Manvendra Singh Gohil is an Indian prince and heir presumptive to the throne of Rajpipra, the erstwhile state of Gujarat. He is the first openly gay prince in the world and one of India’s most important LGBTQ+ activists.
Wiki/Biography
Manvendra Singh Gohil was born on Thursday, September 23, 1965 (Age 58; as of 2023) in Ajmer, Rajasthan, India. His zodiac sign is Libra. He completed his education from Scottish School, Bombay and Amrutben Jivanlal College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai.
appearance
Height (approximately): 6′1″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Black
family
Manvendra Singh Gohil belonged to the Gohil Rajput dynasty.
Parents and siblings
Manvendra Singh Gohil’s father Raghubir Singhji Rajendrasinghji Sahib was the honourary of Rajpipra Maharaja. His mother Rukmini Devi was the honorary maharaja of Rajpipra. He had a sister Minaxi Kumari Sahiba, the honorary Maharaja of Rajpipla, who was married to Kunwar of Chenani Jagir. Kunwar Digvijay Chand.
Gohil with his parents and sister
wife/partner
In January 1991, Yuvraj Shri Manvendra Raghubir Singhji Sahib married Yuvarani Chandrika Kumari, the daughter of Maharaj Gajendrapal Singhji of Jhabua. However, the couple divorced after less than a year of marriage. Yuvalani Chandrika Kumari confirmed in an open letter that their marriage has not yet been consummated, saying:
I will come back in the same state as when I came. “
On July 3, 2013, he married celebrity makeup artist DeAndre Richardson (who later became Duke Hanumanteshwar) in the United States. DeAndre Richardson is thirteen years younger than Manvendra Singh Gohil.
Manavendra Singh Gohil and DeAndre Richardson
sexual orientation
Manvendra married for the first time at the age of 25, but his relationship with his wife did not go well as he never felt attracted to her. He then moved to Mumbai and met Ashok Row Kavi, a gay activist who helped him realize his true sexual orientation. In an interview, Gohil mentioned his friendship with Ashok and said:
Ashok gave me valuable counselling, and it was through my friendship with him that I was able to accept that everything I had experienced in my life was called “gay”! It was through this connection with him that I realized I was gay. So, I basically exposed myself in my 30s. “
Ashok Rowe
In 2002, Manvendra suffered a mental breakdown and his parents only learned about his sexual orientation after hearing about it from Manvendra’s psychiatrist. His parents tried to keep this secret from society and forced him to undergo conversion therapy. In an interview, he said of the difficulties he faced:
I felt humiliated when my parents went to the doctors hoping they would perform brain surgery and electroshock therapy to get me back to normal. This is definitely a case of discrimination and human rights violation. Regardless of whether I am a prince or not, parents have no right to subject their children to such torture. “
But his parents were unsuccessful because doctors in the United States refused to operate and mentioned that homosexuality was not a mental illness. In 2006, he made headlines for a week when he publicly came out as gay. His parents later took out a newspaper ad denying that he was their son while accusing him of bringing disgrace to the royal family. Later, the prince reconciled with his family.
Prince Manvendra and human rights activist Prince Kanwar Amar Jeet Singh
Relationships/Affairs
In 2009, DeAndre contacted Manvendra online because he was fascinated by photos of Manvendra wearing traditional Indian clothing that he had discovered while working with a fashion brand. DeAndre had no idea he was part of the royal family until he contacted Manvendra. At that time, Andre was already married to an American, and Manvendra was also in a relationship. In 2011, they met for the first time and established a deep friendship. However, Andre divorced her husband in 2012, and Manvendra also separated from her partner. In an interview, Prince mentioned that whenever he was asked about his relationship with DeAndre, he avoided the topic, saying:
I carefully told them that he was my counselor, guide, and spiritual advisor. “
In 2012, DeAndre proposed to Manvendra, and the two tied the knot in 2013.
Manavendra Singh Gohil with his partner
religion
Manvendra Singh Gohil follows Hinduism.
Manavendra Singh Gohil performs religious rituals performed by members of the royal family
Awards and Honors
- Manvendra Singh Gohil was invited by Co-Chair Matthew Devlen to attend the International Arcadia Chapter of the Great Order of the Amarant) and the biennial Amarenter Ball in Stockholm, where they recognize and reward people who have made significant contributions to society. On May 7, 2022, he was awarded a ribbon with a medal in recognition of his contribution to the LGBTQIA+ community and its rights.
Gohil was honored by the Swedish royal family
- In 2014, he received the GMCLA Voice Award for his courageous act of coming out as gay and founding Lakshya Trust.
- On June 11, 2016, he received the Humanitarian Award at Emerson College in Los Angeles (ELA).
- On May 28, 2017, he won the “Rainbow Warrior Award” at the 8th KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival.
Manavendra Singh Gohil receives Rainbow Warrior Award
- In December 2021, he was awarded the Leadership of the Decade Award by the Women’s Economic Forum.
Manavendra Singh Gohil receives award from Women Economic Forum
Favorites
- Queer Movement: Queer Freedom Mumbai Pride Festival
Facts/Trivia
- Manvendra Singh Gohil is the 39th direct descendant of the 650-year-old royal dynasty founded in 1370 AD.
- He didn’t have many friends as a child because it was against royal etiquette to hang out with other ordinary children. He rarely saw his mother as a child and was cared for by a tutor. At the age of 10, he realized that the woman who raised him was just an employee and not his biological mother.
- Manvendra Singh Gohil was a left-hander and therefore he faced difficulties in performing royal religious rituals designed for right-handers. His parents consulted doctors about how to make him right-handed.
- According to him, hiding his sexual orientation for so long led him to have suicidal thoughts.
- He was surprised to find that the older generation was becoming more accepting of him. His grandmother told him on her deathbed that she was happy for him. His 97-year-old secretary and a 91-year-old former teacher asked to march with him in the Pride parade.
Prince Manvendra takes part in pride parade
- According to him, it was only after he married DeAndre Richardson that he began to interact more with his father, and in less formal settings. Since his husband was not of royal blood, he adapted some of his habits and abandoned some of the etiquette followed by the royal family.
- In 2018, Manvendra Singh Gohil and his husband DeAndre Richardson established India’s first An LGBTQ community resource center. The hotel is located on the banks of the Narmada river. During the British era, it hosted various high-ranking dignitaries including the Viceroy of India. The center is developed by Lakshya Trust and designed by DeAndre Richardson. It provides a refuge to those who have been disowned by their families for being gay and aims to make them financially independent by imparting skills in various fields. It is also open to LGBTQ community allies who support the community and its rights.
- On October 24, 2007, he appeared as a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show, where he was one of three people featured on the program “Gay People Around the World”, where he talked about his journey into the world. The difficulties faced were regarding his sexual orientation and how he risked his freedom at a time when homosexuality was punishable by law. He subsequently appeared on the show again in 2014 and 2017.
Manavendra Singh Gohil on Oprah Winfrey Show
- In January 2008, he announced that he would adopt a child from his extended family as his heir.
- In July 2008, he opened the European Gay Pride Festival in Stockholm, Sweden.
- In 2009, he appeared in the BBC documentary series Prince Undercover, which followed his journey to find love in Brighton, England.
- He is the editor of Fun, a gay-centric magazine published in Rajpipla since July 2010.
- In 2017, he appeared on the reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians and spoke about the consequences he faced after coming out.
- In January 2021, rumors spread about Gohil joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. He later clarified that he met Dr Vijay Shah only to congratulate him on becoming the Vadodara unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party as he runs a queer shelter in Gujarat.
- He is a founding member of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Men’s Sexual Health and an Ambassador Advisor to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
- He enjoys organic farming and selling manure containing earthworms.
- He appears in the cooking show Royal Recipes, which is broadcast on the TV channel “Epic”.
Manavendra Singh Gohil watch his show
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education