Prince’s coming out creates stir in India

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[img2=left]images/news/indianprince.jpg[/img2]VADODARA, India — India’s royal house of Rajpipla, one of its former princely states, is still reeling from the revelation last year that one of its offspring, a prince, is gay. Manvendra Singh Gohil, who grew up in a world of prestige and privilege as a maharajah’s son, created a scandal when he told a local newspaper last year that he is gay. And despite the backlash, Gohil says he’s happy because he’s finally living an honest life, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. Some residents in Gohil’s hometown burned his photos. His parents publicly disowned him, their only son. Homosexual sex remains a crime in India, though few prosecutions are brought to court. Though India’s royal families don’t have political power, they retain wealth and influence. Gohil suffered under his country’s societal norms, enduring an arranged marriage he told the Times he couldn’t consummate followed by divorce and a nervous breakdown. Gohil keeps busy with HIV and AIDS work through an organization he founded.