Category: Sexuality

The hidden penis: on censorship, the female gaze and the queer eye

Memory can sometimes be a strange beast. While thinking about this piece, I suddenly remembered an article that Cath Elliot wrote on the Bad Sex in Literature award two years ago under the title, Flaccid prose and the first comment the article provoked: flaccid is an unnecessary man-hating word to use in the title. I’m… Continue reading The hidden penis: on censorship, the female gaze and the queer eye

Film review: Diagnosing Difference

This review also appears on Bitch Magazine’s latest issue No. 45, codenamed Art/See. As an undergraduate in genetics, I learned about “abnormal gender” from medical texts, which taught me that the line between what was female and what was male was clear; anything in between was a chromosomal disorder and an aberration in nature. The… Continue reading Film review: Diagnosing Difference

Whose revolution? Critiquing Seyran Ates and her Islamic sexual revolution

The calls of lawyer, activist, and writer Seyran Ates for a sexual revolution in the heterogeneous Muslim world may surprise many, particularly when the movement is commonly associated with free love, hippies, and public nudity. In a recent interview with German magazine Spiegel, Ates begins with discussing what she means by this and her experiences… Continue reading Whose revolution? Critiquing Seyran Ates and her Islamic sexual revolution

Big Love: Appropriating feminism in advocating polygamy

Originally posted at Muslimah Media Watch Stories about polygamy tend to surge and ebb in the media, but they never fail to intrigue people. Recently in South Africa, a Zulu man married four women–all at once–making the most popular story on the BBC news website (you can watch the clip here). In the video, a… Continue reading Big Love: Appropriating feminism in advocating polygamy

Open thread: Sex education. Why are we so afraid?

When I was growing up, sex was everywhere in the household, except that the word ‘sex’ was never mentioned. Books about violent crimes against women were littered around the house and I read every one of them, thinking to some degree that I was reading – and learning – about sex. Living with a single… Continue reading Open thread: Sex education. Why are we so afraid?

Book cover of the day: The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III

Apparently, this is the author’s best work: “It’s difficult to love a woman whose vagina is a gateway to the world of the dead . . .” Book description: Steve falls madly in love with Stacy, but it isn’t until they move in together that he hears voices coming from Stacy’s southern junction. When a… Continue reading Book cover of the day: The Haunted Vagina by Carlton Mellick III

Seksualiti Merdeka: Coming to terms with the love that dares not speak its name

This was originally published over at Muslimah Media Watch last Monday, on the 31st of August – Malaysia’s national day, popularly known as ‘Merdeka Day’. Who would have thought that sexuality rights were being celebrated in the historical and cultural heart of the Malaysian capital two weeks ago? Malaysia, like anywhere else (Muslim-majority or not)… Continue reading Seksualiti Merdeka: Coming to terms with the love that dares not speak its name

Guest post: Asian fetishism is sexist and racist

The following is a guest post by regular commenter, Gareth: I am a white Englishman with an Asian girlfriend. I believe the so-called ‘Asian fetish’ is both racist and sexist, and here is why. Being a white, straight man gives me a ton load of privilege, and that privilege is systemic and global. I am… Continue reading Guest post: Asian fetishism is sexist and racist