Taking his 650 years of legacy ahead, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil is an heir of the Gohil Dynasty whose palace was established in the 13th century in Rajpipla, a town in Gujarat. He is the first openly gay prince in India and takes immense pride in his sexuality.
In the light of Pride Month, celebrated every June, HerZindagi interviewed the vibrant and brave gentleman. Prince Manvendra was candid about his journey of sexual identity, his relationships, and the abuse he faced during his lifetime. Keep reading to know more.
Who Is Prince Manvendra?
Belonging to one of the oldest royal lineages in India, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil is an heir of the Gohil Dynasty. Born on September 23, 1965, in Ajmer, Rajasthan, Prince Manvendra is the potential heir and Maharaja of Rajpipla, Gujarat. The openly gay prince spent his childhood in Mumbai amid celebrity kids and had a friendly nature.
Prince Manvendra Opens About Being Gay
In an interview with HerZindagi, Prince Manvendra spoke about how he only got to discover his sexual identity after his first marriage did not work which drove him to seek his reality. This was when he met the journalist and the first person to come out of the closet publicly Ashok Row Kavi who made him realise his true sexuality. He said, “It took me 30 years of my life to, you know, identify myself, finally came out to my family, my parents when I was almost 37 years old.”
Prince Manvendra Speaks On LGBTQ Awareness
Prince Manvendra also spoke about the education gap in the Indian system which drives us away from the knowledge of fluidity of sexual identities. He expressed how India is a homosocial country where two men or women can “openly hold hands and be passionate in public” and no one would judge while if the opposite sex is found in the act, it can be frowned upon while homosexuality remains a sin.
He added how we lack education about the LGBTQ community highlighting how he was gay yet was oblivious due to scarcity of knowledge.
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Prince Manvendra Opens About Abuse
On being asked if he faced any mental or physical abuse after coming out as gay, he expressed, “Yes I think I was mentally abused rather harassed by my parents because they were bent on converting me. They were not happy with the fact that their child was gay.”
He added, “They took me through medical conversion and were on the verge of giving me shock therapy.”
Prince Manvendra Gets Candid About Laws
Prince Manvendra spoke up about how homosexuality has finally been decriminalised, a law created by the British in the late 1800s. However, due to the absence of marriage rights, Indian LGBTQ individuals still feel vulnerable. He spoke about how same-sex couples cannot open a joint bank account, buy a property together, and even claim each other’s dead bodies.
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