Manvendra Singh Gohil, prince of the erstwhile state of Rajpipla, has issued a challenge to those who think homosexuality is a disease. The prince, who is homosexual, has asked such people to cure him of his homosexuality by any means, including yoga.
Gohil was at a function in Vadodara on Thursday to mark the ninth year of the Lakshya Trust, a homosexual rights group. About yoga teacher Baba Ramdev's view that homosexuality is a disease that can be cured, he said: "They should stop making such baseless claims. Such absurd claims do a disservice to society… I have been doing yoga for the last 10 years, but I haven't turned straight. The only thing yoga has given me is that it has made me healthier and more confident."
People in India have fixed ideas about everything, Gohil said. "You do not become an expert on everything just because you are good at one thing. Morality should be guided by reality. It should not be the other way round. I respect everyone's right to have his own view on things, but I believe we would be a healthier society if we depended more on reason to understand things than on received wisdom."
He said research provides no instance where a person's sexual orientation changed due to physical exercise. Ramdev recently filed a petition in the Supreme Court in which he quoted Spanish psychiatrist Enrique Rojas in support of his view that homosexuality is a curable disease. "It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga and meditation techniques," Ramdev's petition stated.
Comments