Gender

The rising wave of violence against the LGBTQ+ community all over the world has made it even more essential to understand different gender identities. Non-binary people might experience discrimination in the workplace and violence and harassment simply because of their gender identity. Expressing yourself as a man or a woman, or none at all, is...

"People think mental health issues can be cured by yoga, meditation, or holidays. While these can help, they are not cures for serious conditions that require medical treatment. The main challenge is overcoming stigma: if physical pain demands medical attention, so should mental pain. Mental health requires acceptance, understanding that the brain, like any organ, can...

I still remember meeting him near a tattered tea stall in Kolkata. Young, shy-ish. The skin-folds falling on the denim edge near the hips, the mildly inflated cheeks, the rough curly hair, and the pretty-for-a-boy-coy smile instantly advertised him as the mama’s little squishy bub-bub. We spoke. Movies, books, black t-shirts, 3 more cups of...

A fortnightly column by Garima Behal on learning to ride the highs and lows of everyday life For the better part of this year, most of the conversations at home have been ending in my family emphasizing one undeniable, inescapable fact. I am slowly heading past what’s considered a ‘marriageable’ age in Indian society. I...

It was 2018. I had been in a steady relationship for two years. A school friendship that had grown into a relationship. In a casual conversation, I told him, "I don't think monogamy is the only way to be. If we can love two friends and parents can love two kids, why can't we love...