A growing chorus of voices are denouncing "conversion" therapy as dangerous and potentially devastating on the lives of LGBT youth. Photo: IC

 

"I still get the shakes when I think about my [gay 'conversion'] therapy," confesses Xiao Zhen (pseudonym), 32, who last December became the first person to win a court judgment in China against practices aimed at "curing" homosexuality. "I didn't think the aftereffects would be so persistent."

In what was hailed as a landmark verdict by LGBT rights activists, the Haidian district court hearing the case pronounced that "homosexuality is not a mental illness and does not need to be cured." It was the first time that a Chinese judicial body had issued such an unequivocal statement regarding homosexuality.

But Xiao, who also received 3,500 yuan ($564.6) in compensation and a court-ordered public apology from the Chongqing-based counseling center where he underwent hypnotherapy and electro-shock treatment, said it was just a starting point to what he hoped would lead to a complete ban of gay "conversation" therapy in China.

"The next step is to create a binding code of conducts against gay 'conversion' therapy," said Xiao, who has since become more actively involved in advocating for LGBT rights, founding the LGBT Rights Advocacy China last March.

According to a recent study jointly conducted by the Beijing LGBT Center and LGBT Rights Advocacy China, there are more than 80 organizations offering "conversion" therapy in the country.

Xiao said of the 17 surveyed psychological counseling centers in Beijing, only three said they did not offer "conversion" therapy.

Widespread condemnation

Gay "conversion" has been increasingly condemned around the world, with US President Barack Obama joining the chorus of calls for an end to the practice in April. His statements came in the wake of the suicide of a 17-year-old transgender youth, Leelah Alcorn, who was forced into "conversion" therapy by her parents.

A New York Times article quoted Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to the US president, as describing such therapies as "potentially devastating effects on the lives of transgender as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual and queer youth."

Describing his experience of "conversion" therapy, Xiao said he was put under hypnosis and asked to imagine sexual thoughts involving men. After about 20 minutes, he was prodded with an electric shock by a "psychologist," who was later found by the Haidian district court to be operating under a false license. "I was completely shocked when the electricity shot through my arms. I jumped out of the chair," said Xiao.

The treatment Xiao was subjected to is known as aversion therapy, with the goal being to condition the "patient" into associating an unpleasant sensation, such as an electric shock, with the behavior it is meant to curb.

Though previously widely deployed as a "cure" for homosexuality, the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have declared its use a violation of its codes of conduct.

Xiao was told by the counseling center that he would need to go back for further treatment, but vowed never to return after the first session.

"I can't imagine being subjected to electric shocks like that over and over again. It was terrible," he said.

The counseling center where Xiao underwent the "treatment," Xinyu Piaoxiang, was contacted several times for the article, but declined to respond.

"Homosexuality is not a mental illness and sexual orientation cannot be changed," said Chen Zhilin, a Chongqing-based psychologist who received her master's degree in sexual psychology from the University of East London. "So-called 'conversion therapies' do not work, and instead cause great harm."

According to China's judiciary, homosexuality is not a mental illness and does not need to be "cured." Photo: IC

 

Family and social pressure 

According to a 2013 study conducted by the Beijing LGBT Center, one in 10 out of more than 1,600 gay and lesbian people they surveyed had considered "conversion" therapy.

The two most common reasons given for turning to "conversion" therapy, accounting for nearly 40 percent of respondents who had considered it, were pressure from family members and the desire to fit into society and live a "normal life."

Xiao, who came out in 2010, said he was pressured by his parents into seeking a way to change his sexual orientation. "I know many people [who experienced similar situations to me], who [end up] deceiving their parents into thinking that they have been 'cured' in order to placate them, and so they can stop attending the therapy sessions."

It was the pressure exerted by families - prompted by widespread discrimination against and poor understanding of LGBT people - that created a "market" for "conversion" therapy, said Xiao.  

Bo Bo (pseudonym), a 22-year-old gay man from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, said he was persuaded into trying "conversion" therapy last May by his older sister.

His sister, Bo said, told him his sexual orientation brought "great misery" to his family. She took him to a well-known hospital in Hangzhou, and volunteered to foot the bill for his "treatment," however much it cost.   

There, Bo underwent a psychological evaluation, and was subsequently told by doctors in the hospital's psychology department that he could be 'cured' but it would take two to three years. 

He was advised to attend a two-hour counseling session every week, at the cost of 580 yuan per session.

"I was very angry and disappointed by the 'therapy,' which caused me a lot of pain," said Bo. "The doctor kept asking me if I had any upsetting or traumatic experiences during my childhood to try to find a 'reason' [for my sexual orientation]…It really annoyed me. I had a very happy childhood, and there was nothing that happened that was harmful or traumatic." Despite his sister's continued urging, Bo quit after three sessions.

Contacted for comment, the hospital said that it did not consider homosexuality to be a mental illness, and did not provide such services.

Asked about Bo's specific case, a staff member from the psychological department said she was not aware of it, and could not provide further comment. 

Acupuncture and DNA testing

While the voices calling for an end to "conversion" therapy grow louder, some medical centers are moving in the opposite direction, offering more novel methods for changing sexual orientation.   

A staff member surnamed Hu at Handan Qianshi Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Hebei Province said that its doctors could "cure" homosexuality through acupuncture and by taking traditional Chinese medicine.

Hu said doctors would prescribe a course of treatment based on the severity of the "illness." The "patient" would be required to stay in the hospital for the duration of the "treatment," and first make a deposit of 5,000 yuan.

In January, it was reported by ifeng.com that a hospital in Chaoyang district claimed to be able to change a person's sexual orientation after performing a DNA test to determine whether the person was "genetically homosexual" or had "become" a homosexual through their life experiences.

After being asked to undergo the "DNA test" by holding "two iron rods," one "patient," identified in the article under the alias, lodged a formal complaint to local authorities.  

"There are so many hospitals and clinics like this, that if there is no way [to end such 'therapies'] there isn't tighter [government] supervision," said Xiao.

Lobbying for an end to 'conversion'

Xiao said the LGBT rights group he founded has put forward numerous petitions, proposals and reports to local authorities to introduce stricter regulations on medical centers offering "conversion" therapy, but so far, he has not received any positive responses.

Far from being dissuaded, Xiao is planning to start a website to publish the results of the joint-study on institutions offering counseling services in China,  separating clinics and hospitals into a "black list" of those that offer "conversion" therapy and a "white list" of those that don't. Xiao said there would also be information on the website about textbooks that stigmatize non-heterosexual relations. 

According to Chen, homosexuality has not been considered a mental illness under World Health Organization's (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD) since 1990, nor under the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders (CCMD) since 2001. But the continued classification of ego-dystonic sexual orientation - defined as a condition in which one's sexual orientation is at odds with one's ideal self-image - as a mental disorder in both the ICD and CCMD, left a legal loophole for gay "conversion" centers to exist.

Chen said when faced with parents seeking his professional advice about their child's sexual orientation, he would try to persuade them to accept it. "Conversion" therapy, he said, could leave mental scars, making it more difficult for people to accept their sexual orientation, and sometimes even leading to depression or suicide.

"I tell parents that there is no way to change their child's sexual orientation, and that it is better to simply respect it and to give their child more space and freedom," said Chen.

"Some parents find this difficult to understand, but others learn to accept it after several conversations."