The I Column
In those moments of doubt, when we wonder whether we can really make a difference in the world, it is often our work friends who remind us why we began.
How am I bringing myself into the erotic moment I am sharing with a lover?
My birthday is in May, a peak time of summer heat in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh. We knew that it was going to be hot, but did not have any idea of how bad it could get.
To be politically queer in a new language is an intoxication of all senses, revelation, outrageous freedom.
किशोरावस्था के दौरान जब हम अपनी यौनिकता से रूबरू हो रहे होते हैं, तब सामाजिक तौर पर हमे बताया गया जेंडर ही निर्धारित करता है कि हम अपनी पहचान कैसे बना रहे हैं जो ज़्यादातर मामलों में हमारी पूरी ज़िन्दगी को प्रभावित करती है।
… when they believed we were of the right age to marry, they urged us to “leave everything behind and get settled”. When marriage is considered such an important institution in our society, why not teach us about consent as well?
If not for these memories, my exploration of sexuality would perhaps have stopped a few years ago, when I was single for a long time and didn’t know if I could find someone like me.
Marriage also feels complicated when one approaches it through the lens of feminism. Marriage throws in two people and often their families into a system designed to perpetuate patriarchy, subjugate women, and bind men and women (in heteronormative marriage) into strict roles in the marriage.
My mother’s openness gave me a profound glimpse into how deeply conversations – or their absence – shape our sense of self.
मेरे जेंडर के बारे में उनकी प्रतिकारिता हमारी बातचीत में हर जगह होती है, लेकिन वह मुझे यह भरोसा देने में भी देर नहीं लगातीं कि मेरी ग़ैर-विषमलैंगिकतावादी यौनिकता ने उन्हें कभी परेशान नहीं किया।
It was not uncommon for me to feel like an imposter, helping others connect with themselves while struggling to do the same myself.
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.
पूरे देश में ऐसे कई क्वीयर लोग होंगे जो अपनी ‘मातृभाषा’ में अपनी क्वीयर पहचान को एक नाम देने में नाकामयाब रहे हैं।
I have been working in the field of sexuality for some years but it was an Instagram post that got me to take the HPV vaccine seriously.