A Gender and Sexuality Magazine
An Imaginative Diary Entry Date: 22nd April 2015 Wednesday Dear Diary, Today I am going to share something new about my life. I watch pornography frequently and I do so by exploring different categories which are available on the website. Today I discovered that there is a Gay Porn category. It was…
I WANT TO COME HOME As I woke up today Thinking of taking my kids out to play My feet stopped on its own Because now I know the neighbourhood’s tone I wonder what’s the new joke in town Why does everyone frown? They say that the blessings I give to a…
BUBBLE OF PROGRESSIVENESS IN GLOBAL ATMOSPHERE A narrative byLucky, who was not just a transgender……. It was a start to a new phase of life. Like all other students, I was also excited to join college, meet new people coming from different parts of the world, and finally living a “hostel life”. But unfortunately, everything…
A short article on two men, lovers, walking hand-in-hand in public, and the thoughts running through their minds. About how making laws, doesn’t always change the minds of the people. It’s January, 2019 and we walk hand in hand in a crowded street in Kolkata. He’s late. And it’s time I make a choice….
“All times I have enjoyed Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea. I am become a name…” Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson Now is a time for celebration, the world looks to a supposedly reified ‘queer’…
This is a column recommending queer content of different types. Book: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller A grand, sweeping reimagination of Homer’s Illiad, The Song of Achilles comprises an intense gay relationship between beloved Greek hero Achilles and his close companion Patroclus. Madeline Miller takes implicitly queer happenings in Ancient Greece and makes…
September 6, 2018 will be remembered as a watershed day in history of LGBTQIA movements in India. On this day, the Supreme Court of India decriminalised consensual homosexual sex. A five-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court ruled that Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code violates the fundamental rights of the LGBTQIA citizens including…
Is the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 (HMA) amenable to a queer interpretation, that allows us to bring within its scope, marriage between two Hindus of the same sex? In the last issue of Maya, Sahil Bansal has argued that such a thing is possible, by showing how Hindu religious and cultural traditions have always accommodated…
Every year on spring, thousands of hijras from across the country gather in a celebration in Koovagam. It is one of the largest celebration of the hijra community held in Koovagam,a small hamlet located 30 kilometres away from the Villupuram disctrict in Tamilnadu. The ceremony takes place on a full moon day in Chittirai (the…
The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list of all bona fide Indian citizens. It was first prepared after the Census of 1951. In 1978, a by-election was conducted in Assam after the death of an MLA. During the election, observers noticed that the number of registered voters had grown dramatically. Thus a long-drawn…
The future of the LGBT community in Honk Kong has recently been provided with a huge boost ever since the judgment of W v. Registrar of Marriages [2013] HKCFA 39 has been delivered by the Court of Final Appeal on 13th May 2013. The Court of Final Appeal found that the decision given by the…
[This artwork was contributed under the pen name Moony.]
There are numerous criteria for judging a character which we come across in books, TV shows, movies and other popular media platforms. We look for characters who are relatable and memorable with adequate character development, yet none of these traits should seem forced. It must be genuine for us to appreciate it. However, when you…
A magnifying glass is also known as bi-convex lens which is a combination of two convex lenses. From an unusual distance, the image formed through the glasses appears inverted but at a distance close to eye, the image formed through it emerges larger than the usual size. Same concept applied to the society, when we…
The film Fandry, directed by Nagraj Manjule is a Marathi film surrounding the themes of repression, caste and sexuality. Several subversive and implicit themes in the film enrich this story of unrequited love from a lower-caste boy Jabya towards an upper-caste girl Shalu, in the Maharashtrain village of Akolner. The film relies heavily on symbolism…
The universe as a whole, is but an ocean of immortality, with various gems and priceless stones, floating in the cosmos defying gravity. Our planet amongst the crores, is another renowned yet claimed shore, which is a consortium, of creatures, dust, marine, magic, and more. But then came divide, to save the pseudo honour…
The queer movement in India has sparked nationwide debates all over the country. The battle against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code has been won, however the war against the heteronormative structure of the society still continues. The Hindu mythology is a proof that alternative sexual orientation did find a place in the society….
Homosexuality is no new ‘concept’ to India, however, it still remains a taboo, trapped behind the bars of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The draconian law, implemented by the colonial British government and embraced by the post-colonial India, still enjoys its perks of terrorizing, bullying, mistreating and discriminating against the LGBTQ+…