trans rights

On a black background, in capital letters, the words “I DELETE MYSELF”. The background has lines from the poem Delete by The Weird Queer Kid.

I DELETE MYSELF: ANONYMITY AND SEXUALITY ONLINE

·August 14, 2020
·Curated Content
·0 Comments

Cyberspace has given the queer woman a chance to problematize the existing gender and sexual identities which, like any identity, is not static. It allows her to create and occupy spaces which will give her freedom and power in a way that the misogynistic physical world cannot provide.

An illustration of a woman’s face and torso, superimposed with markers of digital engagement. Behind her, two octopus arms and from under the torso, palms and leaves flowering.

The Future Is TransFeminist: from imagination to action

·August 14, 2020
·Curated Content
·0 Comments

Facebook. Google. Apple. Microsoft. Amazon. As the white male-dominated Big Five in Silicon Valley monopolise most platforms that guide online interactions almost everywhere outside China, any aspiration towards a feminist revolution has become capitalised.

Gender non-conforming poet Alok Vaid Menon. They are dressed in a vibrant sleeveless dress, jewellery and makeup.

Interview – Alok Vaid-Menon

·September 4, 2018
·TARSHI Team
·0 Comments

In an e-mail conversation with TARSHI, Alok Vaid-Menon talks about both performativity and poetic performance.

A placard against a black background, on which is written 'Idea Junction, Colombo Pride 2018.'

The Ocean in My Veins

·July 2, 2018
·Debanuj DasGupta
·0 Comments

The circulation of our bodily energies potentially ushers queer futurities. A future that is yet to come, a future in which our bodies will not be imprinted with fear. A future in which newer creative economies of desire, love, and pleasure surround us like the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. I write this brief reflection in hopes of such futures.

In Plainspeak publishes two issues with a theme every month.
A cross-cutting theme across all forthcoming issues in 2021 is how we can expand safe, inclusive self-affirming spaces.

THIS ISSUE:

October – Labour and Sexuality – II Issue – Oct 18, 2021
What we are expected to do and how, and the compensation and recognition we receive for our labour are influenced by socio-cultural attitudes around gender, disability, caste, class, and so on. And because our parameters to assess labour and to reward it, such as productivity or recompense, do not take into account the infinite permutations and combinations of our unique location in our context and therefore whether or not we can exercise agency, enjoy choice and freedoms, and have access to opportunities, not all aspects of our labour – be it sitting at a desk for eight hours or being in the fields at the crack of dawn, or cooking and cleaning, or even lending a patient ear – are considered ‘useful’, ‘productive’, or ‘work’ at all. The October issue of In Plainspeakattempts to tie together physical, domestic, reproductive, emotional, creative, and other forms of labour with sexuality, and explore its interplay with leisure, bodily autonomy and integrity, interpersonal relationships, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

November – Fandom and Sexuality
Fandom is a community forged around shared enthusiasm for a particular aspect of popular culture, be it literature, film/television, music, art, sport, and what have you! Fandom is a space of belongingness, of unrestrained expression, of subverting conventions, of exploring the taboo, and of resisting hetero-patriarchy and imagining, in its place, a world vibrant with an array of gender identities, sexual orientations, and expressions. Scaffolded by an interest of its members in the canon, i.e., the original/source material, fandom brims with creative avenues of engagement in fanfiction, fanart, videos, songs, cosplay, and so on, where anything and everything is possible – from the romantic and the erotic, to the spiritual and the magical. In the November issue of In Plainspeak, we explore the potential of fandom as a safe, inclusive, and self-affirming space in the context of gender and sexuality

December – Play and Sexuality
Play takes us away from our sometimes all-too-serious lives, especially as the world in which we live roils with social and political worries. Play nudges us to tread lightly, to consciously make room for delight, to explore and reveal our vulnerabilities, to bring to life our imagination, to flirt with propriety, and to trust. Our fantasies and desires, performance of our gender identity, our engagement with pleasure by ourselves and with others in expressing our sexual self and likes and dislikes, drawing boundaries, and sharing intimacy are among the boundless domains of play in sexuality. In these safe and positive spaces of play, we can experience our sexuality freely and authentically, resist convention and assert our agency and bodily autonomy. The December issue of In Plainspeak delves into the potential of play as self-affirming in the context of gender and sexuality, subversive, and physically, emotionally, and spiritually fulfilling.

For future issue themes, click here.

Would you like to contribute? Send an email to blogeditor@tarshi.net with your idea. Do take a look at our submission guidelines!

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A person with short dark hair and silver earrings holds a sign that says "Sexual Rights To Me Means Control Over My Own Body". The photo is in black and white.

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