Manvendra Singh Gohil (42), scion of the Rajpipla royal family who publicly declared his gay status, has been invited to The Oprah Winfrey Show, which will be aired on October 24 in the United States. Gohil said he was “open” to any query asked in the show. Gohil heads the Vadodara-based NGO Lakshya, which works on prevention of HIV/AIDS issue among gays and homosexuals. He also hopes to highlight issues related to homosexuals and gays covered by the NGO. “Be it on a personal or professional front, I am open to any kind of enquiry during the show,” he said. Gohil further said that homosexuality has always been a part of Indian culture, and therefore, everything cannot be blamed as an outcome of Western thought.Elaborating on the issues to be discussed on the show, Gohil said although homosexuality has not been legalised in some Western countries, it is not a taboo as in the case of India. “Homosexuality in India has also been talked about in the holy scriptures. However, such issues in India have always been kept under the carpet,” he said.Gohil expects this to change. “The change was evident soon after I came clear about my gay status. However, there are several issues that need to be highlighted,” he adds.Gohil has conducted many seminars at the MS University Faculty of Social Work (FSW) about problems related to HIV/AIDS among homosexuals and gays. About other issues to be discussed during the show, he said: “I consider mobility to be a bigger problem than population in India. There are more than five lakh migrant labourers in Surat, living without a partner. In this case, homosexuality becomes inevitable.” Lakshya is working and counselling these labourers, said Gohil. Gohil said he would be flying to the US on October 22 with his colleague Sylvester for The Oprah Winfrey Show.
