Within minutes of meeting Priya, the editor of the queer magazine The Gaysi Zine, she hands me a postcard-sized poster. Titled ‘Sita chooses’, the black-and-white poster is the sketch of a woman’s swayamvara, where she holds a garland while surrounded by a crowd of both men and women. The message is loud, clear and potent. “The postcard is by one of our most talented contributors,” she smiles.

Priya and Anuja, with a copy of the second issue of The Gaysi Zine and (below) the cover artwork of the upcoming issue. Pic/Bipin Kokate

The magazine’s roots can be traced back to the Gaysi blog, www.gaysifamily.com, which was started in 2008. An ‘experimental’ print magazine was launched in 2011 and the second issue, which was the ‘first commercial magazine’, was printed in 2013. Both issues were self-funded. This year, the small team managed to crowdfund their third issue, which Priya says will be out for sale at Rs 150, somewhere between October 15 and 20.