Beijing court hears gay man traumatised by clinic’s electro-shock ‘conversion therapy’
Plaintiff says clinic in Chongqing administered shocks after he was told to have sexual thoughts involving men
A Beijing court began hearing a landmark case on “gay conversion” treatment on Thursday, as an activist in a nurse’s uniform knelt over a patient, wielding a giant needle, outside.
“Homosexuality doesn’t need to be cured!” chanted about a dozen supporters. “Haidian Court, oppose conversion therapy!”
Homosexuality was declassified as a mental disorder in China in 2001 but widespread intolerance toward gays and lesbians remains, and activists hailed the unprecedented case as a significant step forward.
The plaintiff, who is gay and has given his name only as Xiao Zhen, says the Xinyu Piaoxiang clinic in Chongqing traumatised him when he was electro-shocked after being told to have sexual thoughts involving men.
He is also taking action against China’s top internet search engine, Baidu, for running advertisements by the facility.
Those who come out to friends and family in China often face significant pressure to undergo sexuality “treatment” or marry a partner of the opposite sex.