masculinity

Tomboy Femininity
A photograph of the author, Di Sands
Tomboy Femininity

When I finally came out to myself at age 16 and made it to a free queer youth space, I couldn’t wait to be accepted among folks who didn’t play by society’s heterosexist rules of masculine and feminine as polar opposites.
By Di Sands
December 1, 2020
Tomboy Femininity
Editorial: Femininities and Sexuality
A close-up photograph of a dandelion with dew. The dewdrops are differently coloured in the light.
Editorial: Femininities and Sexuality

Are certain forms of femininities denigrated more than others? Not just by misogynists but also by feminists? Is there a particular way of manifesting an ‘appropriate’ femininity, one that is just right, and is not ‘too girly’ or ‘too tomboyish’?

By TARSHI
December 15, 2020
Editorial: Femininities and Sexuality
Negotiating Expression
An abstract painting of teal squares with splashes of orange, white, blue and yellow.
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
Negotiating Expression
Editorial – Celebrating Sexuality
A colourful background with “100 % sexuality” written in blue with pink shadow around the text.
Editorial – Celebrating Sexuality

100 issues, 8 years! Thank you, dear readers and contributors! As we planned for this issue to put on our…
By TARSHI
March 15, 2022
Editorial – Celebrating Sexuality
Masculinity, queer representation, and the motifs of movement in ‘Dedh Ishqiya’
A shot from the film featuring the two female leads, one is preparing a paan with the other’s face resting on her shoulder. Both the women are smiling.
Masculinity, queer representation, and the motifs of movement in ‘Dedh Ishqiya’

The film has all the makings and trimmings of a commercial thriller – a dynamic story, song and dance, an action-packed climax – and at the same time, it is a cinephile’s film.
By Srishti Gupta
May 3, 2022
Masculinity, queer representation, and the motifs of movement in ‘Dedh Ishqiya’
Patriarchy Won’t Let Me Masturbate
An out-of-focus individual holds a shard of glass in front of them and a portion of their face is visible in it.
Patriarchy Won’t Let Me Masturbate

That’s all the big roles and ethics
All there to fulfil.
Another task,
Another box to tick
Another concrete path to rush
Quick, simple and straight.
By Shashwat
June 16, 2023
Patriarchy Won’t Let Me Masturbate
Coming out as small
A close-up photograph of grass and daisies.
Coming out as small

They lay eyes on him, they see a body out of the gym. A black, thick beard, in a need…
By Abdullah Erikat
August 10, 2023
Coming out as small
The Future is Femme
pink petaled flowers in a close-up photography
The Future is Femme

The patriarchy is petrified of gender fluidity. Not only does the femininomenon threaten the modes of sex-based binaries, but it also undermines sexist hierarchies.

By Sindhu Rajasekaran
October 17, 2024
The Future is Femme
Editorial – Gender and Sexuality
Four hands coming together from the four corners of the image to solve a multi-coloured jigsaw puzzle.
Editorial – Gender and Sexuality

Gender and sexuality are like constituent parts of a jigsaw puzzle that keeps morphing in such a way that nothing ever ‘fits’ for long, and the game begins anew each time.
By TARSHI
November 19, 2024
Editorial – Gender and Sexuality
Editorial – Parents, Teachers, and CSE
A lighthouse in the middle of a sea with light coming out of it on the left and right in the form of outstretched hands. It is an illustrated photo with most of it in dark shades to simulate night time.
Editorial – Parents, Teachers, and CSE

Each time a child or adolescent asks a question that may be (even indirectly) related to sexuality, many parents and teachers get squirmy and nervous. This may be because they themselves do not have the information required, but in most cases, it has more to do with the ‘hush-hush’ that surrounds sexuality.
By TARSHI
December 18, 2024
Editorial – Parents, Teachers, and CSE
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