptions attached to our relationship with ‘the One’ or to singlehood.

By Gurpreet Kaur
February 1, 2021
 Whatever it takes…walking life as single women
Interview: Sharanya Manivannan
A photograph of Sharanya Manivannan

If you are true to yourself, and attuned to your emotions and needs, you’ll invariably find that even a core belief (such as: not believing in the institution of marriage) is complicated by what the lived experience of that means (not only discriminatory experiences, but also intimate ones).

By Shikha Aleya
February 1, 2021
Interview: Sharanya Manivannan
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