Voices Archives • Page 35 of 35 • In Plainspeak

Voices

Date Name

Desc Asc

Black and white picture of a child covering their face

Poem: Age 7

tender lips that had forgotten, momentarily, the taste of mother’s milk and couldn’t tell the silence of the womb from…

By Mukesh

February 1, 2014

Poem: Age 7

A photo of spots of yellow light arranged in a bokeh pattern

Voices: I Am Queer

I look at you, a warm embrace, with arms, eyes, mind, heart and soul. You look at me, eyes…

By Asmi

January 1, 2014

Voices: I Am Queer

A cartoon sketch of two women kissing, next to a sketch of a monster-like figure. The sketches are black-and-white, but outlined in colour.

Voices: A Thinly Veiled Act Of Cowardice?

Haiku for the Disenfranchised: An overcooked symphony the angry voices scream ‘377. Unnatural Offences – Whoever voluntarily…

By Neha Naqvi

January 1, 2014

Voices: A Thinly Veiled Act Of Cowardice?

A park in which multiple couples are seen sitting together at various points. There are two big trees on each side, casting shadows on the same-sex couple sitting in the very centre with their backs turned.

Voices: Finding Pride

In Warsaw, it was a remnant. My first lesson in language barriers came with an incorrect translation of the time…

By Sarah Holland Bacot

January 1, 2014

Voices: Finding Pride

Voices: Interview With Rudrani Chettri

January 1, 2014

Voices: Interview With Rudrani Chettri

Photo of a pride flag, representing seven colours of the rainbow.

Voices: Terha Pakistan

‘Pakistan is a homophobic place,’ Karim continues. ‘As in any other conservative society, queers can have all the sex and…

By Hira Nabi

January 1, 2014

Voices: Terha Pakistan

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Themes

In Plainspeak publishes one issue every month, with a single theme running across two months. Our aim is to expand safe, inclusive self-affirming spaces.

CURRENT ISSUE:

February-March 2025: Consent and Sexuality

Consent means agreeing, freely and voluntarily, to engage in an activity, like sex. Often, it gets complicated by power differences attributable to ability, class, caste, employment status, gender, and other factors operating singly or as a composite. Who is asking? Who is being asked? Do they understand what they are saying yes or no to? What if they change their mind midway? Will there be negative repercussions for withholding consent? Or, if they are women, for actively consenting, because “good girls always say no”? These are some questions that immediately spring to mind. There are also issues particular to South Asia, like arranged marriage, child and early marriage, and the lack of legal recognition of marital rape. In our culture, where respect for elders and obedience are paramount, consent is not seen as a significant value. How does disregarding consent affect us not only in our intimate relationships but also in other spheres like the workplace, cyberspace (e.g. social media) and public spaces (e.g. on the streets)? In what ways does it affect people’s understanding of boundaries, respect, and sexual rights? How do we build a culture of consent that is Safe, Inclusive, and Self-Affirming (SISA) for all people? In this issue of In Plainspeak, we explore all this, and more.

UPCOMING ISSUE:

April and May 2025: Masculinities and Sexuality

Masculinities broadly refers to the sets of attributes, behaviours, and expectations commonly associated with men or ‘male power’ in a given culture. Masculinities are not performed only by people with male-assigned bodies. They vary across time and factors such as caste, class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and so on, and are not fixed and unchangeable. There is a whole spectrum of masculinities from those that may be affirming to those that may be considered ‘toxic’. Different kinds of masculinities interact and even come into conflict with each other, with some forms being considered more powerful, hegemonic, central or idealised, and others more subordinate or marginalised, in any given location. How do they play out in terms of their development and expression in relation to sexuality? What factors produce certain kinds of masculinities – is it experiences during growing up, peer pressure, role-models, or popular culture that are influencing factors? Are there differences in the public and private performance and experience of masculinities with regard to sexuality? This issue of In Plainspeak looks at the fascinating (and sometimes frightening) interplay of masculinities and sexuality.

Would you like to contribute? Take a look at our submission guidelines!

For future issue themes, click here.

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Disclaimer

We curate content from other portals to amplify discussion around sexuality and rights. All rights remain with the original sources. Corners and Videos are embedded links and Brushstrokes and Blogrolls are republished from open sources with a link back to the original source. Older links may no longer be available.

We mostly use images with a Creative Commons license. If you are the owner of an image and find that the image has not been credited properly, please let us know at inplainspeak@tarshi.net.

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