Hey Indian Men, Let’s Talk About Enthusiastic Consent
Posted inGender

Hey Indian Men, Let’s Talk About Enthusiastic Consent

Over the last weekend, a number of men who spoke the right language, were equipped with the right vocabulary to express the right kind of views on liberal issues were named as sexual harassers. None of these progressive men seemed to know about the concept of enthusiastic consent.
I’m Not Nirbhaya. Or Shakti. I’m Just Scared
Posted inGender

I’m Not Nirbhaya. Or Shakti. I’m Just Scared

Each time I find myself on a deserted road, my mind goes into overdrive. I think of objects I have that could be used as weapons such as the handle of my bag or the cord of my phone charger with which I could strangle a potential assailant. But that’s not just me. That’s every woman in India.
Why Has #MeToo Scared Every Man
Posted inPOV

Why Has #MeToo Scared Every Man

Instead of looking at the positives of the #MeToo movement, I actively tried to pinpoint its imperfections – by focussing on legal loopholes or that one woman who made a false accusation on Twitter. I started finding reasons to convince myself that there was something wrong with the movement. But why was I making excuses for sexual harassers?
How Do You Deal With a Breach of Consent When It Comes from a Same-Sex Friend?
Posted inGender

How Do You Deal With a Breach of Consent When It Comes from a Same-Sex Friend?

At some point during our undefined courtship, my friend’s attentions went from playful to predatory. I was touched in places I didn’t want to be touched. All the behaviour that would earn a male friend several swift kicks in the nads, possibly even a police complaint. But in the absence of a penis poking my anatomy, I didn’t know how to qualify my experiences as violations.