‘Hinduism is not against homosexuality

Last week, Manvendrasinh Gohil’s second interview with Oprah Winfrey was aired in the US. The gay prince of the erstwhile state of Rajpipla speaks to DNA about how life has changed for him after coming into the limelight, and the ongoing fight in the Supreme Court, mostly against religious petitioners

Homosexuality in India was decriminalised in July 2009, which helped change social perceptions to some extent.

But, personally, I also attribute this shift to the interviews aired on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007 and this year. The global viewership and media coverage largely helped mass acceptance of the queer community in India.

In my first interview, there were two other guests — an African-American football player and a New York-based Jamaican who had to flee from her country because she came out. I chose to discuss my personal life, my relationship with my parents and ex-wife, and perceptions about gays in India.

Two things stood out for the global audiences — they came to know that 75-80% of Indian gays, including me, are forced by their families to marry women. Apart from the personal problems this causes, it also makes the women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS.

Secondly, people around the world, until then, believed that being gay in India was a crime. That is incorrect — homosexual intercourse was a crime. I also spoke about how my family had publicly disowned me then and denied me my inheritance because of the stigma that comes with homosexuality here.

The recent interview was more about how things had changed for me since the first show was aired. My family took me back and I see more gays coming out of the closet than before. This time, the viewers were surprised to learn that homosexuality had been decriminalised in India only in 2009. Oprah has a dedicated audience in India, and her support to the queer cause helps us a lot, more so because she is straight. This is what I call mainstreaming homosexuality.

Religion and homosexuality

In the ongoing case in the Supreme Court, we are not fighting the government any more, but religious leaders. Hinduism as a religion is not against homosexuality. Of the 18 petitioners against the Delhi High Court’s decision to decriminalise homosexual intercourse, only two are Hindu religious leaders. There are eight Christian and eight Muslim petitioners. Nepal, where gay marriages are legal, is a Hindu country. It doesn’t have as much Muslim and Christian influence as India does.
 No Hindu scripture says homosexuality is ‘wrong’. It is important to understand this aspect of Indian society, with all its influences and interpretations.
 
Having Fun

With law on our side now, the next challenge is to change the mindset of our society, and our new monthly magazine Fun does just that. Fun is like the spokesperson of the community, expressing their point of view and their emotions, in their language, without any intermediaries, censorship or dilution.
India has seven magazines for the homosexual community. Only two of them are in print, while the rest are online. Bombay Dost is published thrice a year, but it is mainly about activism and its aim is to spread awareness about safe sex and HIV/AIDS. Fun is India’s first gay lifestyle magazine. I launched it six months ago, and it now has a circulation of 40,000 in India. We are looking at tie-ups in France, the US and Canada. In the US and Paris, the gay magazines The Advocate and Tattoo respectively, want to tie up with us for international circulation there.

It is significant that they wish to retain Indian content. The West is interested in Indian men. They want to know our lifestyle, psyche, stories of India, issues, fashion and so on. Fun also talks about fitness, health and gadgets. The name Fun is synonymous with gay — literally. Like any other magazine, Fun is sold at book shops, on railway stations, coffee shops and airports. I am mainstreaming it.

We have not faced any protests, nor have activists burnt any copies to stem the queer movement. This illustrates a change in people’s mindset. I see the community getting bolder, more comfortable with itself and confident to come out. There is no guilt, only pride in being queer. I see more and more people talking to their wives and family. There was a mother who offered to help other parents, even grand-parents, whose kids may have come out. She said she took a long time to understand her child, and wished to help others so they could accept their children faster. I do see more people looking for steady partners for a long relationship, if not marriage.

Retiring in Rajpipla

India’s first retirement home for the gay community will soon come up in Rajpipla on the banks of the river Narmada. It will be home to around 100 people and serve as a community centre for recreation and other activities for people who have decided against marriage and don’t want to live with their families.  It will be inaugurated by Oprah next year.