Here's a link to a list of possibly relevant blogs. See especially Gay Rights Watch for Barack Obama's letter to the LGBT community in the US and also see a rejoinder to it. http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/blogs_lgbt.htm
Pam's House Blend is an award winning LGBT blog.
http://www.pamshouseblend.com/
Im looking for LGBT blogs relevant to South Asia/India. Can someone help?
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Dog meat and vodka kisses
His breath smelled strongly of vodka. Delicately, we kissed, with our lips sealed and then opening just a bit to allow the tip of the tongue to peek out and probe, or to share a namkeen peanut- mouth to mouth- in a conscious (for me) re-enactment of gratuitous kisses in gay pornography. His breath smelled strongly of vodka. Or was it vodka. He must have been drinking before we met. Whisky perhaps. He spoke in a broken, sing-song, sputtering manner, and each time, i asked him to repeat what he had said. Has my search for a fantasy twink ended here? The sing-song was perhaps the singer in him- he imitated Elvis quite competently. But how can I say, having hardly heard Elvis. Remember having seen him in a movie where he plays a megalomaniac star singer. Can't recall the name of the movie. Only the parted cherubic lips of rennaisance ignudi and shimmery sad eyes. The swaying hips and that 60s, heart-stopping swagger. But his breath did not smell of dog meat. Well, just like Elvis, dog meat was an unknown quantity for me or was it? Maybe it does not smell like anything at all- man's best friend and food, like the French soldiers in War and Peace who, unlike their farty bucolic Russian counterparts, left only traces of powdery delicate odour even days after having passed away. Must be the delicate and ambrosial French food, wonder the Pavlograd Hussars. He feared the dog meat here was not safe- stray, scorbutic, tick infested dogs. Back home, he fattened his own dog for the kill. Domesticated, clean. The dog only responded to food, not to training, not even his name, James. James knew his job only too well. Eat heartily and get ready for the altar. the kisses through the odourless dog meat and the reek of vodka breath were sweet...
Friday, February 22, 2008
Delhi Sexuality Reading Group
The purpose of this blog is to provide a virtual parallel to the SRG. While we will actually meet as a group, this forum may provide a venue for ongoing engagement. Or, maybe we post the initial seeds of conversation here and continue the more rigorous debates in actual meetings.
The pitfalls of this forum are obvious; not all may have access to it all the time; initial enthusiasm will give way to listless participation leading to eventual demise; etc. These are very valid concerns. I hope we will engage with these and find a way as we move ahead.
Like in the parallel actual group, let us first share some thoughts towards a 'manifesto' for the forum. Here I reproduce the note from Aryan, formulating some mechanics and objectives for the reading group, which will serve as a useful point of departure:
"Some of us have been feeling the need to get together and read and discuss material on sexuality for a while now. Chaitanya, Veronica, Aryan and Jaya met to discuss this possibility. We are putting down some ideas, which we could all meet and discuss. We felt that the group should not be too large so that the discussions can be intensive. The idea is not to be exclusive, but keeping the group small, at least at this initial stage, we felt was important."
...
Objective:
To understand and explore dimensions of sexuality as it relates to working on issues of sexuality.
Activities:
1. Each month a member will take responsibility for the study group and provide copies of the readings for the other participants the month prior. The member will prepare a list of discussion questions to facilitate reflection among group members. Every six months, we will select topics of interest and readings for the following six months.
2. Group norms: participants must read the readings if they are to attend the sessions; we will be rigourous and intensively engage with each others views, without being judgemental and aggressive.
3. In order to ensure that the group is of a manageable size so that everyone engages, there will be a maximum of 13 people. Guests and people outside of Delhi will be invited as per agreement of the group.
4. Participants will meet together on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, depending on travel and work schedules.
Themes:
Possible themes that will be covered, include: Queer Theory and Feminism; the idea of queer and the difference between identity politics and queer politics; the history of queer politics and the intersection with feminism, caste, race and religious constructions; trafficking and sex work; sexual empowerment (beyond pleasure); heteronormativity and the social construction of heterosexuality.
The above formulation can be taken almost as is, leaving aside the meeting frequency and participant limitation. But let us discuss. Maybe it is a good idea to limit participation to start with even in a virtual medium like this.
Also, do we want to make any emendations to the above objectives, activities, and themes?
For example, the objective of the group needs more elaboration:
"To understand and explore dimensions of sexuality as it relates to working on issues of sexuality."
What is it saying? Isn't it a tautology?
Please share your thoughts.
The next step would then be to identify the text and theme for the first discussion.
The pitfalls of this forum are obvious; not all may have access to it all the time; initial enthusiasm will give way to listless participation leading to eventual demise; etc. These are very valid concerns. I hope we will engage with these and find a way as we move ahead.
Like in the parallel actual group, let us first share some thoughts towards a 'manifesto' for the forum. Here I reproduce the note from Aryan, formulating some mechanics and objectives for the reading group, which will serve as a useful point of departure:
"Some of us have been feeling the need to get together and read and discuss material on sexuality for a while now. Chaitanya, Veronica, Aryan and Jaya met to discuss this possibility. We are putting down some ideas, which we could all meet and discuss. We felt that the group should not be too large so that the discussions can be intensive. The idea is not to be exclusive, but keeping the group small, at least at this initial stage, we felt was important."
...
Objective:
To understand and explore dimensions of sexuality as it relates to working on issues of sexuality.
Activities:
1. Each month a member will take responsibility for the study group and provide copies of the readings for the other participants the month prior. The member will prepare a list of discussion questions to facilitate reflection among group members. Every six months, we will select topics of interest and readings for the following six months.
2. Group norms: participants must read the readings if they are to attend the sessions; we will be rigourous and intensively engage with each others views, without being judgemental and aggressive.
3. In order to ensure that the group is of a manageable size so that everyone engages, there will be a maximum of 13 people. Guests and people outside of Delhi will be invited as per agreement of the group.
4. Participants will meet together on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, depending on travel and work schedules.
Themes:
Possible themes that will be covered, include: Queer Theory and Feminism; the idea of queer and the difference between identity politics and queer politics; the history of queer politics and the intersection with feminism, caste, race and religious constructions; trafficking and sex work; sexual empowerment (beyond pleasure); heteronormativity and the social construction of heterosexuality.
The above formulation can be taken almost as is, leaving aside the meeting frequency and participant limitation. But let us discuss. Maybe it is a good idea to limit participation to start with even in a virtual medium like this.
Also, do we want to make any emendations to the above objectives, activities, and themes?
For example, the objective of the group needs more elaboration:
"To understand and explore dimensions of sexuality as it relates to working on issues of sexuality."
What is it saying? Isn't it a tautology?
Please share your thoughts.
The next step would then be to identify the text and theme for the first discussion.
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