Legalizing Sex

Rezensionen / Stimmen

A thrilling read that imparts substantial wisdom about the perils and windfalls social movements experience when they approach the postcolonial state for rights and recognition. Lakkimsetti's engaging prose immerses readers in the gripping real-life dilemmas that Indian gender and sexual minority and sex worker rights activists have faced. Unlike other books that critique activists for falling into the predatory state's 'trap,' this book refreshingly suspends this antagonistic narrative in favor of one that foregrounds the complex strategic decisions that activists make. - Ashley Currier, author of Politicizing Sex in Contemporary Africa: Homophobia in Malawi A compelling, well-written, and insightful analytical narrative of the role of HIV/AIDS in shaping the landscape of sexual politics in India. By bringing together the often disparately understood constituencies of LGBTQ+ and sex workers, the book contributes to understanding the synergies as well as the differences between their political mobilizations. - Sharmila Rudrappa, author of Discounted Life: The Price of Global Surrogacy in India In Legalizing Sex, a deeply researched, theoretically sophisticated, and well written book, Chaitanya Lakkimsetti makes a compelling and complex argument about how a global epidemic like HIV/AIDS shifted the power relationship between sexual minorities and the state in India from juridical to biopower, enabling them to function as subjects and citizens. (Mobilization)