Queer
“They’re shoe shoes, silly!” A Hip-hop Journey into Queerness
In my rap lyrics, I try to focus on the undercurrents of resilience, hope, and the unwavering spirit of resistance in the face of struggles.
By Chandan Jyoti Konwar
“Only for Families, Madam”: A House for Mrs Kulkarni, Divorcee
The only hitch was that neither the agents nor the landlords who lurked behind those rentable flats were particularly keen on leasing their precious properties to a – what! Divorcee??!! No, no, madam, but this flat is only for families.
By Curated Content
February 15, 2021
‘याराना’ – क्वीयर साहित्य और होशैंग मर्चंट से दोस्ती
हम धीरे-धीरे अपनी शर्म, असहजता, और ‘हेटेरोनॉर्मेटिव’ मानसिकता से ऊपर उठने लगे ऐसी कई सारी कृतियों का विश्लेषण करते हुए, जो न तो वात्स्यायन का ‘कामसूत्र’ थे और न ही यौनिकता पर फ़ूको की समीक्षा।
By Aditi Padiyar
June 18, 2024
‘Fire’ and Sexuality
Fire served as a seminal piece of media in my life for that reason, not only because of its queer themes and normalisation of LGBTQ+ relationships but because of how it normalises the pursuit of pleasure as a fundamental part of us, and not something we should be ashamed of.
By Katie Yenna
August 10, 2023
साक्षात्कार – चाँद
चूँकि दुनिया हाशिये में जीने वाले लोगों के प्रति इतनी प्रतिकूल रही है, इसलिए वे लोग हमेशा से, हर जगह ‘सुरक्षित स्थान’ बनाने की कोशिश करते आ रहे हैं।
By Akshita Singh and Pragya Solanki
November 19, 2024
राख से सोना बनाना – कैसे मध्यम आयु वर्ग की महिलाएं यौनिकता और आध्यात्मिकता का जश्न मनाती हैं
The most satisfying spiritual and sexual experiences I’ve had were not in my twenties, thirties or even forties. They have been in my 50’s. The most insightful spiritual insights, and the most orgasmic orgasms have both arrived in middle age.
By Nighat Gandhi
इच्छाओं की विरोधी, इच्छाएँ
वापस फिर एक बार, पोस्टर पर लिखी गयी घोषणा पर लौटते हुए – पहली बार ‘कानूनन’ सेक्स कर पाने के अपने अनुभव को ज़ाहिर करने की इस घोषणा में एक बहुत ही शक्तिशाली सांकेतिक संदेश निहित है जो हमें सेक्स में ज़्यादा चरम आनंद लेने में भले ही मदद न करे लेकिन मुक्ति के चिन्ह हमेशा धनी लोगों द्वारा किए जा रहे दिखावे की तरह नहीं होते, उनमें एक प्रभावी संदेश निहित होता है।
By Oishik Sircar
September 2, 2019
अपना किरदार निभाना
In this month’s issue of Play and Sexuality, Wesley D’Souza recounts the time his school put up a production of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, his preparations for its audition, and how the process was intertwined with an exploration and acceptance of his sexuality.
By Wesley D'Souza
January 11, 2024
Navigating love, loneliness and singlehood
I believe that queer friendships and intimacies are sheer resistance, which not only swallow the despair and pain that might be perpetrated on gender-nonconforming people by their families, but also recognise all the lies about love that have been sold to us.
By Anonymous
February 1, 2021
Yaarana: Befriending Queer Literature And Hoshang Merchant
Through our discomfort, shame, and often stubborn refusal to rise above heteronormativity, we unpacked a lot of these negative emotions by critically analysing texts that were neither the Kamasutra nor discourses such as Foucault’s on sexuality.
By Aditi Padiyar
March 16, 2020
Windows: My Introduction To Sexuality Through Literature
All these works have made me acutely aware of how gender, sexuality, and religion, are so deeply intertwined in the social fabric. Also, how conditioning can significantly influence one’s understanding of literature, or the lack of it.
By Asmi
March 2, 2020
Why singlehood is meaningful: Three voices
By the end of the evening, the room was suffused with the celebration of singlehood, rather than any explanation or apology for it. It appeared that the solitary life was envied and extolled by those who have opted out of it as well as many who haven’t.
By Curated Content
February 15, 2021
Why Drag?
In my 27 years of existence, I’ve embodied various personas and roles. Even today, I behave slightly differently in the office, around parents, at a party and when I’m alone in my room. In the mornings I’m often a lawyer, whereas during evenings I become an artist.
By Curated Content
May 15, 2019
When I Grow Up I Want to be a List of Queer Possibilities
To be a gentle / friendship breaker for S. To be // a candle-lit confetti apology for S.
By Aakanksha Ahuja
What Came of a Conversation about Queering Mothering
There is something incommensurable about the phrase ‘queering mothering’ – the two words put together, ‘queer’ and ‘mother’. We think of motherhood as a relationship between a ‘woman’ (the biological mother) and her child. Nevertheless, there are a number of people who form bonds with a growing child.
By Tanya Singh
October 17, 2016