Raise your Voice

LEEZA MANGALDAS

Digital Content Creator

“Sexuality and sexual health in India remain taboo topics—even more so when it comes to women’s sexuality and pleasure. The prevailing attitude is that sex should only take place within the confines of a heterosexual, same-religion, same-caste marriage, solely with the intent to have children. Anything else is unacceptable. And because of the incredible amount of stigma attached to sex and sexuality, people are forced to lead double lives, with nowhere to turn to for guidance; their desires always laced with shame and fear. Also, sex in the mainstream media (movies, shows, news) tends to be presented as either deplorable or funny—it’s either the subject of moralising and policing, or the butt of jokes. In my early 20s, navigating my own sexuality, I found that there is such a lack of credible resources available to turn to for accurate, non-judgemental information about sex, sexuality, sexual health, the body, gender expectations, pleasure, or even just women’s experiences. So, I wanted to create a safe space for conversation.

I wanted to imagine an India where all sexual experiences are consensual, safe, and pleasurable. And I knew there had to be thousands of other young people out there who share this vision and are tired of being unable to express themselves without shame and judgement. Many women who might want to talk about a topic like sexuality can’t, for fear of consequences—often within their own homes. Luckily, my family completely shares my point of view and they are my biggest supporters. I realise what a massive privilege that is, and feel an even greater sense of responsibility to create a safe space for young people.

My call to action to women today is to understand that feminism isn’t just a hashtag…it has got to be much more than just phrases like ‘Be yourself’ and ‘Lean in’. We’ve got to go further than this sort of cutesy feminism that has been co-opted by capitalism to sell us ‘Empowering’ tote bags and coffee mugs. We’ve got to do the work to unlearn internalised misogyny and acknowledge the ways that gender-based oppression is linked to other forms of oppression such as caste, religion, race, and sexuality-based discrimination. And if we really want to smash patriarchy, we’ve got to take the men in