Out and Proud Classifieds

In September 2018, The Supreme Court of India decriminalised homosexuality. But it changed little for the LGBTQ community. An editorial choice by The Times of India led to the redesigning of its classifieds as the Times Out & Proud Classifieds – a free space where the community could come out, look for jobs, homes, life partners and make announcements. It was an inclusive platform that helped integrate the community into society, and helped position TOI as a modern, informed paper. Classifieds grew by an unprecedented 2.6% as every other media declined, generating 3.3 billion in earned media.