OnlyFans has its origins in camming - a form of digital era ‘peep-show’ with more liberal power dynamics. For the model, it is about payment, safety (absence of agencies), the relationship of power and desire, and pleasure-seeking. For the viewer, it’s about privacy, power & control, the feeling of intimacy, and pleasure-seeking. Such platforms on the internet have reconstituted our way of being sexual while also providing unfettered sexual freedom.
By Rajeev Anand Kushwah Aug 23 2021 |
AAP has also never emphatically voiced concerns about the Trans Act, 2019, or the issues faced by the trans community at large. Their announcement on their social media pages shares no information as to any procedural or systemic changes that have been adopted to create a safe space in the Party for LGBTQ+ voices to share, be heard and participate in various day-to-day activities; just vague declarations of inclusion and progress.
By Ankita Aug 3 2021 |
Queer couples from various walks of life have made a case for the Indian government to recognize their civil union in accordance with their rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. On July 6, an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and his American spouse put forth their petition to be allowed to visit their family in India aided by their status as OCI cardholders, a benefit extended to foreign spouses upon completion of 2 years of marriage. But not in the case of 'same-sex' partners? The couple is seeking answers and change.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jul 19 2021 |
The moment when Xtina, Brintey Spears and Madonna kissed on stage at the 2003 VMAs has been immortalized and widely-reviewed as provocative. For most of us who are not cis-men, it is evident that this kiss was largely fetishized, playing into the fantasy of the male gaze that enjoys watching women kiss for the viewer's pleasure.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jul 1 2021 |
Since we’re in the age of reconsidering the treatment of Britney Spears - and now even Jessica Simpson - who received apologies and reassessed their legacies in public, I think it's time we give Adam Lambert his just due. It would be remiss not to examine how we treated the former American idol not so very long ago. Looking back, we owe Adam Lambert an apology.
By Alexis Oatman Jun 30 2021 |
The Karnataka government has now proposed to reserve 1% of all its jobs for the transgender community. The reservation will be in each category, i.e., general, SC, ST, and each of the OBC quotas, according to a draft notification released on May 13, 2021.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jun 21 2021 |
In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti (she/they) of Intersex Equality Rights, UK, added a yellow triangle with a purple circle on it, to the corner to represent the interests of the intersex community as part of Pride.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jun 16 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 |
The Union Ministry had also extended their aid and provided Rs. 1,500 to trans people across the country. To access this benefit, they had to register using their Aadhar cards and provide their bank accounts. But since registration was only possible in Hindi or English and Aadhar cards often had dead names of the person, while many others did not have their medical certificate, this was largely inaccessible and designed for failure. Moreover, not all who applied received the money either.
By Ankita Jun 9 2021 |
In this case of S. Sushama & another vs. Commissioner of Police & others, the Court said that social acceptance and sensitization is a crucial step to protecting the lives and dignity of queer folx and their relationships as well as communities.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Jun 7 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 |
I keep thinking of how many people have to mask their truth and pretend to be of a certain gender because it doesn’t fit into the conventional boxes prescribed by the world. And this is why people like Owen Hurcum are so important.
By Ankita May 19 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 |
Thus far, the London Patient and the Berlin Patient have given hope to researchers, clinicians and people with HIV that stem-cell transplants could be a potential method to eradicate HIV. Ravindra Kumar Gupta, Ph.D., - a professor at the University of Cambridge and a lead author on the case study of the research findings around the London Patient - is cautiously optimistic though, stating that such treatment should be a “last resort for patients with HIV who also have life-threatening hematological malignancies”.
By Sara Apr 9 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 establishment of the Gay Games (also referred to as the ‘Gay Olympics’) in 1982 was a response to decades of marginalisation of the LGBTQ+ community within sports. In an inspiring act of defiance and liberation, athlete Tom Wadell, who was gay himself, came up with the idea of the Gay Olympics that would be held every four years, similar to the modern Olympic Games.
By Raavya Bhattacharyya Apr 7 2021 |
Coupled with the recent case in the Delhi High Court that sought to dissolve a marriage that a lesbian woman was forced into, while giving her protection from any backlash from her family, this is a potential watershed moment for how queer folx are treated in the eyes of the law in the country.
By Tejaswi Subramanian Mar 31 2021 |
Taiwanese law made it clear that under Article 46 of Act Governing the Choice of Law in Civil Matters Involving Foreign Elements that the formation of a marriage is governed by the national law of each party. This means individuals of Taiwanese origin are free to wed each other but are not permitted to marry a foreign individual whose country does not recognise same-sex marriages – like India or Malaysia.
By Sara Mar 9 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 |
