India's First Openly Gay Prce Turned His Palace Into a Safe Haven for the LGBTQ+ Communy

Contents:

• PRI AND PREJUDICE: INDIAN ROYAL MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL ON BEG THE WORLD’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE
• INDIA’S FIRST GAY PRCE: PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHILIN THE LAST , PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL GOT MARRIED, GOT DIVORCED, ME OUT OF THE CLOSET, AND TALKED TO OPRAH WEY—AND NOW, HE'S SPREADG AWARENS ABOUT A SPREADG HIV CRISIS INDIA.ROJA HEYDARPOURUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 5:46PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 21, 2011 3:58AM EDT PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL PREPAR FOR AIDES GALA DNER ON NOVEMBER 27, 2010 PARIS, FRANCE. (PASL LE SEGRETA / AIDES & LK / GETTY IMAG)PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE INDIA, TOOK TO A MAKHIFT STAGE A SWANKY INDIAN RTRANT NEW YORK LAST WEEK. CLUTCHG THE MICROPHONE WH TWO HANDS, HE ULD HARDLY BE HEARD OVER THE D OF GUTS ON THEIR FOURTH ROUND OF EE ABSOLUT.“AS WE SAY INDIA, NAMASTE,” HE SED.“YEEAAA! NAMAS-TAY,” SCREAMED A WOMAN, SWAYG OM SI TO SI. THE SOFT-SPOKEN PRCE OF RAIPLA TOOK ALL STRI, SEEMG TO ENJOY HIMSELF—AND EVEN VG EVERYONE THE ROOM TO HIS PK PALACE. “IT IS LIKE A STRAWBERRY SHORTKE WH ICG. AND YOU ARE ALL WELE. I MEAN . YOU N E SEE ROYALTY.” THE CROWD HAD GATHERED TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE PRCE’S CHARY, THE LAKSHYA TST, AN ANIZATN FOUND BY FIVE MEN RAL INDIA DITED TO RAISG AWARENS OF HIV/AIDS. THE DISEASE IS SPREADG QUICKLY INDIA—2.4 LN PEOPLE ARE LIVG WH HIV THERE, ACRDG TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATN. THE GUTS—MOSTLY INDIAN, GAY, OR GAY INDIANS—MGLED NERVOLY AT AS THE EVENG BEGAN. A PROTOL SHEET ON HOW TO TREAT A PRCE WAS PASSED AROUND.“ONE SHOULD WA FOR THE PRCE TO EXTEND HIS HAND, BEFORE YOU GO TO SHAKE .”“DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON HIM AS HE MOV ON.”BY THE END OF THE NIGHT, GUTS WERE JOKG EELY ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD TREAT THE PRCE.SEQUTERED A DIMLY L RNER THE BACK, THE PRCE SAW PEOPLE 10-MUTE TERVALS, EELY DISCSG HIS SEXUALY AND THE AIDS CRISIS INDIA.“I AM STILL SGLE AND NEED TO MGLE.”“IN INDIA, HIV HAS BEEN A BLSG DISGUISE,” HE SAID. “HIV GAVE A PLATFORM TO EMPOWER OURSELV. A LOT OF MY IENDS ARE GETTG FECTED.”GOHIL, 45, FIRST ME OUT TO HIS FAY 2002, AFTER A NERVO BREAKDOWN. HE ULDN’T HI HIS SEXUALY ANYMORE AT THAT POT. HE HAD BEEN MARRIED TO A WOMAN 1991, BUT ONLY A YEAR LATER, WHOUT EVER HAVG NSUMMATED THE MARRIAGE, HE GOT A DIVORCE. HE STILL LIV WH THE GUILT OF HURTG HIS WIFE. BY 2006, HE OFFICIALLY ME OUT WHEN HE GAVE AN TERVIEW TO A LOL PAPER. RELATNS WH HIS FAY BEME STRAED, AND HAVE YET TO BE FULLY REPAIRED. SCE THEN, HE HAS TAKEN HIS STORY ALL OVER THE WORLD, EVEN APPEARG ON OPRAH TWICE.BUT JT LAST WEEK, AS GOHIL ARRIVED NEW YORK TO RAISE AWARENS, AND DISCS HOW DIFFICULT AND TABOO HOMOSEXUALY IS INDIA, TWO AMERINS THE PUBLIC EYE ED A STIR WHEN THEY ME OUT. FIRST THERE WAS THE PRINT OF THE PHOENIX SUNS, WHO ME OUT AN TERVIEW WH THE NEW YORK TIM. THEN, DON LEMON, THE CNN ANCHOR, TOLD THE WORLD HE WAS GAY ON TWTER.THE PRCE DIDN’T SEEM TOO SURPRISED THAT HOMOSEXUALY WAS STILL SOMEWHAT OF AN ISSUE THE STAT. “RELIGN HAS PLAYED A ROLE MANY ISSU, AND ALSO HOMOSEXUALY, SO EVEN AMERI HASN’T BEEN SPARED OM THAT,” HE SAID. “I THK ’S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE KNOWN TO E OUT OF THE CLOSET.”THAT SAID, THE PRCE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO. BEG RAISED A SOCIETY—AND A FAY—WHERE HOMOSEXUALY WAS NOT EVEN AN OPTN SEEMS TO HAVE HAD S EFFECT ON HIM. NEARLY 10 YEARS AFTER G OUT TO HIS FAY, THE PRCE STILL DON’T HAVE A PARTNER. AND THE NIGHTLIFE ISN’T FOR HIM. “I’M NOT ED TO THE PARTY CULTURE BEE I E OM A ROYAL FAY.” HE VISED A GAY BAR WHILE AMERI, BUT DIDN’T EXACTLY BLEND . “I DON’T FEEL VERY FORTABLE THE GAY BARS,” HE SAID. “I AM ALWAYS FORMAL ATTIRE.”STILL, THE LIFE ISN’T PLETELY FOREIGN TO HIM. WHEN ASKED IF HE WAS STILL SGLE, HE SED ALMOST MISCHIEVOLY. “I AM STILL SGLE AND NEED TO MGLE.”ROJA HEYDARPOUR IS AN EDOR AT THE DAILY BEAST. SHE HAS REPORTED FOR THE THE NEW YORK TIM AND THE TIM-TRIBUNE. ROJA HEYDARPOUR
• INDIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE TRANSFORMS HIS PALACE INTO COMMUNY CENTRE FOR THE LGBTQ+
• FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE SPEAKS OUT ON MISSN TO END CONVERSN THERAPY: 'I HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTG'
• INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE IS WORKG TO MAKE CONVERSN THERAPY ILLEGAL
• MEET INDIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE WHO IS FIGHTG TO BAN CONVERSN THERAPYMANVENDRA SGH GOHIL, 55, BEME INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ROYAL 2006.QUT NEONPUBLISHED: 26 APR 2022, 1:40 PM ISTSOCIAL BUZZ2 M READISHARE THE QUT DAILY
• IN INDIA, A GAY PRCE’S COMG OUT EARNS ACLAS, AND ENEMI
• INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE ENDURED YEARS OF TORTURO NVERSN THERAPY. NOW, HE'S FIGHTG TO MAKE THE PRACTICE ILLEGAL.
• INDIAN PRCE FIGHTS FOR GAY RIGHTS
• 1ST OPENLY GAY INDIAN PRCE FIGHTG TO END CONVERSN THERAPY

PRI AND PREJUDICE: INDIAN ROYAL MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL ON BEG THE WORLD’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE

Speakg exclively to Tatler om Rajvant Palace, his fay’s grand rince Gujarat, wtern India, the 55-year-old prce rells how havg a breakdown the early 2000s set him on a path that led to his beg crowned one of the untry’s leadg LGBTQ+ rights activists and hailed by many as the only openly gay prce the 2002, Prce Manvendra was certa he was gay, havg been attracted to men for years. ‘My mother and father mand I have surgery or shock therapy to be cured, ’ he prce was hled off to a seri of doctors and spirual guis, all of whom told his parents no uncerta terms that their son’s homosexualy was neher a disorr nor a mental illns that uld be expunged. ’Unterred, however, the Maharana and Maharani of Raipla tried to keep their son’s homosexualy unr wraps – was then illegal India – but 2006, the prce me out to a newspaper.

So they sent him off to the doctor, as they would years later when he told them he was gay. When Prce Manvendra was married, homosexualy was a crimal offence.

‘In India, homo-social behavur is very accepted, ’ he says. ‘On the one hand, they tell you beg gay is wrong. Not bee I was gay – they said was bee I spoke the tth.

INDIA’S FIRST GAY PRCE: PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHILIN THE LAST , PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL GOT MARRIED, GOT DIVORCED, ME OUT OF THE CLOSET, AND TALKED TO OPRAH WEY—AND NOW, HE'S SPREADG AWARENS ABOUT A SPREADG HIV CRISIS INDIA.ROJA HEYDARPOURUPDATED JUL. 13, 2017 5:46PM EDT / PUBLISHED MAY 21, 2011 3:58AM EDT PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL PREPAR FOR AIDES GALA DNER ON NOVEMBER 27, 2010 PARIS, FRANCE. (PASL LE SEGRETA / AIDES & LK / GETTY IMAG)PRCE MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL, THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE INDIA, TOOK TO A MAKHIFT STAGE A SWANKY INDIAN RTRANT NEW YORK LAST WEEK. CLUTCHG THE MICROPHONE WH TWO HANDS, HE ULD HARDLY BE HEARD OVER THE D OF GUTS ON THEIR FOURTH ROUND OF EE ABSOLUT.“AS WE SAY INDIA, NAMASTE,” HE SED.“YEEAAA! NAMAS-TAY,” SCREAMED A WOMAN, SWAYG OM SI TO SI. THE SOFT-SPOKEN PRCE OF RAIPLA TOOK ALL STRI, SEEMG TO ENJOY HIMSELF—AND EVEN VG EVERYONE THE ROOM TO HIS PK PALACE. “IT IS LIKE A STRAWBERRY SHORTKE WH ICG. AND YOU ARE ALL WELE. I MEAN . YOU N E SEE ROYALTY.” THE CROWD HAD GATHERED TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE PRCE’S CHARY, THE LAKSHYA TST, AN ANIZATN FOUND BY FIVE MEN RAL INDIA DITED TO RAISG AWARENS OF HIV/AIDS. THE DISEASE IS SPREADG QUICKLY INDIA—2.4 LN PEOPLE ARE LIVG WH HIV THERE, ACRDG TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATN. THE GUTS—MOSTLY INDIAN, GAY, OR GAY INDIANS—MGLED NERVOLY AT AS THE EVENG BEGAN. A PROTOL SHEET ON HOW TO TREAT A PRCE WAS PASSED AROUND.“ONE SHOULD WA FOR THE PRCE TO EXTEND HIS HAND, BEFORE YOU GO TO SHAKE .”“DO NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON HIM AS HE MOV ON.”BY THE END OF THE NIGHT, GUTS WERE JOKG EELY ABOUT HOW THEY WOULD TREAT THE PRCE.SEQUTERED A DIMLY L RNER THE BACK, THE PRCE SAW PEOPLE 10-MUTE TERVALS, EELY DISCSG HIS SEXUALY AND THE AIDS CRISIS INDIA.“I AM STILL SGLE AND NEED TO MGLE.”“IN INDIA, HIV HAS BEEN A BLSG DISGUISE,” HE SAID. “HIV GAVE A PLATFORM TO EMPOWER OURSELV. A LOT OF MY IENDS ARE GETTG FECTED.”GOHIL, 45, FIRST ME OUT TO HIS FAY 2002, AFTER A NERVO BREAKDOWN. HE ULDN’T HI HIS SEXUALY ANYMORE AT THAT POT. HE HAD BEEN MARRIED TO A WOMAN 1991, BUT ONLY A YEAR LATER, WHOUT EVER HAVG NSUMMATED THE MARRIAGE, HE GOT A DIVORCE. HE STILL LIV WH THE GUILT OF HURTG HIS WIFE. BY 2006, HE OFFICIALLY ME OUT WHEN HE GAVE AN TERVIEW TO A LOL PAPER. RELATNS WH HIS FAY BEME STRAED, AND HAVE YET TO BE FULLY REPAIRED. SCE THEN, HE HAS TAKEN HIS STORY ALL OVER THE WORLD, EVEN APPEARG ON OPRAH TWICE.BUT JT LAST WEEK, AS GOHIL ARRIVED NEW YORK TO RAISE AWARENS, AND DISCS HOW DIFFICULT AND TABOO HOMOSEXUALY IS INDIA, TWO AMERINS THE PUBLIC EYE ED A STIR WHEN THEY ME OUT. FIRST THERE WAS THE PRINT OF THE PHOENIX SUNS, WHO ME OUT AN TERVIEW WH THE NEW YORK TIM. THEN, DON LEMON, THE CNN ANCHOR, TOLD THE WORLD HE WAS GAY ON TWTER.THE PRCE DIDN’T SEEM TOO SURPRISED THAT HOMOSEXUALY WAS STILL SOMEWHAT OF AN ISSUE THE STAT. “RELIGN HAS PLAYED A ROLE MANY ISSU, AND ALSO HOMOSEXUALY, SO EVEN AMERI HASN’T BEEN SPARED OM THAT,” HE SAID. “I THK ’S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE KNOWN TO E OUT OF THE CLOSET.”THAT SAID, THE PRCE HAS A LONG WAY TO GO. BEG RAISED A SOCIETY—AND A FAY—WHERE HOMOSEXUALY WAS NOT EVEN AN OPTN SEEMS TO HAVE HAD S EFFECT ON HIM. NEARLY 10 YEARS AFTER G OUT TO HIS FAY, THE PRCE STILL DON’T HAVE A PARTNER. AND THE NIGHTLIFE ISN’T FOR HIM. “I’M NOT ED TO THE PARTY CULTURE BEE I E OM A ROYAL FAY.” HE VISED A GAY BAR WHILE AMERI, BUT DIDN’T EXACTLY BLEND . “I DON’T FEEL VERY FORTABLE THE GAY BARS,” HE SAID. “I AM ALWAYS FORMAL ATTIRE.”STILL, THE LIFE ISN’T PLETELY FOREIGN TO HIM. WHEN ASKED IF HE WAS STILL SGLE, HE SED ALMOST MISCHIEVOLY. “I AM STILL SGLE AND NEED TO MGLE.”ROJA HEYDARPOUR IS AN EDOR AT THE DAILY BEAST. SHE HAS REPORTED FOR THE THE NEW YORK TIM AND THE TIM-TRIBUNE. ROJA HEYDARPOUR

Many don’t agree wh the Supreme Court’s cisn, ’ he says, referrg to the 2018 legalisatn of homosexualy. Homophobia and hypocrisy mt be cimated. Sgh is not gay, but he has received threats merely for workg on LGBTQ+ Indian issu.

Unterred, Sgh marked the two-year anniversary of India’s legalisatn of homosexualy wh an onle exhibn September om his London gallery.

’Content as Prce Manvendra seems, many fear that warmg attus towards gay people India uld soon turn osty aga, particularly unr the natnalist le of the untry’s prime mister Narendra Modi. Do the prce worry about homosexualy beg ma illegal once more? 5 thgs to know about Prce Manvendra, India’s first openly gay royal.

INDIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE TRANSFORMS HIS PALACE INTO COMMUNY CENTRE FOR THE LGBTQ+

His mother publicly disowned him by placg an advert the lol paper, and took almost a for them to rencile, a natn where LGBTQ+ activists only recently prevailed havg gay sex crimalised Published: 4:00pm, 10 Mar, 2020 Updated: 4:00pm, 10 Mar, 2020 Manvendra Sgh Gohil (left) and De DeAndre Richardson, photographed durg the Hong Kong Pri Para 2018, at Victoria Park, Cseway Bay. Prce Manvendra of India is the world's first openly gay prce.

Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil — believed to be the world’s first openly gay royal — is dog his part to help India’s margalized LGBT muny. The Indian prce, 52, has opened his 15-acre palace grounds as a sanctuary for gay people unr prsure a natn where same-sex acts n rult 10-year prison sentenc.

“I happen to be the world’s first openly gay prce.”. (Pasl Le Segreta / AIDES & Lk / Getty Imag)Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil, the first openly gay prce India, took to a makhift stage a swanky Indian rtrant New York last week.

FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE SPEAKS OUT ON MISSN TO END CONVERSN THERAPY: 'I HAVE TO KEEP FIGHTG'

The guts—mostly Indian, gay, or gay Indians—mgled nervoly at as the eveng began.

Sce then, he has taken his story all over the world, even appearg on Oprah jt last week, as Gohil arrived New York to raise awarens, and discs how difficult and taboo homosexualy is India, two Amerins the public eye ed a stir when they me out. Then, Don Lemon, the CNN anchor, told the world he was gay on prce didn’t seem too surprised that homosexualy was still somewhat of an issue the Stat.

INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE IS WORKG TO MAKE CONVERSN THERAPY ILLEGAL

“Relign has played a role many issu, and also homosexualy, so even Ameri hasn’t been spared om that, ” he said. Beg raised a society—and a fay—where homosexualy was not even an optn seems to have had s effect on him. ” He vised a gay bar while Ameri, but didn’t exactly blend .

MEET INDIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE WHO IS FIGHTG TO BAN CONVERSN THERAPYMANVENDRA SGH GOHIL, 55, BEME INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ROYAL 2006.QUT NEONPUBLISHED: 26 APR 2022, 1:40 PM ISTSOCIAL BUZZ2 M READISHARE THE QUT DAILY

“I don’t feel very fortable the gay bars, ” he said.

IN INDIA, A GAY PRCE’S COMG OUT EARNS ACLAS, AND ENEMI

India’s or perhaps the world’s first openly gay prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil has now transformed his ancient regal palace to an LGBTQ+ muny centre Gujarat. Meet India’s First Openly Gay Prce, Manvendra Sgh Gohil. After visg multiple psychiatrists, they fally unrstood what meant for their son to be gay.

INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE ENDURED YEARS OF TORTURO NVERSN THERAPY. NOW, HE'S FIGHTG TO MAKE THE PRACTICE ILLEGAL.

Manvendra Sgh Gohil me out of the closet and intified himself as gay 2006. But this is jt the begng for India’s openly gay prce.

Also Read: YouTuber Opens A Burger Cha That Serv Gay Burgers; Twter Lov The Rabow Concept.

INDIAN PRCE FIGHTS FOR GAY RIGHTS

Helmed by India’s first gay prce, Gujarat’s Queer Bagh is not jt a muny centre but a home to be loved, empowered and supported. Adam* said was dangero to e out as gay his home untry and feared beg forced to an arranged marriage wh a said he was "so lucky" to wed his soulmate, Ray, Manchter and wish everyone uld marry who they love.

There are more than 60 untri wh laws that crimalise same-sex sexual acts acrdg to the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn, cludg Sdi Arabia. 'Authentilly myself'Ray said he had also stggled growg up gay the 1970s and 80s England, which was "tough" said his relig school "dmmed to you, 'you are gog to hell'" Adam returned home to Sdi Arabia, spe beg more than 3, 000 apart and later rtricted by the Covid-19 panmic, they kept touch daily and the romance years ago, Ray proposed on a vio ll and after succsfully applyg for a UK fiancé visa, Adam moved to Manchter December 2022.

Adam said he had been aaid to even wear lours his home untry so the first thg he did when he moved was start to "grow my mullet, got my ears pierced and booked appotments for tattoos" relled how, ntrast, one of his gay iends Sdi had been forced to marry a woman, addg: "It has ed not only his life but the life of his wife. The uple, who live London, said a "really betiful memory" was on the way home when one of their sons shouted out of the black b wdow to Trafalgar Square, "My dads jt got married" and cheered "Yay, gay marriage". Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil me out 2006 when homosexualy India was still illegal.

1ST OPENLY GAY INDIAN PRCE FIGHTG TO END CONVERSN THERAPY

Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil of India is speakg out agast gay nversn therapy, openg up about his own subjectn to electroshock treatments and other practic an effort to fd a "cure" for his sexualy.

The 56-year-old prce, who me out 2006 and is believed to be the world's first openly gay royal, is fightg for a ban on the practice of nversn therapy India, where homosexualy was illegal until 2018. When Prce Manvendra told his parents that he was gay 2002, "They thought was impossible that I uld be gay bee my cultural upbrgg had been so rich. Manvendra, who married his hband 2013 after a failed arranged marriage wh a woman, relled how his untry reacted when he me out as gay, cludg his parents publicly disowng him.