If one doesn’t think life is a war and fashion your armor in the 21st century, some serious soul-searching needs to be done on their part. Used to oppress, fashion does hold the key to opening spaces for those who are cast out for not conforming to the norm (which is not “normal” per se, just more common!), just ask the likes of Calvin Klein, Gianni Versace and Giorgio Armani who monetized it.
By Deepen Lawaria Jul 30 2021 |
Through all of the ups and downs of my acceptance journey, my body has picked up some battle scars, or ‘physical accolades’ if you will, in the guise of stretch marks. These stretch marks used to torment me as glaring signs of my flaws but now I view them as markers of my journey, as imperfections that make me who I am. My stretch marks tell my story.
By GSimha Jul 12 2021 |
The film is populated with our everyday misogynists without any meaningful criticism levied at any of them: the casually verbally-abusive and tharki neighborhood boys, the misogynist-stud Neel who takes non-consensual photographs and publicly broadcasts intimate liaisons, the friend-of-the-husband who thinks women ought to be trained and our very own protagonist nice-guy who’s the quintessential incel with his ranting about ordinary nice boys going unnoticed and his barely concealed scary, violent rage.
By Anushka Jadhav Jul 5 2021 |
It is surprising because the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) guidelines allow non-relatives to open joint accounts, but that’s where banks exercise their discretion. Their in-house policies and parameters govern the qualifying criteria for those who may access its services.
By Saurabh Sharma Jul 1 2021 |
The famous Kareena Kapoor truism from Jab We Met, “Main apni favourite hoon” (I am my own favourite) is unfortunately hard to believe — I'm sorry, Kareena! but it's just hard to love myself as a non-binary, queer person.
By Sara Jun 28 2021 |
By and large, the tone of the Indian queer movement has been set by upper-caste Hindus. Queer individuals hailing from dominant-caste backgrounds have an unstated monopoly over the leadership of the movement. In fact, they are the face of the movement.
By Kavin Malini Jun 21 2021 |
When our ancestors weren't ravaged by the vastly-ignored AIDS pandemic or persecuted by political and religious institutions alike, we were abandoned by all systems of care (families, friends, you name it). Even the process of making therapy queer-affirming has only just begun and it still leaves a vast chunk of the population out, in terms of accessibility. We have been fighting to be seen, heard, acknowledged and represented despite our disabilities, performative 'politically correct' allies, and a looming threat to our very lives - if not at the hands of our debilitating mental illnesses or police brutality, then by self-proclaimed vigilantes claiming to protect their children from us.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jun 14 2021 |
Vice India’s latest cultural piece on Indian fashion influencers Komal Pandey and Siddharth Batra positions them as pioneers of “gender bending fashion” – the catch-all terminology used to describe cis girlbosses in suits and cis men in skirts.
By Sasha John Jun 9 2021 |
Medical gatekeeping is a real problem and we need to address it when talking about trans healthcare. Medical gatekeeping refers to health professionals withholding the medical facilities being sought by a person. Essentially, a trans person has to articulate their complex, personal experiences with gender and their deepest discomforts with regards to their body, to complete (cis) strangers.
By Prithvi Vatsalya Jun 2 2021 |
The quarrel is about whether the super-soldiers are just two lads being dudebro pals together or if there is definite homoerotic tension brewing between the two. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the Captain America fandom is straight men who are seemingly incapable of understanding queercodes, and most likely err on the side of being very homophobic.
By Srishti Berry May 26 2021 |
A recent study published in PLOS medicine pointed towards how social support has positive health outcomes for people with various ailments (including heart ailments, inflammatory diseases), increasing their possibility of survival by 20-29%. By denying us to commune with those whom we identify as our chosen families, the State effectively denies us access to health in more ways than one.
By Tejaswi Subramanian May 26 2021 |
Reveling in Balram’s success leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, especially considering he sacrificed people just like himself in order to accumulate wealth and power. Whether intentionally or not, it’s a story that inevitably celebrates using the master’s own tools and tactics to make one’s own version of the master’s house.
By Sasha John May 6 2021 |
The government's stubborn adherence to the gender binary is befuddling (to say the least), but is quite aligned with its larger brand of transphobic legislations. However, its appeal raises another question as to why it has not created a separate wing for trans-folx when it was directed to do so by a Supreme Court verdict in 2014?
By Tejaswi Subramanian Apr 14 2021 |
This move reminds us of the defence recently given by the Indian National government to the Delhi HC against legalizing queer marriages in India.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Apr 12 2021 |
Kirpal, an out gay man, who played an instrumental role in getting Section 377 scrapped, if appointed, would become “India’s first openly gay judge,” the Indian Express reports. But he laments whether “this (non-elevation) has probably got to do with my sexuality.”
By Saurabh Sharma Apr 8 2021 |
The fact of the matter remains that India has consistently denied the rights of several communities over the 7-odd decades that it has called itself independent. The caste system, racism, colourism, and cis-heteronormativity dictates our success in public lives as well as in accessing our basic human rights.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Mar 6 2021 |
The Centre has rejected the request for approval of same-sex marriages, invoking the principle of 'the Indian family structure'.
By thodasarum Feb 26 2021 |
What is surprising is that male sexuality in the film is represented as frozen and obscene in contrast to the eroticism and intimacy of the two women. It's because the director shows sexuality as a tool of domination. The male gaze is shown as an unwelcome voyeurism and lacks an understanding of women.
By thodasarum Feb 16 2021 |
Ravi’s crime: editing and sharing a Fridays for Future ‘toolkit’ Google doc, on understanding the farmers’ protest that has been sweeping and affecting the nation. In other words, it’s a crime to be a politically and civically conscious, young woman in what is somehow unironically and proudly touted as the world’s largest “democracy”.
By Sasha John Feb 16 2021 |
At the opening of host Krasinski's monologue, the cast members kept interrupting with various funny references to his character from The Office – including a lot of asking about Pam. That's when Davidson stood beside him on stage.
By thodasarum Feb 5 2021 |
