PRINCE BECOMES QUEEN

from 365GAY.COM:

(New Delhi) The eldest son and heir of one of India's princely families has been disowned after coming out publicly.

Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil of Rajpipla quickly became the public face of the gay rights movement in Gujarat and is the patron of the region's biggest HIV/AIDS organization.

The prince learned that he had been stripped of his title, inheritance, and all rights in the newspaper.

His family, one of the richest in India, this week placed an official announcement in local papers accusing him of disobedience and of bringing dishonor to the royal family.

The announcement said that Prince Manvendra was involved in activities that are "unsuitable in society" and said that the family was severing all ties with him.

In an interview with The Times of India the prince said that he was not altogether surprised.

He told the paper that he had come out to his family in 2002. "However, they may not have expected that I would go public with the issue."

"I did so by giving an interview that was carried prominently. I also said gay relationships were not uncommon in royal families. This, along with my recent interviews regarding a documentary film on gay relationships, seems to have prompted the action," he told The Times of India.