Sexuality
The Good Boy with ‘Unspeakable’ Desires: The Queer Testimonio of ‘Nacher Chhele’
In Nacher Chhele, a 38 year old Avijit stands outside himself, takes a long look at his past, and writes an intense testimonio, which would resonate with many middle class Bengali queer men who grew up in the pre-global, pre-Internet city of Calcutta in the 80s and 90s.
By Kaustav Bakshi
Sex in the Times of Menopause
I am single and successful in the city. My general health is under control. I can still pull off an all-nighter maybe once a quarter. My sexuality and desire have evolved and matured with my age. Heck, in my eyes, I am Mrs. Robinson. But the eye candy at the bar sees me as Miss Havisham.
By Sashwati Banerjee
August 1, 2018
Jasmine Stains
My hair smells like jasmine / From the wedding I went to last night / When I tethered my untameable hair with flowers,
By Malini Gopalakrishnan
August 1, 2018
Brushstrokes: Sexual Fantasies
Have you ever had a “dirty thought”, or rather, a sexual fantasy, at a random hour of a random day?
By Curated Content
August 1, 2018
Editorial: Power and Sexuality
In the mid-month issue we carry the second part of Madhu Mehra’s interview with Shikha Aleya about the law, power, inequalities, sexuality, consent and building a sex-positive culture. As Madhu says, for navigating negotiations and consent within sexual relationships more work is needed than merely lessons in legal literacy.
By TARSHI
July 16, 2018
Review: Offers You Can’t Refuse
It was a million dollar question. Literally. The Hollywood film Indecent Proposal (1993) had actors Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson…
By Manjima Bhattacharjya
July 16, 2018
Interview – Madhu Mehra – Part 2
I think that the level of power that law makers, opinion builders and stakeholders wield over the more vulnerable and younger people in society is enormous. Yet, these actors have chosen to focus only on building a policy regime of sexual violence, even to the extent of allowing juvenile offenders to be treated as adult accused – without any corresponding effort to build a sex positive culture within which they may exercise agency.
By Shikha Aleya
July 16, 2018
What History And Fiction Teach Us About Women And Power
This article was originally published in the NPR. January 8, 2018; TANIA LOMBROZO Two recent books, one a manifesto by British…
By Curated Content
July 16, 2018
It’s All about Empowerment at a Nude Photoshoot for a Pornographic Subreddit
This post was originally published in VICE. By: Divya Karthikeyan A Bengaluru woman poses for her lover—and the followers of /r/IndiansGoneWild. Catching…
By Curated Content
6 Reasons Telling Women Their Power Is in Their Sexuality Is Not Empowering
This article was reposted from Everyday Feminism. December 14, 2015 by Suzannah Weiss One night, my college boyfriend, two of his female…
By Curated Content
Issue in Focus: Power, Agency and Sexuality
Since all women do not share a common history, agency cannot and need not be located for all in an emancipatory discourse and in the recourse to resistance and subversion. For some, feminist agency and the realisation of one’s potential as gendered actors in the world can come from submitting to a discourse that others deem repressive.
By Shweta Krishnan
July 2, 2018
Interview: Madhu Mehra – Part 1
In this issue of In Plainspeak, we interview Madhu Mehra, lawyer and feminist activist. She is a founding member and the Executive Director of Partners for Law in Development (PLD), a legal resource group on women’s rights.
By Shikha Aleya
July 2, 2018
Video Page: Mardistan (Macholand): Reflections on Indian Manhood
In a culture where masculinity is often considered to be synonymous with power, how are the daily lives, experiences and ideologies of men influenced by this norm?
By Curated Content
Brushstrokes: Pussy and Patron
Photographer Roshni Kumar’s photo-series, Pussy and Patron, seeks to challenge this, drawing inspiration from “retro erotica” to capture photos of the nude female form expressing desire and sexual agency in empowered ways.
By Curated Content
July 2, 2018
The Ocean in My Veins
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.
By Debanuj DasGupta
July 2, 2018