Love in a Different Climate

Discusses how valid Western models of sexual identity are in the South Asian context, and how effective they might be in dealing with global issues of sexual health, HIV awareness and gender politics. Much of the text is based on interviews. Topics covered include: the wives who traditionally vacate the marital bed to accommodate their husbands' friends; "kotis" - "passive" male sex partners of men - many of whom will be married but see their relations with the "kotis" as fulfilling their destinies as males; the fundamentalist politicians who curse the Western influence of "gay liberation" and continue to justify the punishment of life imprisonment for homosexuality; and the activist groups who are working towards a clearer and more helpful understanding of contemporary issues.