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
• PRI AND PREJUDICE: INDIAN ROYAL MANVENDRA SGH GOHIL ON BEG THE WORLD’S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE
• INDIA'S GAY PRCE TO OPEN HIS PALACE TO LGBTQ PEOPLE IN NEED
• 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
• GAY INDIAN PRCE THROWS OPEN PALACE DOORS TO VULNERABLE LGBT PEOPLE
• INDIA'S FIRST OPENLY GAY PRCE IS WORKG TO MAKE CONVERSN THERAPY ILLEGAL
• 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 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. 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.

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

Many around him believed that homosexualy was a mental disorr.

Much of his advocy for LGBTQ+ rights ntu to primarily revolve around cimatg the stigma around homosexualy. 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.

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

"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 TO OPEN HIS PALACE TO LGBTQ PEOPLE IN NEED

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 .

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

I saw an article about Ashok Row Kavi and his gay magaze Bombay Dost. 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.

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

GAY INDIAN PRCE THROWS OPEN PALACE DOORS TO VULNERABLE LGBT PEOPLE

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

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

” 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.

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

” 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. 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.