Manvendra Singh Gohil: Karan Johar not saying 'the three words' is hypocritical

I don't want to compare my case with Karan Johar's simply because while he became a celebrity thanks to Bollywood, I was born a celebrity, as I was born into a 650-year-old dynasty. But when I went public about my sexual preferences 11 years ago, there were people in Rajpipla who burnt my effigy. But I believe that one has got to be bold and accept the truth, otherwise, it's like living a double life.
To hide something that is already known doesn't really make sense and so, if he has refused to say 'the three words', then it is hypocritical. Even today, it's the stigma and fear of discrimination that prevents people from coming out. In fact, I have seen shows on TV where he has hinted about his sexuality.
Also, I don't completely agree with him about his fear of the law. There is a lot of misconception regarding the law in India and I had spoken about it on The Oprah Winfrey Show. There is no law in India that says that being gay is a crime and as I have said earlier, there is a lot of misconception regarding Section 377 also.
Karan Johar
In fact, we have evidence, in the form of our sculptures and otherwise, that homosexuality has been a part of our culture from very long. That is why I was not scared about coming out. Even when people burnt my effigy, I didn't blame them because I know that homophobia exists due to ignorance. I felt that it was my duty to educate people and ensure that they change their mindset. And education does make a big difference. Today, those same people in Rajpipla invite me to be the chief guest for different events.
However, coming out is a very individual decision and at times, people feel that it can jeopardise their careers. There are a lot of people who come to me for counseling and I tell them that before coming out to the society, they need to come out to themselves. When they say that they are confused, I feel they are still not ready to accept themselves. In India, a lot of homosexuals pretend to be bisexual even if they don't feel attracted to women at all. They feel that it will make them comparatively more acceptable in the society. At some point, you just have to accept the truth. Being a filmmaker, Karan has a very powerful tool in his hands to do something for the LGBTQ community if he wants to.
(Manvendra Singh Gohil of the erstwhile Rajpipla state was India's first royal to go public about his sexual preferences in 2006.)
' As told to Soumitra.Das@timesgroup.com