The In Plainspeak team decided to time travel and re-discover previously published articles that explore the multiple ways in which people find joy and pleasure in their sexualities. Here are five articles (out of many!) that celebrate sexuality:
- The Politics of Fantasy: Is There Room for Fantasy in Feminist Activism?
How can the “political incorrectness” of our sexual fantasies help us celebrate our sexuality? Jaya Sharma argues that there is much to be learned from the friction between our sexual fantasies and our feminist politics. Jaya urges us to embrace the messiness of fantasies, instead of feeling shame and guilt, which can also help us understand our politics better. - Hum Aapki Hain Samdhan
Manak Matiyani finds in Munni Ketki Wali’s wedding songs a community celebration of female sexuality – “a loud display of desire to take over public space.” While some wedding celebrations are questionable (think cost, waste, ostentation), Manak demonstrates the possibility of finding joy and hope in the flamboyance of wedding rituals. हिंदी में इस लेख को पढ़ने के लिए, कृपया यहां क्लिक करें। - Queer Fanfiction and the Possibility of Queer Happy Endings
Rohini Banerjee writes about her encounter with fandoms and fanfiction as an adolescent, and how these have helped her understand sexuality, more so than any other source. Rohini focuses on the subversiveness of slash fanfiction and how it not only normalises queer sex, but celebrates it, and how the happy endings in these counter-narratives are a “diverse, sex-positive challenge to heteronormativity.” - Sex in the Times of Menopause
Sashwati Banerjee’s musings on menopause and sex call for the acceptance of the fact that older women also have sexual desires and that they should be celebrated. Sashwati talks about menopause having become a social condition as opposed to remaining a medical one, and concludes with a claim that many will probably echo: I still want sex! हिंदी में इस लेख को पढ़ने के लिए, कृपया यहां क्लिक करें। - And He Said, ‘I Love You, Masti’
Smriti Dhingra recalls an endearing love story with a person with Down’s Syndrome, from when she was “on the frontier between teenage and young adulthood”. Smriti talks about how this non-normative relationship was “misinterpreted at many levels”, simply because it entailed a disabled person exploring his sexuality that most people construe as being non-existent. हिंदी में इस लेख को पढ़ने के लिए, कृपया यहां क्लिक करें।
Cover Image: Photo by Kier In Sight on Unsplash
