CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
A rare sex museum in Mumbai, India's teeming financial capital, is drawing hundreds of prostitutes and their regular clients who say they learn more about HIV/AIDS from its graphic exhibits than staid lectures on safe sex.
Antarang, which means "intimate" in Hindi, is a one-room exhibition of nude statues, models of the human anatomy, and illustrations near a well-known red light district in Mumbai. And it is India's only sex museum, according to its management.
Devoid of the glamour of sex museums of Amsterdam or New York City, Antarang greets a visitor with a "lingam," a Hindu phallic-shaped symbol worshipped as one of the representations of Lord Shiva, Kama Sutra verses, and wooden and plastic models showing the act of conception and child birth as well as descriptions of various sexual diseases.
"A sex museum is a better place to learn about sex and everything related to it," M.G. Vallecha, the chief of Antarang, entry to which is free, told Reuters.
The museum is run by the state government in an effort to combat HIV and AIDS in India. There are an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV, more than any other country, according to U.N. figures.
Experts say that number could quadruple by 2010 as many people are still reluctant to discuss safer sex openly.
Authorities all over India try various innovative ways, including street plays and "condom parties," to spread awareness about sexual diseases.
Mumbai is not only India's biggest and most cosmopolitan city but is also home to millions of migrants who leave their families in villages to search for jobs.
Antarang, whose floor tiles are painted to look like sperm, was opened in 2003. It became popular among prostitutes and some of their clients after health workers began taking them there.
"A major bulk of our thousands of visitors every year are sex workers and health volunteers," Vallecha said.
Some sex seekers also visit. In India, many prostitutes act as mistresses for one regular client who pays for her upkeep. They can often develop close relationships and sometimes visit the museum together, officials said.
"At first, sex workers coming to the museum are shy. But slowly they discover new things about something they thought they knew all about," said Manish Pawar, a health worker who has brought hundreds of prostitutes and their clients to the museum.
Many of the sex workers say the museum has changed their lives by teaching them about the need for safe sex.
"When they told us about AIDS, we didn't understand much, but now after visiting the museum it is much clearer to us," said Jyoti, a middle-aged prostitute who gave only one name.
"Now we tell clients, 'No condom--no sex.'"
Authorities said they have few ordinary tourists.
"The area where the museum is located is stigmatized, and even if [tourists] want to come, they don't because they don't want to be seen in a red light district," said Nirupa Borges, who helps run Antarang. "We have some school and college students, but we would like more members of mainstream society."
Authorities are planning to open another sex museum in a northern suburb, away from the red light district, to attract a wider audience.
"This museum is serving its purpose very well. We need more sex museums like this," Borges said. (Reuters)
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
18 of the most batsh*t things N.C. Republican governor candidate Mark Robinson has said
October 30 2024 11:06 AM
True
After 20 years, and after tonight, Obama will no longer be the Democrats' top star
August 20 2024 12:28 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Trump ally Laura Loomer goes after Lindsey Graham: ‘We all know you’re gay’
September 13 2024 2:28 PM
60 wild photos from Folsom Street East that prove New York City knows how to play
June 21 2024 12:25 PM
Melania Trump cashed six-figure check to speak to gay Republicans at Mar-a-Lago
August 16 2024 5:57 PM
Latest Stories
Former executive director of Black trans nonprofit charged with stealing nearly $100,000
October 30 2024 11:09 AM
Vers actor Brandon Kyle Goodman dishes on his spicy kinks & FAVE bedroom positions
October 30 2024 11:00 AM
Spooky and sexy: 60+ pics from Halloween New Orleans 2024
October 30 2024 10:50 AM
Two suspects arrested in connection to the murder and dismemberment of gay nightclub owner
October 30 2024 9:39 AM
Two Texas trans women were kidnapped and assaulted. Their accused attacker faces six felonies
October 29 2024 4:23 PM
Voting while transgender: Here’s what you need to know
October 29 2024 2:27 PM
A therapist's tips for coping with your 'valid' election season anxiety as an LGBTQ+ person
October 29 2024 2:16 PM
Lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin's Republican opponent attacks her partner in campaign ads
October 29 2024 2:09 PM
JD Vance really wants you to know he's 'not gay' while lying about transgender youth
October 29 2024 12:43 PM