ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author argues that the definition of colloquial terms by advocacy groups and academics, online and in other publications, (over)simplifies diverse sexual identities and that the very act of such simplifying categorizations has transformed identity on the ground. Unlike Mohan and Satish, individuals with alternative sexualities who have access to the cyberworld find that the Internet has opened many spaces to pursue casual sex. A good deal of academic and international media focus on hijras in the 1990s drew the attention of transgender persons from Western countries seeking the community and kinship patterns that exist within the Indian hijra society. Furthermore, the limitations of vernacular linguistic expressions for the myriad of same-sex sexual practices and relationships, and the linguistic limitations of those practising them means that the new media, itself limited by strictures of language, is harnessed by those who speak for them.
