Gay Indian prce throws open palace doors to vulnerable LGBT people | Rters

Contents:

• INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE ENDURED YEARS OF TORTURO NVERSN THERAPY. NOW, HE'S FIGHTG TO MAKE THE PRACTICE ILLEGAL.
• IN INDIA, A GAY PRCE’S COMG OUT EARNS ACLAS, AND ENEMI
• WORLD'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE OPENS HIS PALACE DOORS TO INDIAN LGBT COMMUNY
• INDIA'S GAY PRCE ON FOREONT OF UNTRY'S LGBTQ MOVEMENT
• THE GAY PRCE OF RAIPLA AND HOMOSEXUALY INDIA
• GAY INDIAN PRCE THROWS OPEN PALACE DOORS TO VULNERABLE LGBT PEOPLE
• PRI AND PREJUDICE: INDIAN ROYAL MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL ON BEG THE WORLD’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE
• 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
• YOUNG, ROYAL & GAY: THE LIFE OF AN INDIAN PRCE
• INDIA’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE TRANSFORMS HIS PALACE INTO COMMUNY CENTRE FOR THE LGBTQ+
• INDIA'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PRCE DISCS G OUT AND TURNG HIS PK PALACE TO A CENTRE FOR AT-RISK LGBT+ PEOPLE

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

In 2006, Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil me out to a lol newspaper, beg India's first openly gay prce. Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil, the 39th direct scendant of India's Gohil Raut dynasty, knew he was gay at age 12.

But he uld only live his tth three s publicly me out an terview to a lol newspaper 2006, beg the first openly gay royal the untry. He was 41 at the 2018, homosexualy was illegal India, punishable unr Sectn 377, a lonial-era dranian law that mand up to life imprisonment for anyone mtg sexual acts "agast the orr of nature.

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

He turned the palace grounds he was once thrown out of to a shelter for the LGBTQ+ had expected the homophobic uproar.

The society he grew up around was strongly nserative, and the untry he grew up didn't legally regnize gay rights. Much of his advocy for LGBTQ+ rights ntu to primarily revolve around cimatg the stigma around homosexualy.

WORLD'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE OPENS HIS PALACE DOORS TO INDIAN LGBT COMMUNY

In 2018, the year that the Supreme Court crimalized homosexualy a landmark lg, Gohil opened up a 15-acre palace grounds to build a shelter for vulnerable members of the muny.

"They thought was impossible that I uld be gay bee my cultural upbrgg had been so rich. 1, 2020NEW DELHI — Born to a royal fay that once led the kgdom of Raipla India, he was raised the fay’s palac and mansns and was beg groomed to take over a dynasty that go back 600 then he gave an terview that prompted his mother to disown him and set off protts his hometown, where he was burned g out as gay that 2006 terview, Prce Manvendra Sgh Gohil has faced a torrent of bullyg and threats, and was dishered by his fay for a he has also earned global aclas for his L. Advocy, beg one of the few gay-rights activists the world wh such royal part of his efforts, Prce Manvendra, 55, has appeared on “The Oprah Wey Show” three tim, swapped life stori wh Kris Jenner on “Keepg Up Wh the Kardashians” and is workg to tablish a shelter for L.

Among gay Manvendra and his hband, Andre Richardson, have spent the last few months lockdown gettg the shelter ready.

INDIA'S GAY PRCE ON FOREONT OF UNTRY'S LGBTQ MOVEMENT

ShutterstockWhen the prce shared that he was gay that ont-page newspaper terview 14 years ago, created a storm of mostly negative publicy. Beg gay was a crimal offense India unr the archaic Brish law effect at the time. ”Beg gay was not a possibily that ever crossed his md, he said, bee he knew nothg about .

I cid to get touch wh him and ask him if I uld possibly be gay, ” he Kavi is a father of India’s gay-rights movement. In 1977, he me out publicly and went on to found Bombay Dost, India’s first gay magaze, 1990.

He found the Humsafar Tst, the first group to provi health servic and advocy for gay men, Kavi troduced Prce Manvendra to other people the muny and traed him as a unselor. He said the prce quietly fund the first telephone help le for gay people 2000, wh Mr. Kavi’s enuragement, the prce started the Lakshya Tst Gujarat to help the gay muny work was fulfillg, but as a closeted gay man, the prce said, beme creasgly difficult to do the advocy work need for Lakshya.

THE GAY PRCE OF RAIPLA AND HOMOSEXUALY INDIA

’”But every doctor his parents nsulted told them the same thg — homosexualy was not a disease or a mental disorr.

” Loke for The New York TimOver the past 14 years, the once-shy royal has grown acctomed to the spotlight and bee a vol activist for the gay rights movement. ” Loke for The New York TimA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 9 of the New York edn wh the headle: In India, a Prce Be a Gay-Rights Champn. He told a Gujarati daily newspaper about his sexualy 2006, makg him the first openly gay morn monarch the world — but then his fay quickly disowned him.

GAY INDIAN PRCE THROWS OPEN PALACE DOORS TO VULNERABLE LGBT PEOPLE

Style was at the fore of the Prce’s life and he later published two books about fashn and terr sign: The Power Look 1978 and a follow-up, The Power Look at Home: Deratg for Men, Fürstenberg had a well-known fondns for gay nightlife. 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.

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

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

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.

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. Beg raised a society—and a fay—where homosexualy was not even an optn seems to have had s effect on 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 .

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

No one the history of Raipla, a municipaly the wtern Indian state of Gujarat, would have predicted a member of their regn's royal fay would some day be ostracized for beg gay.

Courty of Prce Manvendra Sgh GohilIt took Gohil, the first openly gay Indian royal, 40 years to e out.

In ls than three months, they publicly disowned and dishered him for beg gay, a cisn they later whdrew for legal g out 2006, the road has not been easy for the prce, but spe the hurdl, he has emerged as one of the untry's most vol advot for LGBTQ someone who had grown up wh protols and rtrictns and led a closely guard life, g out to the world wasn’t an easy cisn, Gohil said. “Whenever I wanted to do somethg of my choice, I’d thk about many tim over, and somethg wh me would always hold me back, ” he said this is partly why he kept his sexual inty hidn for years, even after he was certa he was gay. A portra photo of Prce Mavendra, the only openly gay prce PhippsBorn Rajasthan, a state the northwt part of India, Gohil spent his stunt life Mumbai.

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

“I started breakg protols and began steppg out to explore the gay world, ” he also started makg nnectns wh gay men by exchangg letters through India’s first registered gay magaze, Bombay Dost. He then met s edor--chief, Ashok Row Kavi, India’s pneerg gay-rights activist, and he said Kavi pletely changed the way he looked at himself.

YOUNG, ROYAL & GAY: THE LIFE OF AN INDIAN PRCE

"After meetg Kavi, Gohil traed as a unselor and volunteered at Mumbai's Humsafar Tst, India’s olst gay-rights anizatn, which was found by his mentor.

His fay tried every rrective treatment on him, be physil, mental, relig, and even shock therapy, he years later, one of his iends told him that if he r about advancg the gay-rights movement India, he would have to put his personal fort asi and sacrifice himself jt like the Indian eedom fighter Bhagat Sgh. “I wanted to tell everyone that even high-society people uld be gay; beg queer is not a low-ste issue. "“Gay royals across the world me out to me after that, notg that only a royal uld unrstand another, ” Gohil said.

“Oprah rightfully brought out that is gay sex and not homosexualy, which is crimalized India, " Gohil has been a stnch opponent of Sectn 377, India's lonial-era law that crimaliz same-sex sexual activy. Manvendra Sgh Gohil is the only Indian prce who regniz his homosexualy and helps vulnerable people of the LGTBI llective Manvendra Sgh Gohil is, at his 52 years, prce and heir to the throne of Raiplan the wtern state of Gujarat, India.

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

But what has given him populary among his fellow cizens is the fact that he is the only Indian prce who has publicly acknowledged his homosexualy. Precisely this past week, the Supreme Court of India agreed to review an 2013 lg clarg illegal homosexual relatnships.

INDIA'S ONLY OPENLY GAY PRCE DISCS G OUT AND TURNG HIS PK PALACE TO A CENTRE FOR AT-RISK LGBT+ PEOPLE

The Supreme Court room, posed of three judg, nclud that "A group of people or dividuals who exercise their (pacy for) choice should never rema a state of fear" and om this posng he orred that the legimacy of the Article 377 of the Indian Penal Co that crimaliz homosexual relatnships.

The LGTBI llective, through the mouth of the lawyer and activist Bharat Bhhan (one of the anizers of the annual gay para), has clared EFE relatn to the 377 review that "The mentaly of the judg may have changed and there will be somethg posive".