Chinese man wins court battle against gay cure therapy
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A state hospital in China has been banned from forcing a gay man to undergo conversion therapy intended to make him heterosexual.
The monumental ruling has been hailed as a victory by gay rights advocates in China, according to The Times.
The plaintiff, named Yu Hu, was forced by his relatives into the care of the psychiatric ward of his local hospital in Zhumadia, after his wife discovered that he was in a relationship with another man.
Despite the fact that Mr Hu was preparing to divorce his wife, he found himself held against his will inside the psychiatric facility.
He was stripped naked, mocked, and forced to take medication.
Mr Hu told The Beijing News, “I kept saying I have no illness and need no therapy, but no one heeded my word.
“I did not go through any examination but got injected and was forced to take pills.
“I could hear blood-curdling screams there every day.”
33-year old Mr Hu said that his boyfriend asked gay rights volunteers to help free him, and they then asked local police to investigate, stating that Mr Hu was being held involuntarily.
They had him released after 19 days.
The initial verdict from June ordered the hospital to formally apologise to Mr Hu, along with paying £560 in fines.
The hospital dropped its appeal against the ruling yesterday.
The court’s ruling against the facility seems to have set a precedent in China, which Mr Hu has welcomed.
“I would like the public to know that homosexuality is no disease and requires no treatment,” he said.
While homosexuality was legalised in 1997 and the Chinese government no longer classifies homosexuality as a psychiatric illness, the LGBT+ community in China is still largely regarded with suspicion and prejudice.
