It’s not an open invitation

Regardless of liberal movements today, female sexuality is tyrannised, regulated, and repressed, writes Shilok Mukkati

As a non-cisgender woman, who was always told not to be a woman, I have worn my sexuality dynamically out there. The patriarchy or binary gender proposition did not condition my womanhood and sexuality. The abandoned, unseen and unheard womanhood of mine was wildly out there in a hide. I see my womanhood as a wild creature of a dark forest who learned to survive by the predators, especially men, for watching them for years. As we all know, regardless of liberal movements today, female sexuality is tyrannised, regulated, and repressed.

Women like me dwell in the battle with imperial social construction. The striking reality of this battle is, it doesn’t cease. You keep fighting to survive, and you end up being a better warrior every day. I say we are the top finest warriors against hegemonic masculinity. The everyday battle pushes us to be aggressively vocal about our existence. Mostly, we unconsciously wear our sexuality on our personality. Our unintended seduction is presumed to be an obscenity. The patriarchy might not have conditioned our womanhood; undeniably, it acts to be repressive.

Since the birth of patriarchy, men have been illusioned with their birth privileges and are taught to access anything they wish. In new millennia, heightened sexual individualism and liberalisation of multidimensional sex, gender and sexuality have conflicted with the dynamics of fundamentalist institutionalised men. Since the day I bled my womanhood, I have contradictorily encountered such men. They find us mysterious, something that they do not understand. The dynamic warrior personality of us is perceived to be a sexual invitation. In India, in the name of divination and other superstitions, our sexuality has been endlessly recast and reformulated. In the hierarchy of gender, we are marginalised in the least. And so, men pursued to dominate our sexuality.

Yes, with my sexual citizenship, I am vocal about my desires and pleasure. If it borders on sexual invitation, then I priorly demand “CONSENT.” When I deny and say no, it means “NO.” Nobody has the power to violate anyone for their narcissistic hedonism. The compulsory masculine behaviour and institutional heteronormativity are severely problematic for liberal coexistence. Do not project your gender and sexual privilege to be monolithic. In the wake of sexual subjectivities and equities, subordinating an individual’s sexual liberty is a transgression. You cannot trespass, not today!

(The author is a performer, poet & feminist activist who has left a mark with her art, poetry, LGBTQIA+ talks, and feminist ideologies. This column will share untold
stories of inclusivity & diversity.)