The I Column
Sex and Sex Work: Same-Same But Different
A discussion between sex workers of different ages, work contexts and backgrounds at the Empower Foundation centre in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
By Empower
April 5, 2016
Sex and Me, an Intimate Affair
Loving sex has only opened doors for me to know more about the world and myself. It helps me love and appreciate myself more and also, to a fair bit, tolerate this hypocritical and violent world. It gives me hope.
By Pavel Sagolsem
November 1, 2018
Self-Defined
I was a shy kid, coming into my element only at home with my sister. I didn’t like being at social gatherings; large groups of peers or family made me go back into my shell. I never thought this would change, but like everything else, it did. I was surprised to find myself becoming a very sociable young adult, creatively inclined, and the life of any party.
By Surbhi Dewan
April 18, 2017
Seeking Moksha
It could be your best friend, a partner, a sister or a parent. Hurting and getting hurt seem to form the basic universal nature of relationships. I have always wondered about why we like creating these connections, and why we need this social network.
By Surbhi Dewan
May 1, 2016
Romance Your Damn Self*
An experimental haircut, trying on a new pair of earrings, a bright lip colour, or even wearing a skirt when your legs aren’t waxed and walking confidently down the street: these are revolutionary acts of self-care and self-love.
By Deepa Ranganathan
February 3, 2017
Relationship and companionship don’t exist in isolation
It was very interesting to read Sexless in the City (For No Fault of Mine) by Malini Chib and the…
By Amrit Hallan
August 15, 2014
Redefining Femininity
Surrounded mostly by women while growing up, and even now, my idea of femininity looks like masculinity and femininity combined….
By Sweta
December 15, 2020
Reclaiming Intimacy: Sex Positivity and A Cultural Grammar That Values ‘Personhood’
As we move toward destigmatising the topic of sex for all genders, we should include the language of intimacy as we collectively create a new cultural grammar around sex.
By Anonymous
Pyaar Online: Cruising Online for Love
Generations come and go but the quest for love remains eternal. In the early 2000s, most of us millennials were…
By Divya Swaminathan
June 1, 2017
Porn, Not Erotica
Porn is able to express the ‘yummy yucky’ nature of many of our fantasies. I use the term ‘yummy yucky’ because I feel it captures a mix of that which is both “hot and disturbing”
By Jaya Sharma
July 1, 2019
Pleasure and Sexuality – What Is Beyond?
Over the years, my understanding of pleasure has changed. However, much of it is thanks to external inputs. It is thanks to people of all gender identities sharing how they feel pleasure in different ways.
By Asmi
February 3, 2020
Options Not Choices
To write about safe abortion, I picture what the best-case scenario is for someone seeking a safe abortion in Lebanon.
By Rola Yasmine
April 1, 2014
On Realising a Young Feminist Dream
One gets introduced to feminism through various modes: through books, through university courses, through parents and sometimes one does not…
By Jasmine George
November 1, 2015
On Mental Health and Being a Transman
I did everything to change my gender expression from masculine to feminine. I started wearing feminine clothes, started growing my hair, and I even had a boyfriend. But the more I pushed myself to be feminine, the more depressed I became.
By Jamal Siddiqui
February 3, 2017
On Looking for Love
I wanted to be one of those people who decide to never date again and actually follow through. Indeed, I decided that a lot. A resolution that was broken so many times that it became a running joke in my head.
By Wesley D'Souza
February 1, 2022