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We give
sex
a
good
name
About us
Partners & Collabs
Sections
Sex-Ed Basics
Self-Help / Self-Love
Personal Stories
Our Erotic India
Family, Society and Philosophy
Sexual Etiquette and Consent
Relationships and Dating
Teaching Modules
Videos
Fun Stuff
#LGBTQ
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The Lesbian Postbox of New Delhi
How did lesbian women meet before the internet? Read the story of how queer women sent letters to a 1990s Indian lesbian collective to find friendship, community, and sexual identity – the analog way!
Dec 13, 2024
The Boy Who Stole Babur's Heart
Discovering a different side of the Mughal Emperor – bashful, poetic and queer
Oct 04, 2024
Inside the BOMgAY story with Riyad
How Riyad Wadia, of Wadia Movietone, captured the 1990s Bombay’s gay culture from an up-close-and-personal lens, skirting laws and moral police
Jun 28, 2024
The History of India’s First Protest Against Section 377
How Delhi-based ABVA started talking about the discrimination against the queer community and led India’s first protest against Section 377
Jun 19, 2024
Queer Kisses On Screen From 1958
India has shown queer intimacies on screen for decades. Here are a few snapshots
Jun 11, 2024
The Bullying I Faced In School, And How It Shaped What I Do Today
From the time I started speaking, I used feminine pronouns. And it made me the target of my classmates, teachers and even my father
May 20, 2024
LGBTQyun Nahi?
Under #LGBTQyunNahin, we're bringing you stories all across the satrangi aka LGBTQIA+ spectrum! But just in case some Agents are not sure what these letters mean, here's a quick #SundaySexEd guide to help you understand!
Jun 12, 2022
An 82-Year Old Lesbian Poet And Activist’s Advice For The Young And Queer
Suniti Namjoshi, who came out to her mother 57 years ago, shares life lessons ‘not because I’m wise, but because I care’.
May 17, 2023
Are There Desi Books About Queer Women In Indian Languages?
We're bring you recommendations of narratives that talk about women loving women in desi languages other than English. All curated for your reading pleasure!
Apr 28, 2023
I Thought It Was A Dream Date. But I Am Bipolar, So Was It Just A Dream?
This date wasn’t supposed to be a rebound, but still hit me in the face, and everywhere else
Dec 18, 2023
Chocolate: A Hindi Book On Homosexuality That Caused Much Debate In The 1920s
Written by Ugra, aka Pandey Bechan Sharma, the book was a a bestseller, but its critics were many too #HindiDiwas
Aug 14, 2023
Teachers Across India Share The AOI Material They Used And How Their Students Reacted To It!
#HappyTeachersDay
Sep 05, 2023
LGBTQyun Nahin!
Nov 24, 2022
Stars In My Eyes ft. Meena Kumari
6 people tell us why the Tragedy Queen mattered to them on her birthday!
Jan 07, 2022
Reckless In Love, Powerful In Sisterhood - Vijeta Kumar Interviews Asha Kowtal
Asha was General Secretary of All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) for eleven years
Jun 28, 2022
Ageing Through A Queer Eye - What is Queer Gerontology?
Can a queer lens change how we think about old age?
Mar 25, 2022
The Many Journeys of an Old-Fashioned Butch: An Interview With Dr. Shruti Chakravarty
Dr. Shruti Chakravarty talks to us about queerness, gender, labels, community and love.
Mar 22, 2022
“It’s simple, to live life emotions are very important so why should you suppress them?” Lesbian Love and Freedom Journeys with Maya Sharma
An interview with Maya Sharma
Mar 13, 2022
Ten Tashan-Filled Tales On Being Trans : AOI’s Reading List for Transgender Day of Visibility
Ten books on being trans in India!
Mar 31, 2021
A Prostitute and A Saviour: A Diary
A trans-person's journey through sex-work and back
Nov 17, 2020
It Was ‘Twilight’. I Woke Up Bisexual.
How one can stumble upon one's (bi)sexuality with the help of fiction / fan-fiction
Sep 23, 2020
Romantic Sensual Asexual - That’s Me
Can one be asexual and terribly romantic too?
Aug 24, 2020
The Adorable Boys Who Love ‘Papa Bear’
Who decided that desire is only for the young?
Aug 21, 2020
To All the Boys I Couldn't Love Before
What fleeting connections with many interesting men tell you about having the hots for none of them.
Aug 04, 2020
NON BINARY PEOPLE'S DAY - A PRIMER
Oct 21, 2020
S.W.A.G (Secretly We Are Gay) 2: Till We Meet Again
Revisiting an old lover with new realisations and self-admission.
Jul 23, 2020
You've Got Mail! Letters Between An Older and A Younger Lesbian - Plain Text Version
Jun 24, 2020
Secret Loves And Broken Hearts: A Comic
A comic about queer desire, love, and loss.
Jun 26, 2020
Satrangi Ladki, Atrangi Khiladi: A Comic About Shiela
The many romances and realities of this dashing woman!
Jun 28, 2020
Steamy Shayari Alert! #WhenWomenLoveWomen in 19th Century Awadh
Some seductive Chapti poems from India's past!
Jun 23, 2020
Pehle App! Online Dating Tips for Queer Ladies from Queer Ladies
Confused about how to begin? Here's some tips from our queer Agents!
Jun 19, 2020
You’ve Got Mail! Letters Between An Older and A Younger Lesbian
How much has changed for women who love women in urban India?
Jun 24, 2020
Shiela Ki Jawaani Ki Anokhi Kahaani
An excerpt from Maya Sharma's Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Unprivileged India
Jun 13, 2020
THE L WORD - KONJUM HISTORY, ZARA GEOGRAPHY, THODA POLITICS
The many variations, slangs and slurs for the word 'lesbian' across the world!
Jun 11, 2020
"So Many Women, But It's Her I Love"
An excerpt from Maya Sharma's Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Unprivileged India
Jun 07, 2020
S.W.A.G. Secretly We Are Gay
Two closeted gay men, who are married to women, fall in love with each other.
Mar 01, 2020
The (Secret) Porn That Turns Me On
Must our fantasies mirror our real-life sexual preferences?
Jan 27, 2020
Q Marks the Spot! A Queer Map of Mumbai
Put on your special Agent of Ishq glasses and see the real city, glittering all around you!
Jun 27, 2019
Remembering the Life of Sweet Maria Through Art
A unique monument to the murdered trans activist reminds us of her life as well as the violence that trans people face in India
Jun 19, 2019
8 Not-So-Straight Books for Young People You Won’t Want to Miss!
Here are some lovely works with queer, or gender-bendy, or non-normative narratives for young readers
Jun 18, 2019
Finding Queerness Everywhere
Time for a new Sexy Saturday Songs playlist, this time by Vikram Phukan!
Jun 15, 2019
More Than An Identity: How I Realised My Struggle Was With Being Sexual, Not Homosexual
My identity as a queer person became a bit of a shield from the world of love, the world of sex
Jun 11, 2019
The AOI List of Queer Support Resources Of All Kinds
Are you a queer person looking for back-up and wondering where to find it?
Jun 04, 2019
‘Queer’ Kya Hai?
Your favourite agents are here with another #SuperSaralExplainer!
Jun 04, 2019
Q se Qawwali, Q se Queer Quties
Time for another Sexy Saturday Songs playlist!
Jun 22, 2019
How Shru Stopped Hating Herself (With A Little Help From Her Dad)
From self-harm and shame, to learning to be your own hero!
Apr 18, 2019
Muh Bole Rishte - 6 People Describe Their Chosen Families
Society might say “Only family is forever”, but here are stories of 6 people forming their closest bonds, beyond blood.
Feb 20, 2019
Not Sure Why People Are Protesting the Trans Bill? Here's A Quick Guide
Many amendments have been made to the Bill since it was drafted, but activists say it is still discriminatory, mainly for the following reasons.
Dec 26, 2018
How I Grew Out of My Turbulent Teens
Life as a schoolgirl was about trying to fit in; to be seen and not seen; self-hate and self-harm. Talking about it to other people was the first step in a new direction
Jan 17, 2019
a historic day
A short poem for September 6, 2018
Sep 13, 2018
Homosexuality in India: Old or New?
Here’s what Sahapedia has to say about Indian tradition and the current arguments about homosexuality in India’s Supreme Court
Jul 25, 2018
'I Hope that My Art Replaces Judgement with Acceptance'
I express queerness through my art, then it exists with all the politics and the complexities that surround it, whether it’s social or it’s personal.
Jun 30, 2018
Inside the World of Puu – A Beautiful Comic about Love
Puu is a webcomic about Saboor and Jameel, two housemates in Chennai, and other people whose lives intersect with theirs.
Jun 26, 2018
Izhaar-e-Ishq: Queer Voices in Urdu Poetry
Studying the work of Urdu ghazal poets showed me that their approach to sexual desire is far more fluid than I had realised.
Jun 21, 2018
Let All the Stars Inside Me Shine/ What I See is Me
Photographs from public performances of queerness.
Jun 14, 2018
Isn't A Whatsapp Love Story A Real Love Story?
Could you fall crazily in love with someone you've never met IRL?
Jun 12, 2018
Seven Indian Films We’re Excited To Watch This Year At KASHISH Film Festival
Here are seven Indian films playing at KASHISH that we’re keen to watch this year
May 23, 2018
Being Equal, Being Queer Rozana
May 17, 2018
What Is It Like To Have Sex and Love With Both Men and Women
Sex with men and with women is actually very different but it’s difficult to articulate the difference in sensation.
Mar 22, 2018
What Intersex People Wished Everyone Knew About Them
Simple FAQ's to familiarize yourself with body beyond binaries.
Oct 26, 2017
WE MET ON GRINDR. NOW THE INTIMACY OF THE SEX WE HAD MAKES IT HARD FOR ME TO FORGET HIM
Some loves are sexual, where emotion, body and connection become powerfully joined in the intimacy of sex more than anything else. It is an intoxication, a nasha that’s hard to forget, because it runs deep.
Nov 08, 2017
A Thousand and One Stories of Coming Out
I learnt that people are always jockeying for power and invariably looking for that one thing to pick on you about. In my case, it is my sexual orientation
Sep 21, 2017
How Gujrati Porn Made Me Realise I Was Asexual
The way I was not feeling anything while watching porn, I did not feel any kind of attraction and sexual desire for anyone either.
Sep 14, 2017
I Came Out To My Mom And Now I Think She's Fomosexual
A mother's totally unexpected response to her daughter's coming out!
Aug 22, 2017
HOW NORMAL IS YOUR SEX DRIVE? (PROBABLY VERY NORMAL)
May 16, 2017
To All The (Straight) Men I've Loved Before
Let loose, this rise of the body and soul caused me to constantly fall in love with many a lissom lad
Feb 21, 2017
IT'S COMPLICATED! (BUT) A FULLY FABULOUS FEBRUARY ON AOI
Feb 08, 2017
Every Navratri Falguni Made Me Feel That Queer Is Ekdum Cool
A song of ishq for Falguni Pathak!
Oct 05, 2016
I CALL HER MOSAMBI
Sep 23, 2016
WHICH WAY DO WE SLICE IT?
A poem by Jaya Sharma
Sep 13, 2016
In A Gay Bar You Can See Forever
An Indian man at 31, in a gay bar for the first time, experiencing male erotic tenderness for the first time.
Aug 01, 2016
LOVE ALL: THE UNLIMITED WAYS OF PANSEXUALITY
Today is International Pansexuality Awareness and Visibility Day! Read the unlimited ways Love Pans out! #AOIQuickies
Jun 28, 2022
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