Yang Teng, 30, won a historic court ruling this week when The Haidian District Court in China ruled that the six electroshock therapy treatments given Teng to cure him of his homosexuality were ruled illegal. The court has ordered the Xinyu Piaxiang clinic, which claimed it could “cure” Teng of his homosexuality and where he received the treatments, to pay Teng 3500 yuan ($563) to cover costs incurred, and an apology from the clinic which is located in Chongquing, in the southwest of the country . The Haidian District is an urban municipality located in the Northwestern region of Beijing, the capital of The People’s Republic of China.
Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1997. Five years later, China removed homosexuality from a state list of diseases.
Teng originally sought 1400 Yuan ($2,250) to cover the cost of the therapy, travel, lost earnings and damages; but the court declined to award damages. Still, Teng was elated by the results. “The court sided with me, and it has supported that homosexuality is not a mental disease that requires treatment,” he said.
The Family Planning Policy, known more commonly in the West as the ‘One-Child Policy,’ attempts to restrict family planning in China to one child per family due to a variety of demographic, environmental and political reasons. As a result, parents are under enormous pressure to produce not only a child that is capable of continuing the family name (another equally important Eastern concept) but one that can do so naturally. As a result, and because homosexuality is still seen in this nation as a problem to be fixed rather than accepted, various culture phenomenon have taken root such as conversion therapy.
And according to The Australian, Yang said he hoped the treatment would be shut down across the world and that the decision would prompt the Chinese government to provide more gay support. “In some areas, homosexuality is still treated as a mental disorder by many hospitals and organizations in China,” Yang said. “I hope that my win shows that gay rights should be protected and the public will learn to respect this and reduce the discrimination that so many people face.” The clinic’s Web site says patients are given up to 30 electronic shocks. Yang said the treatment left him dazed and feeling sick. The court ordered that the clinic needed to publish an online apology for two days.
Here in the United States, California and New Jersey have banned the use of conversion therapy. And the American Psychological Association (APA) has repeatedly made clear since August, 2009 that sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) including conversion therapy can, in some cases, be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies.
