India's Royal Gay Bash

International News, By andygisby, 8th October, 2007

Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, India’s openly gay Prince and hero to India’s gay community has celebrated his 42nd birthday with a camp birthday bash which has received enormous press in an otherwise anti-gay media market.

This is the tenth birthday party the gay prince has thrown – the guest brimming with gay artists and musicians, as well as hundreds of people who are discriminated against in India because of their sexuality and HIV status.

Prince Manvendra’s coming out story is something out of a Bollywood version of Knots Landing. The Prince had been out to his family for a number of years and was working under the radar with gay rights groups and HIV charities. Last year, during an interview with The Times Of India, the Prince discussed his sexuality publicly for the first time.

Outraged by his media outing and worried what the neighbours might think (all 1.2 billion of them ), the King stripped Prince Manvendra of his title and disowned their only son and heir to the thrown. Manvendra learned of the family freeze by reading announcements placed in local newspapers by the Royal Family. Subtle. Thanks dad.

In a follow up interview with The Times Of India, the Prince told the paper that he had come out to his family in 2002. “However, they may not have expected that I would go public with the issue.”

Last month, the King gave his son the type of birthday gift every gay, disowned and de-throned Prince craves for, a Hallmark inspired, dirty laundry airing. The King, told the Times, “I was in an awkward situation and didn’t know how do deal with it. Relatives from all over the country called me up. Rajpipla is a conservative place. Women still cover their heads with a pallu; sex is a taboo topic to talk about. I was in the line of fire.”

In a surprise happy ending to rival even the biggest Bollywood film dance off, the King has now gone a little PFLAG and has given his son the gift that keeps on giving, Royal re-instatement.

It’s thoughtful, it’s unique and it’s much nicer than and a Myer gift voucher. Happy Birthday son.

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