Gulim Amirkhanova, a journalist and writer from Kazakhstan, appeared on the cover of a Guardian feature highlighting a global photo project about people and their sex toys.
My toys
The story profiles «My Toys,» a candid project by Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti that celebrates the devices and accessories people use in their erotic lives. Galimberti photographed individuals from around the world with their collections of sex toys, including Almaty-based writer Gulim.
«I don’t have a partner right now, so toys help me not to lose interest in sex,» Gulim said in an interview. «A close friend owns a sex shop and gave me my first one. I don’t use it any more, but keep it as a souvenir. At the moment, my favorite is the Womanizer; I call it the Porsche of vibrators.»
A taboo
Gulim emphasized that sex remains a taboo topic in Kazakhstan.
«When I published photos of myself in underwear on social media, several people said overweight women should be ashamed to show themselves,» she said. «I want to fight prejudices about overweight women. We are also beautiful, sexy, love sex and orgasms.»
More broadly, across Central Asia, open discussions about sexuality remain discouraged, and topics like sex and reproductive health are rarely addressed within families or online. This lack of awareness often contributes to abuse and misinformation. In Kazakhstan, during a May press briefing with Minister of Education Gani Beisembayev, a reporter asked whether it was time to introduce sex education in schools, given the persistent taboo in many families.
Beisembayev responded that parents bear primary responsibility for this aspect of upbringing. Notably, he avoided using the term «sex education» altogether, never saying it out loud.
