The last one month has been a wonderful journey and a busy one too. Gaylaxy has gone on to make its presence felt in the Indian Gay community. The effort was appreciated by all and sundry. I often receive mails enquiring about the office or NGO behind it. To put all these questions to rest, I would say, currently we don’t have any official space. We have just launched our website, and operate from the convenience of our room.
So, how did it all begin? Well, wasn’t it a long pending one? Yes, the 377 ruling led to hordes of articles on this topic nearly everyday in the newspapers and in all the various forums and communities, people kept exchanging links of any such report that would appear. It was surprising and frustrating that no one was specifically catering to the demand of the community, and Indian gay community had to keep scouring the net for such reports. The year 2009 did see the relaunch of Bombay Dost, and then Pink Pages was released, but none regular enough. That’s when I decided to start a new magazine.
With some experience gained through working in my college newsletter, I decided to put it in some good use and started working on the first issue. Talked to a few friends who supported and appreciated the idea. But, as it is, initiation is the most difficult task. It’s easier to keep a moving vehicle going, but takes a lot more to start one. So, the first jitters were experienced by me when I began writing the first article which was to be the cover story. Took me a whole day to figure out how to go about it and just start the article! Asked another friend to help out in the layout and design.
Had a lot of apprehensions when finally the issue was released. How would people respond to it? I had initially thought that if the response is not good enough, I would stop it after 3 months. But, the reach of the magazine has been far and wide,and the response has been stupendous. Many mailed me asking how can they be part of it. Well, you can always be a part by sending your articles, reporting any events happening in your area, and suggesting topics you think we should cover.
With more of my friends joining in, I can confidently say that Gaylaxy is here to stay and our own website is just proof of that. I would also like to thank all those people who have stepped forward to help. And of course, I am glad that I am no longer closeted and feel blessed to have such a supporting friend circle, because if they hadn’t supported me all along, you would never have been reading this.