Citation

Miller J, Nichols A. Sexualities 2012; 15(5-6): 554-569.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1363460712446120

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study investigates the complex and contradictory ways in which gender identity, sexuality, and desire are configured in nachchi understandings of their lives in Sri Lanka. Nachchi was an insider term used by a group of sex workers best conceptualized using western understandings as both transgender and homosexual: nachchi celebrate their feminine gendered subjectivity, but also embrace key facets of their biological 'maleness,' and are ardent in their sexual desire for men. We examine the relationships between nachchi gender and sexual subjectivities, including how they compare and distinguish themselves from women and men. Particularly in the context of transactional sexual exchanges, we investigate the intersections of economics, desire, stigma and exploitation in shaping nachchi experiences.

Language: en