We miss you Larry...

On May 13, 2008, the community lost retired Illinois State Rep. Larry McKeon when he passed away from a stroke (pictured above with State Reps Sara Feigenholtz and Julie Hamos.)

Today would have been Larry’s 64th birthday.

Occasionally, Larry’s birthday fell on the same day as the Chicago Pride Parade, and Larry joked that 500,000 people would come to his birthday party. In honor of Larry, sing along to “When I’m 64”, and take a look at the book of memorial letters from national and local political figures.

PDF of the memorial book

Flash of the memorial book

When I’m 64 via You Tube

Oh La Pequeña You're so Fine

Only Gay in the Village

I screen, you screen...

Exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun accounts for early signs of aging such as wrinkles and, more importantly, is responsible for skin cancer. The best way to protect yourself from harmful rays is to apply sunscreen EVERY DAY, and don't forget those areas that are often overlooked such as tops of feet and the tips of your ears...and remember to reapply to your hands after washing.

More "gets" here ... courtesy Howard Brown.

Everyday A Challenge - Relapse Common with Crystal

NYC's Christopher Murray reminds us that while our attention may have moved on...

"the truth is that meth, like crack cocaine, is still around and still wreaking havoc in the lives of gay men and others; it's just gone underground."

An excerpt from his article:

Gordon who relapsed last year after being two-and-a-half years off meth. "I was supposed to be a pillar of sobriety, advising people who just got clean. I was supposed to have it figured out. When I broke up with my boyfriend, I got so depressed, and then when I relapsed, I just couldn't face telling people it had happened. And so it kept happening. It was really a nightmare."

While Gordon has stopped again, the sense of fragility - that the specter of meth addition might raise its head at any time - plagues him daily. "It's never over with crystal," he said. "As long as it's out there somewhere, I need to be constantly vigilant."

While the intensity of the drug and its effect on the brain explains some of the frequency of relapse, it's likely that there are other contributory factors. Internalized homophobia may find expression in the power of the drug to silence all the self-lacerating chatter that goes on in the minds of gay men as they attempt to find love and connection in a world still freaked out by HIV and where standards for physical beauty and success can often seem unattainably high.

Crystal's sneaky specialty is that it puts gay men in a precious mental zone where they can be with themselves, with their own bodies and with other men and their bodies, without the often covert self-sabotaging thoughts that tell them they are too fat, too stupid, too something to be loved. The problem, of course, is the awful price that meth exacts for the few hours of unalloyed pleasure.

Read the entire piece here.

Click here for Chicago-specific info on crystal meth.

Newly Out Gay Man Overdoing It

"Mark, we've accepted that you like the dick, so just shut up and be gay already."


October 9, 2002
(this satirical item is an evergreen dearly beloved by LifeLube - from the Onion - and we reprint it here in honor or Gay Pride.)

PENSACOLA, FL—Calling his flamboyant air and effeminate mannerisms "a bit forced," friends of recently out-of-the-closet homosexual Mark Glynn, 23, say he's overdoing it.

"When Mark first told us he was gay, everybody was totally cool with it," longtime friend Rich Eddy said. "We figured he'd basically be the same old Mark, except he'd be dating guys. Boy, were we wrong."

Though Glynn's friends expected him to become comfortable and open with his sexuality, they did not expect him to go to such great lengths to proclaim his preference for men at every conceivable turn.

"We just figured he'd start saying stuff to us at bars like, 'Check out that cute guy's butt,'" Eddy said. "But he takes pains to telegraph his gayness 24 hours a day. Last night, a bunch of us were talking about what's going on with Bush and Iraq, when, out of nowhere, he says, 'You know what Bush needs? A good ass-fucking. That'd relax him.' It's like, 'Okay, Mark, we get it already—you're gay.'"

Continued Eddy: "It's like he's scared that if he doesn't wear hot pants and say 'You go, girl!' a lot, somebody might think he's straight."

Lydia Richter, another longtime friend of Glynn's, has also noticed the change.

"We can't have a conversation without him mentioning some aspect of gay culture," Richter said. "No matter what it is—art, comedy, movies, restaurants, philosophy—he goes off on how it affects him as a gay man. Mark, we've accepted that you like the dick, so just shut up and be gay already."

Even Andrew Storch, a gay coworker of Glynn's who recently went on several dates with him, said Glynn is "laying on the gay a little heavy."

"After Mark came out, he said he'd been attracted to me for a long time," Storch said. "We went out a few times, but he constantly acted like he had something to prove. Everywhere he went, he was mincing around like RuPaul at Wigstock. And, Lord, you should have seen the shoes he was wearing on our second date. I realize he's excited about being out of the closet, but you don't have to make up for those lost years of gayness all at once."

Added Storch: "I hope I wasn't like that when I came out."

Of all the aspects of Glynn's life, friends say his wardrobe has undergone the most drastic change. Instead of wearing khakis and understated dress shirts, Glynn now opts for brightly patterned sleeveless T-shirts and tight short-shorts.

"Two weeks after he came out, he showed up at a party in little pink biker shorts and an open button-down shirt with nothing on underneath," Eddy said. "This is a guy who once said wearing blue jeans made him feel 'weird.' Now, he says he's saving up to buy a whole leather get-up with harnesses and metal studs. I don't know where he got the idea that real gay people actually wear that stuff in their daily lives."

Glynn has adopted a number of other stereotypically gay affectations, including finger-snapping, a "swishy" walk, and calling everyone "sweetie" or "girlfriend."

"I guess he's picking it up from some of the gay guys he meets when he goes out, but it's just not him," Storch said. "A few times, I've actually caught him doing the limp-wrist thing. All that's missing is the lisp."

Even Glynn's drinking habits have taken on a gay tone.

"Mark used to be a single-malt scotch drinker," Eddy said. "Now it's Cosmos or Mai Tais. I didn't realize that liking men altered your taste buds."

According to Dirk Yunger, author of You're Here, You're Queer, Get Used To It: The New Millennium Guide To Coming Out Of The Closet, it is common for "late bloomers" like Glynn to over-embrace homosexuality.

"Mark has been hiding his true sexuality for so long, he can't help but want to shout it out to the world," Yunger said. "His friends should give him time to figure out how his newfound sexual openness will fit into his larger persona. Eventually, he will level out and become more like the Mark they used to know. In the meantime, his friends will have to endure a lot of annoying conversations about 14-inch dildos and what he'd like to do to Rupert Everett. Christ, I don't envy them."

Bum fun - the bare arsed facts

Check out this wonderful mag from the UK called FS - The Fit and Sexy Gay Mag. How we love it!

The Summer 2008 issue has a ton of great stuff, including tips on getting the most out of your summer vacation as well as "bum fun" which starts off like this...

You may think you know your arse from your elbow, but there’s a whole lot more to your peachy posterior than you might think!

It’s tricky getting to know your arse; it’s not something you look at every day and giving it a thorough investigation is sure to end in cramp. But whether you’re a top, bottom or flip both ways, there are a few essential facts that you should know to keep you and your partners safe and healthy.

Read the rest beginning on page 16 of the mag.

Gay Sex Not So Bad--Or So Important, Bishop Tells Anglicans

"Human sexuality is not going anywhere."

Canada’s highest Anglican Church official is scheduled to deliver an address in Vancouver to invite Anglicans fretting over the private lives of gay fellow believers to get their minds out of other people’s bedrooms.

Moreover, Canadian Primate Archbishop Fred Hiltz invites Anglicans worried about sexual matters to quite spending inordinate amounts of time and energy on the matter of consenting adults in a stable and loving relationship communing with one another erotically, and shift some of that concern to worldwide sex trafficking and the young people that it victimizes, reported The Vancouver Sun in a June 24 article.

Archbishop Hiltz is scheduled to address the faithful at Vancouver’s Christ Church Cathedral on the evening of June 24, with a homily titled It’s Not All About Sex.

Read the rest here.

Friday is for Faeries

Send LifeLube your faerie pix!

Shirtless Liberation

Trouble Within - by bstewart23

Sometimes I think we’re our own worst enemies. By “we” I mean homos and by “worst enemies” I mean “happy Pride Week, jerkasses.”

So it’s like this. Leven and I often talk on the phone about the liberating experience of peeling off your shirt in environments which have, traditionally, been entirely appropriate for the partial or almost-full disrobing of the body. If I hear one more lesbian bitching about the tits on display during this Saturday’s Dyke March, I may become seriously cross. If I hear one more gay man sniffing haughtily about shirtless guys at our men’s drinking and dancing establishments, I may accidentally start spilling my beverages.

Read the rest from bstewart23 writing on This. That. No Other. And many thanks to Knucklecrack for putting this on our radar.

National Gay Men's Health Summit - Registration Open

Will we see you in Seattle?

Registration is now open for the 2008 National Gay Men’s Health Summit in Seattle, taking place October 17-21. Registration costs $150, and covers your participation in all five days of workshops. Plus, if you register before September 1, you'll receive 10% off!!

Click here to register, to book your hotel, and to book your travel! Special rates from the host hotel and American Airlines.

Get Your Pride On

PRIDE CELEBRATION

Center on Halsted

Friday, June 27 ~ 5:30pm to 9:30pm ~ Music by Ron G


The celebration continues across the street at Circuit, 10pm.


[Click here to purchase tickets online.]

"You're too hot to be out of action"

In Chicago, there's an easy way to tell your sex partners you have an STD. Send them a free inSPOT e-card, ANONYMOUSLY or from your email address. While it is always best to tell your partners yourself about a potential exposure to an STD, we definitely know it is not always easy or possible - so this system is a great way to make sure you are doing all you can to protect the health of all your gentleman callers. Other US cities with this service include

• San Francisco
• DC (Metro Area)
• Los Angeles
• New York City
• Philadelphia
• Portland
• San Diego
• Seattle

No information will be reported to any government or private agency. Click here to learn more.

Q: What are ways to reduce my risk for HIV/STDs?

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Call to action to fight homophobic violence and bigoted policies

Overlapping Epidemics, Innovative Interventions: How Do Psychosocial "Syndemics" Drive HIV Among Gay Men - And What Can We Do About It?

CHAMP teleconference on "Syndemics" spurs call to action to fight homophobic violence and bigoted policies as drivers of overlapping epidemics in gay men

Researchers and community activists urge government and providers to:

- confront pervasive violence in the lives of adolescent LGBT people;

- provide comprehensive programs that do not fragment services needed by those in the heart of syndemics;

- and commit to addressing disproportionate rates of HIV in gay men, including African American gay men who have the highest rates despite equal or lower rates of "risky behavior".

Call Recording and Presentations Now Available

Download call recording and presentations here:
mp3 file • Ron Stall: slides • Jim Pickett: slides

Link to the recording and presentations on the Prevention Justice blog.

Over 100 participants joined a CHAMP community teleconference on June 24 to discuss a theory of "syndemics" that suggests how inter-connected epidemics of psychosocial health issues drive HIV among gay men.

The call offered compelling data showing how psychological and social health conditions - particularly violence and marginalization - contribute to the HIV epidemic among gay men and presented groundbreaking models for countering these epidemics by standing up for gay lives and fostering stronger communities.

Dr. Ron Stall of the University of Pittsburgh introduced the syndemics approach to HIV prevention among gay men. He showed how high levels of substance abuse, partner violence, childhood sexual abuse and depression among gay men drastically increases gay men's susceptibility to HIV. He called out for an end to attacks from the religious right that cite troubling statistics on gay men's health, explaining that they are blaming the victims of the very violence and bias that has been sanctioned by their bigotry.

Jim Pickett of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago presented programs -- Project CRYSP, Lifelube, and the 2008 National Gay Men's Health Summit -- that depart from traditional models of individual interventions or efforts that focus on just one area of gay men's lives -- to confront the conditions that feed the syndemic and increase vulnerability to HIV, while building resilience and resourcefulness in gay communities.

Call moderator Mark McLaurin of CHAMP urged researchers to address how syndemics theory could explain the higher and disproportionate rates of HIV in American gay men compared to all gay men - despite the fact that surveillance data do not reveal higher rates of risk behaviors among Black gay men compared to white gay men.

Presenter's slides and the full recording of the call are available here.

BearForce1 - Shake That Thing

Woof Wednesday

Gay/Bi/Trans Men’s Health – What Next?

[LifeLube has been asking folks around the country to weigh in on what a 2009 Gay Men's Health Agenda would look like. Click here to read some of the ideas that have been circulated. Stewart's piece below is the latest entry into the conversation. Please feel free to comment here on his post - share your own ideas, or spout off on whether you agree or disagree with him - or, you could send in a full post of your own here. We will be happy to publish it!]

Stewart Landers asks,
"Gay/Bi/Trans Men’s Health -
What Next?"

The development of a clear, communal voice for the gay men’s health movement continues to be our single greatest challenge.

Now that we are two years into the post-Eric Rofes period of the gay men’s health movement, it is a good time think about what we know, what we need to know and how we can continue the only grassroots movement dedicated to thinking about, working for and advancing our collective health.

The development of a clear, communal voice for the gay men’s health movement continues to be our single greatest challenge. There is no voice in this country speaking on behalf of gay men’s health. However, this is not the same thing as a lack of leadership. In fact, due to Eric’s work and the work of many movement activists, there many leaders in gay men’s health around the country including researchers, activists, executive directors, public health practitioners, trainers, and writers working in this area. Yet, there isn’t a consistent voice or source for information when the media seek a response to the latest “gay men are spreading such-and-such now” report. I propose that the gay men’s health summit leadership bite the bullet and form the National Gay Men’s Health Collaborative, find some grant money, have a high-end designer create some snazzy letterhead and establish a formal national presence.

Eric resisted this, arguing that creating a formal institution would, inevitably, replace grassroots, de-centralized thinking, organizing and decision-making with centralized, top-down thinking focused more on the needs of an organization rather than the health of gay men. Also, organizations inherently tend to be more conservative and he may have been concerned that sex-positive messages and thinking that was inclusive of the S&M, Nudist, Bear, Kink and communities would be stifled.

In the absence of a clear voice, we often have no voice or the voices of contrarians or conservatives, who the media love to haul out to show not all gays (or black or latinos) are liberals (1)

What is the agenda for such a group or for the movement generally besides just having such a voice?

Well, it would be shortcutting a true grassroots process to suggest any agenda as the agenda, but in the spirit of making each of our voices heard, here are some ideas:

- We need more documentation and understanding of how naturally-occurring activities provide resiliency and support to the gay/bi/trans male communities. This includes everything from Gay Men’s Choruses to Men’s Naked Yoga to Bear Circuit Parties.

- There should be a coordinated effort to study resiliency factors for gay/bi/trans men across the lifespan. In other words, what supports at the individual, family, community and society level help gay/bi/trans men lead healthy lives from birth through old age? What are our “families of choice” and how are they evolving? These may include “traditional” networks of friends or the more recent movement to parent through adoption, alternative insemination, and use of surrogates.

- More research, policies and programs that address the needs of bisexual men, as well as “men who have sex with men” (MSM) and “men who have sex with men and women” (MSMW) who don’t identify as gay or bisexual. As more population- based data become available, we are learning that of men who have sex with men somewhat less than half identify as gay. Thus, it is likely that a majority of men who have sex with men have a sexual orientation identity other than gay or no “sexual orientation identity” at all. What are the health issues of these men? How do their family supports and structures differ from gay men?

- And let’s talk about microbicides, microbicides, microbicides, non-occupational PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), and microbicides. Did I mention microbicides? We need a range of non-behavioral prevention strategies to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. Traditional prevention remains important, especially for younger men who are likely to and able to make a lifelong commitment to safe sex (probably at least half of us, if not more.) However, for the sluts (2), we need something that will stop infection even when engaging in unprotected intercourse. It’s that simple.

- We need a broad, inclusive and non-homophobic system of substance abuse treatment across the United States. Every community and population group in the U.S. needs this. However, data continue to indicate higher rates of substance abuse among gay and bisexual men compared to their straight counterparts. Of course, we need to work “upstream” to address the homophobia that pervades society to reduce the conditions that lead to substance use. However, we also need treatment systems that are adequate to the task of supporting gay/bi/trans men through the recovery process. These treatment systems may help reduce transmission of HIV as well. However, we can’t depend on HIV resources to fully address the “syndemics” of HIV and substance abuse (along with depression and anxiety.) Each of these need to be addressed separately and in coordination if we are to provide effective, holistic help to people in need.

- While we’re at it, let’s build the international movement for gay/bi/trans men’s health. Working internationally is complicated, exhausting and potentially dangerous. However, it is urgent to bring our best thinking and whatever resources that are available to bear on supporting and learning from our gay/bi/trans men live across the globe.

I’ve not specifically mentioned the area of research on health disparities, a part of my own work the past several years. Having accurate, population-based, up-to-date information about disparities between gay/bisexual/trans their straight counterparts, is needed to properly develop and deliver public health interventions in areas as diverse as obesity, health aging, cancer prevention, oral health, etc. Further, the same is true for differences based on racial and ethnic disparities among gay, bisexual and trans men.

While work in these areas has begun, we can’t be complacent in assuming they will continue or that there are adequate resources to do the job right.

However, I’ve chosen to emphasize a few areas of critical need that are primarily assets-based approaches to help us prevent disease and build health, rather than measuring and treating illness. I suspect these ideas could keep us busy for a few decades at least. I look forward to hearing the ideas of others and working on them collaboratively with all of you.

Stay healthy!

Stewart

Stewart Landers is a public health researcher and administrator as well as a committed advocate for LGBT health. You can read more of his blogs at the Landers Health Report

(1) Eric always encouraged activists to read, absorb and debate ideas when formulating actions. In that spirit, I recommend Derrick Bell’s “Faces At The Bottom Of The Well” for a series of essays on how a progressive black message and agenda is marginalized by mainstream society.
(2) Just kidding! As a long-term HIV positive man who became infected when there was some uncertainty about transmission (though condoms were already being encouraged, informally), I appreciate that not all poz guys are sluts. Just the ones that I know. Just kidding!

How current is your HIV status?

Do you remember the last time you were tested for HIV?

National HIV Testing Day is June 27 - and a great time to get that status updated if it has been more than 6 months since your last test.

This Friday, the Center on Halsted is offering free rapid HIV testing - and an interesting half-day health and wellness program as well.

Space is limited, and you need to RSVP for this free event. Please visit the Center's website now to RSVP.

Click to enlarge the images below and see the details.

Delhi's First Time

[LifeLube shares this notice from the organizers of the first-ever Queer Pride in New Delhi, India. Much love to Queer Delhi!]

Delhi Queer Pride '08

This June, for the first time, Queer Pride celebrations will erupt on the streets of Delhi, alongside simultaneous marches in Kolkata and Bangalore!

Queer Pride is a celebration. It is about loving who we are, whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, hijra or straight, and affirming everyone's right to be respected for their own sexual choices.This year, queer people, friends, and allies take this message to the streets!

5:30pm Regal Cinema, CP this coming Sunday, June 29th

We'll gather at Regal Cinema on the CP Outer Circle, then parade our pride along the Inner Circle, through Central Park, down Janpath and right to Jantar Mantar, where we will have celebrating, singing, speeches and a candlelight vigil.

**If you want to be out on the street and yet under cover, we will provide masks to cover your face, or bring something along yourself. Nevertheless, please remember this is a public event.**

Two Queens, One Cup

Connie Lingua and Miranda Rights performing THEIR version of Two Girls one Cup and the NextFest Niteclub's SMUT Cabaret, June 13, 2008, Edmonton AB at the ARTery.

Mary's Leg...of Lamb, and more tranny vittles for you and yours

Cooking doesn't have to be a drag, hons!

Two words: drag cookbook.

Local author Stephen Bieniek loves to cook and he loves drag queens, so he fused the two together and came up with “Cooking Doesn’t Have To Be A Drag,” a cookbook full of recipes from dragazons across country. It contains simple and flavorful recipes, from Frida Lay’s corn pudding (mmmmm, corn) to Veronica Fake’s Chocolate Choker (sounds dangerously delish.)

And the yummiest is that it’s a cookbook on a mission: Proceeds from its sale benefit the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the Midwest's largest source of private philanthropic support for HIV/AIDS prevention and care.

Memories That Matter

Terry Oldes reviews "Rock Bottom" a documentary on crystal meth and gay men by Jay Corcoran

[Terry is the author of "Dancing with Tina"]

Films about meth, books about meth, news articles, whatever...at times they can really get to a person who was once there. Sort of like Tina Turner when she commented about her own movie, "Why would I want to see it?....I lived it."

But... it's a necessary part of recovery since reliving the past can wake me up again and again to what I need to stay away from. I was there, I lived it, I've moved on....BUT..... I have to go back occasionally in my mind via writing, movies, the news... simply because if I don't, there is the danger of forgetting and making those same mistakes again.

Jay Corcoran, the director of "Rock Bottom", has done a necessary service to the gay community with this film, which details the meth abuse of seven gay men in New York City over a period of two years. Harsh to some, terrifying to others, REALITY to many I've known...the film captures moments I'm surprised Jay actually got on film. When I was doing the drugs I said many of the same things these men did, but I would never have stated them so honestly to an outside documentary film maker! He must be either incredibly easy to relate to or the subjects have some type of emotional exhibitionism. Perhaps they just needed to talk to an outsider honestly in order to wrap their heads around what they were doing? They seem to be just as honest while sober as when high, so I couldn't chalk those moments up to the "Chatty Kathy" Syndrome most meth users exhibit.

Although Jay said his film was not accepted for the Reeling: Chicago Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, I can't figure out why because it is certainly worthy of it. Maybe folks are still too scared to face the realities of meth onscreen, but I find that hard to believe, in this modern day age of reality tv and sensationalism. The film was finished two years ago, yet it just now got a premiere showing in Chicago on June 19th at the Center on Halsted? There is something very wrong with that scenario and I hope Jay can get more publicity and coverage since the film deserves it.

Much like the film "Meth", Jay's movie consists of on-camera interviews with users, sometimes high, sometimes not, but always with emotional candor. There is not as much "on-screen" drug use as in "Meth", but in many ways "Rock Bottom" is actually darker and more realistic, to me. Both films have a place in our community, but Jay's film hit me harder than the first one, perhaps it is just due to the space I am in now compared to when I saw the other.

There is so much pussy-footing around regarding meth nowadays. Some people glamorize it, some think it so dark they won't even talk about it. Everyone is going to have their own opinion on such a serious, political subject. I know, since I've had people claim my own memoir was "airing dirty linen" but any young kid who tries meth in a bathhouse or during an online hookup is going to eventually encounter these dark scenarios. Some perhaps more than others, but it is a common truth. Looking the other way because of "morals" or "fear" is bullshit. "Rock Bottom" doesn't glamorize OR avoid the issues, it simply places them out there and allows the audience to make up their own minds.

Jay said some people have gotten on his case about the film, which is a realistic, non-judgmental series of interviews weeks or months apart. The truth is the truth, and if someone WON'T listen to how sex revolves around gay meth use, then they have no business even talking about the subject. Gay Meth abuse is two addictions wrapped around and feeding each other. In conversation Jay made no apologies for the content of his film or his take on it all.

Triggers, lies, death, wastage, barebacking, denial....these are all discussed in "Rock Bottom" and to a current or former user they are going to bring back memories. To a novice or an outsider, they may shock, but it isn't "shock" for "shock's sake", it's to educate.

Education is a key component, to me, in drug abuse activism. Stories such as those told in "Rock Bottom" are ones that need to be told. Jay gave these men a forum and I certainly think he's made a difference by doing so.

Yeah, I lived it, but "Rock Bottom" helped remind me of a place I do NOT want to go back to...and that's a good thing.

HEY, AINTCHU FORGETTIN' SUMTHIN?!

Friday is for Faeries

Are you ready for action?

Regular exercise not only improves your mood, but it can help combat chronic diseases and manage your weight. Need more reasons? Exercise promotes better sleep, strengthens your heart and lungs, and can put the spark back into your sex life! Best of all, it's fun! (Source: mayoclinic.com, Exercise: 7 Benefits of Regular Physical Activity; © 1998-2008 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved.)

Click here for more ways to get it goin... courtesy Howard Brown

Same-sex love in classical Indian literature

[Below is the talk given by Sheo S Rai on 16 August 2005, as part of IndigNation, Singapore's first gay and lesbian pride month.]

It is often said by ignorant and/or homophobic people that same-sex relationship and love is a Western import. The term “Western” itself is an anomaly as it assumes that the West is a monolithic entity; but that’s another issue.

In this essay, I will reveal that same-sex relationship and love is not an alien import but rather has existed in Indian society throughout the ages. That ironically, it was homophobia that was an import from the ‘West’ rather than homosexuality. Same-sex love has existed in Indian society and culture and this can be seen if one were to do a literature survey.

This essay will have three parts, each touching on the literature of era, each giving a sampling of the works of the particular era. You will notice that a lot of religious texts will be quoted as well as religious icons will be mentioned. The reason for this is that when one talks about Indian culture and literature, one cannot get away from the spiritual aspect. Indian society is deeply intertwined with it, be it with Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism or Sikhism.

Read the rest.