Papers and summary

>> Condoms and Viagra: An exploration of processes and forces that shape notions of sexuality and policies, by Jayashree Ramakrishna

>>  Secret Publics and Subversive Erotics? Exploring Mobility and Sexuality with Kothis in Bombay/Mumbai, by Indira Maya Ganesh

>> Reflections on digital ICTs, Gender, and Sexuality in Asia, by Michael Tan

>> Summary and Commentary on Proceedings, by Rosalind Petchesky and Radhika Ramasubban

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Key Issues and Plan for the Asian Regional Dialogue

It was agreed that the broad focus of the Dialogue would be on the politics of sexuality: the political processes, actors and outcomes that have shaped sexuality and sexuality-related issues in the region. But this would go beyond being a descriptive/analytical exercise. The Dialogue would seek to identify ‘tipping points’ for policy interventions, and come up with recommendations for policy change.

Towards this end, the themes identified in the framing paper – the institutions and processes of state and religion, economic development and science, that play crucial roles in shaping sexuality and related issues in the region – would be used as conceptual tools to broadly guide the dialogue. The Dialogue itself would be structured around specific areas of sexuality, the examination of which in different sessions, could help shed light on the working of the above-mentioned institutions and processes in Asia. Such an exercise would serve two purposes. It would help identify issues that could become important in the near future in one of the fastest changing regions in the world, and thus concretize the “tipping points” for future action. Simultaneously, it would set the stage for weaving together the interplay and overlap among the macro institutions and processes in the region, thus enriching the conceptual tools themselves.

On the basis of this discussion, Task Force members proposed four themes for the Dialogue, with the summaries presented below.

• Theme 1: Negotiating Multiple Identities
• Theme 2: “Condom versus Viagra”
• Theme 3: Sexuality in the Tech-Era
• Theme 4: Migrant labor and sexual politics