E-zine Expressway

Pune-based e-zine,The Queer Chronicle,is one of the longest-running monthly LGBT magazines in the country.

On the first of every month,a link to this e-zine gets delivered to inboxes of a private distribution list. We have never been late,except for one occasion when I was travelling out of the country, says Keith,editor of The Queer Chronicle (TQC). The e-zine presents ideas,articles and opinion columns from an LGBT point of view. Slick would be a good word to describe its contentfashion,lifestyle and travel,personal stories,parties and events,recipes and even some good photo spreads. Launched in September 2009,TQC is one of the longest-running monthly LGBT magazines in the country today in terms of the number of editions published.

TQCs survival is remarkable at a time when most LGBT magazines fade away. Keith was inspired by Bombay Dost,the first official LGBT magazine of India launched in 1990. By the end of 2010,the trend of queer magazines caught momentum and seven LGBT magazines were launched. But most just fell off,leaving the Pune-run TQC,the quarterly Pink Pages of Bengaluru and Delhi and,the once-in-two-months,Gaylaxy from Kolkata.

Many factors have ensured TQCs success,the most important being its conscious blurring of line between queer and straight readers preferences. Targeted predominantly at male readers,the content covers a wide range of topics from on obit piece on Amy Winehouse to movie reviews. The content is always so interesting and we never dumb down matter. TQC works with no preconceived notions, says Imran Ali Khan,a reader.

TQCs content model is its biggest wealth as it relies on freelance writers to voluntarily send articles. These writers have their own networks in their respective cities,which helps spread the word. We depend a lot on the community to promote the magazine, admits Keith. Mumbai and Delhi have a more evolved sense of community. We decided to start something in Pune because its metropolitan and cosmopolitan culture had a lot of potential, he adds.

Once a writer,Keith now focuses on editorial work. Being online has been an undisguised blessing. In the first month,we had about 30 readers,now we have a couple of thousand, says Keith. The magazine has also evolved in format and design,and is known for credibility. A published version of TQC may not be far off.

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