Sayoni

Sayoni is a Singapore-based organisation for queer, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual Asian women. It derives its identity from the ancient myth of Sayoni.

It was launched in 2006 with a weblog and a forum. Since then, it has organised events and activities such as those of Indignation. Sayoni also conducted the very first survey of queer women in Singapore in 2006.

Sayoni has a membership of over 1,000. Sayoni has also conducted research on queer females, through their regular "Surveys on queer women in Singapore".

Name

Sayoni is a queer-related term, especially pertaining to lesbianism. It is of mythological significance and in today's context, indicates that lesbianism was known and practiced thousands of years before the evolution of the modern queer identity.

Yoni is Sanskrit for vagina/womb/origin of life. The "sa" prefix denotes the joint existence of two yonis, hence Sayoni is an ancient name for the unique concept of the 'two revolving yonis' of Ushasa-naktam, a pair of cosmic twin goddesses mentioned in the Rig Veda. Separately, these deities are known as Ushas and Nakra, yet they are regarded as so deeply entertwined that even their yoni’s revolve around one another.

In her book Sakhiyani, author Giti Thadani gives this ancient myth a sexual interpretation, regarding it as a symbol of sexual play between women, and as mythical evidence that lesbianism was once accepted in Indian society.

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