User:Krima J Shah/sandbox

In 1986
In India when first HIV/AIDS case started in somewhere in 1986, the panic stated moving fast in society, gay groups met in private parties, in hotel rooms and even in parks wondering what was there in store for them. Various opinions were there. A majority of them thought HIV/AIDS would never become a problem for them “it was mostly a disease that affected only poor people and hence, would not affect or infect us middle class gay men”. Some said we did not have the “kind of gay men who went to parties and had sex’. And some thought it was a “problem only for men who went to female prostitutes’. All this stated was just a guesswork because nobody knew about HIV/AIDS. There was no awareness about it as how it was transmitted to others. They did not know whether it was a general sexually transmitted disease or not?

By 1990
Main risk groups were gay men it was made clear by 1990. His hard competency was journalism and thought to start a gay newsletter. Their group was averse doing illegal things so went to Delhi to register it, the title as well as to grant permission to send publication through postal service. In 1990 when it was founded it was hidden in brown paper bags and were sold by sidewalk vendors. They were not able to find many advertisers who willing to buy a gay publication and the magazine were stopped in 2002. So, “BOMBAY DOST MAGAZINE” was started as India’s first registered and legal newsletters for readers who don’t even knew that gay existed. When first issue was composed the computer operator asked him what the hell the word homosexual meant. The fact was that he was one himself a gay. Suhail was facing problems while explaining as he was afraid of the consequences. The first issue did not publish anything like address of printing the magazine. Exactly 650 copies could be printed and would cost around Rs8 per copy.

In 2002
In this year it was consider that magazine should also be actively accessible digitally.