Prince comes out to fight for gay rights

IT isn't every day a man comes out of the elevator wearing an ostrich feather. but then it's not every day an Indian prince comes out.

IT isn't every day a man comes out of the elevator wearing an ostrich feather. but then it's not every day an Indian prince comes out.

Crown Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of the princely state of Rajpipla in Gujarat, is India's first openly gay prince - the only member of the large royal family to publicly reveal his homosexuality.

He's in Australia to campaign for changes to laws that criminalise homosexuality in many Asia Pacific countries. In Pakistan, the penalty can be death, in Singapore and the Maldives it can be life imprisonment, in Malaysia, it's 20 years in jail, a caning - and just for good measure a fine.

Like many people, the prince knew he was gay from an early age, but,he says: "It was difficult. I wasn't sure I wasn't the only one. I thought it might be a temporary. I had no idea what to do about it."

Interestingly, laws against sodomy, or "offences against nature" as they are sometimes known, were introduced to many Asia Pacific nations by Britain, during the colonial era. As the prince notes, India isn't exactly closed-minded on matters of sex - it produced the first book of love (the Kama Sutra, which has entire sections devoted to same-sex practice) 1800 years ago.

The prince believes that where homosexuality is illegal, HIV and AIDS will flourish.

His trust, which is dedicated to HIV prevention programs, seeks to educate gay men about the spread of the disease, but often cannot work effectively because of national laws (handing out condoms, for example, might be illegal).

As well, those who are gay will not come forward for treatment and assistance with HIV and AIDS if they think they might be punished for being gay.

The prince was invited to Sydney by ACON, formerly the AIDS Council of NSW, to share his experience and to learn from local campaigns.

He takes heart from a recent decision of a New Delhi court that may lead to homosexuality being removed from the criminal code. The illegality of the act has led to the blackmail of prominent citizens, some indictments appear to have been politically motivated, and some women use the law to get a quick divorce from their husbands, which is humiliating for everybody.

The prince has never been punished by the courts, but his journey has not been easy. His parents put public notices in the newspaper when he came out in 2005, essentially disowning him. He doesn't seem too upset by this, saying he didn't have much of a relationship with them.

"We shared a quite formal relationship with each other," he says. "It was not based on love or affection. I was raised by a nanny, a governess.

"There were all kinds of rules on who could be my friends, so I had no friends either."

His parents tried to disinherit him, but an Indian court said it could not be done, so he kept his status as a prince and his land holdings. His palace is pink - it has been for generations. He says this with some humour.