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A new publication about sex/sexuality in Pakistani society from a feminist and gender-inclusive perspective has entered the publishing world. Read Bitch contributor Sarah Seltzer's interview with Chay magazine founders Kyla Pasha and Sarah Suhail in the current issue of INTHEFRAY magazine, an online magazine focused on identity and community.

From the interview: 

How do you envision a magazine like this can change the public discourse in Pakistani communities? Does it come down to the fact that for women worldwide, the "personal is political"?

"Personal is political" informs a great deal of our approach here. We're both products of feminist education in one way or another. But more than that, we realized when the Shamail and Shahzina case happened [the transgender man and his wife who were imprisoned] that Pakistani don't have a way in which to talk about sex that is not derogatory, abusive, or silencing. Far from sex ed [sex education] in school or even the home, straight, young people aren't even comfortable talking about being in relationships.

The perils of that kind of silence are great. We're hoping that Chay will provide a platform on which people can talk about their experiences and concerns, and listen in to what others are saying.

And from Chay magazine's website:  

The letter CHAY is a beautiful thing. It speaks volumes. When you say someone is such a chay, what you want to say is "chootia" but you're just way too polite to do it. Chootia, of course, means cunty. Or cuntish. Of the cunt. It's a fun word.

Chay is also for chod, chadar aur char divari, chalaki, chodveen ka chaand, chhapparr phaarr ke, chungal, chaal chalan, charsada, champa, chambeli, chor, charsi, chup chaap, chaat, chonkna, chusna, chal oye, chummi and chandni chowk.

Chay is a good letter. Chay is our friend. We hope it can be your friend too.

Thanks to Bitch contributor (and INTHEFRAY editor emeritus) Laura Nathan for the heads up.