- By Radha Basnet
- Wed, 02 Aug 2023 09:48 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Manvendra Singh Gohil, India's first openly gay prince and the heir of the Maharaja of Rajpipla in Gujarat, revealed how his parents attempted extreme measures to change his sexuality when he told them that he was gay.
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He said he experienced humiliation when his parents tried to make him undergo brain surgery and electroshock therapy just to make him straight, Hauterrfly shared a video of Prince Gohil speaking on the matter.
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One of India's most prominent LGBT activists, Gohil described his own parents' attempt to "convert" him. "It was an absolute case of discrimination and violation of human rights. Whether I'm a prince or not a prince, parents have no right to put their children through [this] kind of torture," SkyNews quoted Prince Gohil.
"It didn't happen but imagine how much harassment one has to go through, how much humiliation one has to go through, just to endure this pain and suffering at the hands of parents - and this is happening to so many individuals in India," he added.
Prince Gohil, his parents went to the doctor in an effort to "perform a surgery on my brain, and even make me go through electroshock therapy."
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"It is a lack of education, lack of awareness which causes people to be homophobic and bigoted... It's our duty to educate them and to make them aware of the facts," the Prince said further.
Prince Gohil has now started a legal struggle before the Supreme Court to try and make conversion therapy completely outlawed by the law.
In 2006, the prince gained media attention when he openly admitted his homosexuality, which sparked protests and angry demonstrations in his home state. He is the founder of the Lakysha Trust, an LGBTQ+ charity based in the Indian state of Gujarat. He has made numerous international appearances, including on The Oprah Winfrey Show.