Thread by @parodevi

Why do I feel ‘pleasure positive’ is a more exciting idea than ‘sex positive’? A thread.

Pleasure reintegrates sex with everyday life – but it also goes beyond the fixed destination of sex to embrace a spectrum of desires. Those who find sex difficult, or uninteresting, still have a desire for and a right to pleasure

Everyone’s definition of pleasure is different – sex is part of pleasure, but so is affection, touch, food, work, leisure, dreaming, learning, thinking, art. For @gumnaam_musafir it's love, sex, food, loving your own image...

So #pleasurepolitics is inclusive, allows us to hold multiplicities, without being bogged down by binaries and baggage.

Pleasure, touch, kindness affection – and their link to our #mentalhealth – requires little explanation. A pleasure positive education – including a pleasure positive sexuality education–provides us with a dynamic agency to live a life that might work for us, not just for others.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about pleasure politics is that it is about imagination – new imaginations of every aspect of life and living. That's what makes it potentially transformative.

Have you ever wondered why there is so little #data on pleasure? If there were more data that took pleasure into account, how would it change the way we see ‘reality’, ourselves, each other, the world?

Speaking of data - did you know a study of 10 dating apps found they sold your data to as many as 135 third parties? Just sayin' #consent is about a lot more than technicalities and our bodies extend to the digital too.

When it comes to young people, why are we unable to think of their pleasure and desire and so keen to curb and control them?

What is the information we seek about young people and what would they like us instead, to know about them? What does it mean to be a young person in the age of social media?

Anyway what is it that we consider data? Are the questions young people are asking on helplines, in the DMs of @agentsofishq, on google, not data? And they are asking about pleasure, a lot say @RupsaMallik Vinay Chandran QulitAI

These ideas and many many more will be discussed at the Love Sex and Data conference organized by @agentsofishq and @theypfoundation from October 7-9. Have you registered? Are you writing about it? It is a landmark event,be a part of it, for your own joy and expansion!

If you want more than the cleverly narrow marketing and PR domain called “female pleasure” permits you to have, come to this conference. Just look at the schedule and tell me it’s not pleasure overload and thrilling abundance ALREADY!

There's more - we're not kanjoos when it comes to pleasure!

I am greedily excited about the panels and conversations I get to moderate: with Charu Gupta about the histories of pleasure and displeasure

I get to moderate a discussion with Maya Sharma, about the pleasure of stories and the politics of pleasurable stories drawing on her book Loving Women: Being Lesbian in Unpriviliged India.

With @glorious_gluten on histories of colonial criminalisation perpetuated in contemporary times

June Low from @goodsexed @rumlolarum from @TheOpenDosa and Neysara from @TransgenderIND will tell me what goes into creating a transformative digital space, beyond woke formats and absolutes

And then the conversation with @smudgal about art as a place of knowledge and music as data about experience and emotion.

Everyone’s favourite fake sex educator Dr. Lutchuke will be there so don’t miss Miss @awryaditi . Come on let's laugh together (and not just mock others)

There will be many panels – here are a few. The line up of people doing stunning, cutting-edge work is thrilling, truly!

Most tingly of all - Pleasure Pockets - short, provocative talks and performances on data sets and unexpected rishte with information. Here's a sampling of those featuring @gumnaam_musafir @Sapna_kedia @ShilpaMudbi and Saptarishi Mandal

So, have you signed up yet? It is free. It will be energizing. It will be a place to join dots, make connections, think pleasurably, learn and grow together. Here is the registration link. Come and be invigorated for 3 marvelous days.

Here's where you can sign up - lsdindia.com/register