ndia’s first gay magazine is back on news stands for the first time in seven years amid hopes that taboos may finally be fading in a country where homosexuality remains illegal. Bombay Dost (Bombay Friends) is being relaunched after going out of print in 2002 when the then underground publication ran out of money. The English-language magazine’s publishers say that much has changed in India during the intervening years — even if a British colonial-era law banning sex “against the order of nature” remains firmly in place. “India’s gay community is still illegal, but it is more confident and happier than ever before,” Nitin Karani, the editor-at-large, said. “We’re not constantly beating our breasts over discrimination and marginalisation. The new magazine reflects that.” The original Bombay Dost was treated as contraband, Mr Karani said. Unavailable in bookstores, it was sold only by roadside vendors and often wrapped in plain brown paper. Inside, a typical article would give advice on how to set up an anonymous post box, to help gay men avoid being outed. By contrast, the new magazine is being carried by major bookstores and promises to be “bolder than ever” after holding a launch event attended by a smattering of Bollywood stars.
Even so, where its British equivalent, Attitude, features scores of pictures of near-naked models and celebrities and sells in the tens of thousands, Bombay Dost has only one shot of Mr Gay India in swimming trunks and an initial print run of 1,500. Most of the Indian glossy’s 56 pages are filled with lengthy book and art reviews, alongside features on gay rights issues both in India and overseas. The magazine, which cost 150 rupees (£2), will be published twice a year and has been promised funding by the United Nations Development Programme for the next three years. There are hopes that urban India is gradually becoming more tolerant.
The first Gay Pride march to be held in Delhi, the capital, took place last year – the largest event of its kind in the country. The recent Bollywood film Dostana was heralded as groundbreaking in its treatment of gay themes — even though its two male heroes were only pretending to be gay in order to try to charm a girl. Ashok Row Kavi, the founding editor of the original Bombay Dost, said: “Sure, Dostana was about a couple of fake gays, but there’s a scene where a mother accepts her son’s homosexuality, and for a mainstream Bollywood movie, that was a very big deal.” But tales of discrimination are still common. India’s laws against homosexually are seldom formally enforced, but are often used by the police and former lovers to blackmail or intimidate gay men, Mr Karani said.
Those campaigning against the current laws have also been targeted. Celina Jaitley, a former Miss India turned Bollywood actress, who is one of India’s highest-profile gay rights activists, received hate mail for supporting the relaunch of Bombay Dost. “We have to accept differences rather than be afraid of them,” she said.
JIAH: The Lesbians Online Magazine
So after the revival of gay magazine Bombay Dost, another gay-targeted magazine has entered the Indian market. This one is for queer women. Called Jiah, which means ‘heart’, it is an e-magazine operating out of Pune. Subscribers need to send an email after which the magazine will be sent to them. Says Editor Apphia K, “We were out with the first issue in January 2010. The second issue is due in April. I felt a void, since several publications were leaning towards gay men. Lesbians needed an avenue and a voice, so Jiah was born.” As she says in the editorial, “we did not have a medium to express ourselves. Change happens only when we initiate it.” The magazine’s cover woman, Lesley Esteves, made her sexuality public on TV almost 20 years ago. She tells her coming-out story with candour. Lesley says in the story that she appeared on TV when talk shows were a big deal. When she came out of the closet, a crowd from Mithibai College asked her questions like: “Do you watch blue films?” Apphia says, “The magazine is free for the first year, after which we plan to charge a subscription price.”
The editor believes the magazine will sustain through advertising, “I have seen a huge, huge change in just a few years. Queer-friendly businesses will not be wary of advertising in the product but want visibility here,” she says on a bullish note. “It would be rocking,” says the editor about the idea of launching a print version by 2011. “Even now, we have readers from everywhere, including Muslim countries. Some of these Islamic countries have blocked websites for gay literature. They have filters like China had for Google, but the readers can access the magazine because we e-mail it to them.”
www.bombaydost.co.in
