Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil
About
Prince Manvendra is the Chairperson and Co-founder of Lakshya Trust, the first organisation in Gujarat to focus on HIV prevention amongst gay men and transgender people. He has since focused on establishing a dignified status for homosexuals in the society.
Manvendra received formal training on HIV/AIDS issues and became the western India representative of the Integrated Network for Sexual Minorities, the most prominent network of NGOs working on HIV/AIDS for sexual minorities across the country.
He is also the Founder and Chairperson of the Ekta Transglobal Foundation, registered in the United States, with the goal of providing a global advocacy platform for social issues. He is also an Ambassador Consultant for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the oldest organisation in the United States specialising in HIV/ AIDS.
Awards and Accomplishments
Awards and Accomplishments
Prince Manvendra was asked to inaugurate the Euro Pride gay festival in Stockholm, Sweden, on 25 July 2008.
He featured in a BBC Television series, Undercover Princes, screened on BBC Three in the UK in January 2009, documenting his search for a British boyfriend in Brighton.
In 2006, the Lakshya Trust won the Civil Society Award for its contribution to preventing HIV/AIDS among homosexual men.
In 2007, he appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2008, he inaugurated the Stockholm Euro Pride gay festival. In the same year, he also joined the Interim Governing Board of the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health, known as APCOM. He served as India Community Representative on behalf of INFOSEM, the India MSM and HIV network.
Why Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil ?
Prince Manvendra sent a shock wave when he declared himself gay in the media and became India’s first royalty to come out of the closet. Passionate about LGBT rights, Manvendra talks about the importance of diversity in the corporate world and how it is more tolerant and acceptable, linking it to the fight against social challenges.
Much of his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights primarily revolves around decimating the stigma around homosexuality. He has become the unofficial spokesperson of the Indian homosexual community across the globe.
