Rajpipla prince to set up old-age home for gays

From Mumbai Mirror, 11 June 2008:

Rajpipla prince to set up old-age home for gays

Prince Manavendrasinh Gohil also plans to employ gay men and will train them to look after senior citizens

Dhwani Pathak

Bangalore: Prince Manavendrasinh Gohil of Rajpipla, the country’s first known gay royal, is planning to set up an old-age home for gay senior citizens in his hometown.“There’s no place for homosexuals in this heterosexual world. What’ll happen when we turn old? We require a strong support system,” he says. Isolation, he feels, is worse than death. Gohil believes gay couples need to lead a happy life at least during the last phase of their life since “they would have had a humiliating first phase”. Manavendrasinh Gohel In India, gay rights is still seen as a perverted western practice being imposed on vulnerable minds.  That’s one reason, Gohil decided to come up with a place for elderly gay couples. “A home for elderly gays is important. There are so many gay men whose families have disowned them. They need to be looked after when they are old and feeble,” says Gohil, who also works for HIV/AIDS organisation in the state. He plans to employ gay men and train them to take care of the senior citizens. “Men belonging to this sexual orientation group have a natural inclination towards nursing people. If they are trained properly, they can take care of the elderly very well. It’ll also provide employment opportunities to younger gay men,” he says. Initially, we’ll have 50 inmates and we can expand as and when needed. “It’ll be a home away from the  city and will be located by the river Narmada. There can’t be a better location for the home.” Gohil has been talking to sponsors about the project and will also be lending as much financial support as possible. He also plans to set up a crematorium nearby. “There have been lot of enquiries and as soon as the funds are ready the construction will begin.”