Manvendra Singh Gohil- the world’s first openly LGBTQIA prince!
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of India came out to his deeply religious and traditional parents in the early 2000’s. The news was not taken well; they demanded Prince Manvendra to undergo surgery or shock therapy to “cure” him. “They thought it was impossible that I could be gay because my cultural upbringing had been so rich. They had no idea that there’s no connection between someone’s sexuality and their upbringing.”, Gohil told Insider.
He met various doctors and spiritual guides who informed his parents that Prince Manvendra’s gayness was not a disorder nor illness, but something that would never change- “You can spend all the money you want on this, but nothing will change”. Despite this information, The Maharana and Maharani hid their son’s queerness from the public, and mostly as it was illegal to be gay in India at the time. But in 2006, Manvendra came out to a newspaper. While western media rushed to interview the Prince, he was met with astounding amounts of backlash from locals. He was sent death threats and his effigy burned. Even then, his parents did not stand up for him. At 41, his mother publicly announced she was disowning Prince Manvendra, threatening to sue anyone who referred to him as her son.
Despite the excessive amounts of homophobia Manvendra was forced to face, he opened his palace, Hanumanteshwar, as a LGBTQIA+ Community Centre. 15 acres of the palace was altered to help queer Indians get back on their feet. The palace was built by his great grandfather and gifted to him by his parents after the reached a compromise on the matter of his inheritance and sexuality. Gohil says “I wish to construct a new building to make a shelter home for all those who are thrown out by their families and rendered homeless. This will have eight rooms to accommodate 20 to 25 persons. People can stay here till the time they feel comfortable to live on their own.” Prince Manvendra added. Not only does he provide sanctuary for struggling queer Indians, he is working to illegalize conversion therapy everywhere in India. He notes his duty to stand up for people of the LGBT community, “It’s important for people like me who have a certain reputation in society to continue the advocacy. We can’t just stop because the country repealed Section 377.” He refers to the 2018 repeal of the law that criminalized homosexuality in India. “Now we have to fight for issues like marriage, right to inheritance, right to adoption. It’s a never-ending cycle, I have to keep fighting”.
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil is an incredible example of LGBT activism in the royal sphere. His bravery and dedication for the LGBTQIA+ community is incredibly admirable. Hopefully Manvendra Singh Gohil can achieve his goals and create a better India for queer citizens. 🏳️🌈❤️🇮🇳
