Pune:
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."
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."
