India’s first openly gay prince celebrates Pride in New York
India’s first openly gay prince is reportedly celebrating WorldPride in New York.
Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil was a keynote speaker at a human rights conference at the event, according to Indian media.
Prince Manvendra came out in 2006 and had his family inheritance rights removed by the rest of the Royal family in Gujarat.
He is a direct descendant of Gohil Dynasty Of Rajpipla in Gujarat State, and is the likely heir of the Maharaja of Rajpipla.
New York is hosting WorldPride, the largest LGBT+ celebration in the world.
It is the first time the event has been held in the US and it is taking place during the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the 1969 uprising that saw the LGBT+ community fight back against police officers who routinely raided the bar in Greenwich Village.
Indian gay activist, Prince of Rajpipla Manvendra Singh Gohil (SAM PANTHAKY/AFP/Getty Images)
More than 150,000 people are expected to attend WorldPride this year.
Prince Manvendra has been outspoken about LGBT+ rights in India and last year, he pioneered an LGBT+ module at Karnavati University in the western state of Gujarat.
The course is reportedly the first module to focus on LGBT+ issues at a university in South Asia.
It examines the LGBT+ rights movement in India and the impact of section 377 of India’s Penal Code, a colonial-era law which categorised same-sex activity as an “unnatural offence”.
In 2018, India’s Supreme Court ruled that gay sex would no longer be a criminal offence, overturning a 2013 judgement that upheld section 377.
The court ruled discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a fundamental violation of rights.
