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china, chinese, Clinics, Cures, Gay, Homosexual, Lesbian, Quackery, Sex in China
In China if there’s a buck to be made out of something, one thing you can guarantee is that there will be thousands of suppliers only too willing to profit from it. Though there is no longer state pressure for gay people to be treated against their will (it was only in the last decade that homosexuality stopped being considered a mental illness legally in China), the enormous pressure that homosexuals face socially and in their family lives lead many to seek “treatment” anyway.
Many parents and siblings will insist, on discovering that one of their relatives is gay, that the individual seek psychological or psychiatric treatment, as they are positive that their homosexuality is just a “sickness” which needs treating. In some cases they will actually physically drag the person to a “treatment centre”.
Liu Chunjian - The "Therapist" that "cures" gay men in the film
A documentary, “Cures that Kill” which was released in the United States in 2011, documents the struggles of a Chinese man going through a religious program intended to cure them of their homosexuality. The participant describes fasting for two days after he has any kind of sexual fantasy, in order to remember his ultimate goal.
During the film in which the lead is encouraged to live a life of abstinence and prayer to “cleanse” his past through Jesus, there is a moment when he confronts a group of men following the same program and discovers that each and every one of them has considered suicide thanks to the depressing effect this “cure” has on them. This is his turning point, and he chooses to leave the program and has now had a series of happy relationships with men.
It is interesting to note that those clinics that profess to offer a scientific “healing” process, refused to co-operate with the documentary. Which, given their methodology is perhaps unsurprising. In a move similar to failed British attempts (back in the 1960’s and 1970’s when the UK was also in denial over the realities of homosexuality) these clinics often use electric shock aversion therapy.
The poor “patients” are either shown homosexual pornography or are surrounded by attractive naked males, and every time they show signs of sexual stimulation they are given a heart does of electricity through their genitals. This kind of shock therapy can be dangerous (as previous evidence suggests) eventually leaving the individual unable to obtain any kind of erection, or worse it can lead to sexual fetishism where the participant requires a form of electric shock in order to achieve arousal. In either case this brutal practice makes no long-term difference to the person’s sexual inclinations.
These "cures" are far less common in Taiwan, thanks mainly to activists like these (Source: Wikipedia)
Other approaches through these so called “medical” establishments include drug therapy, and even surgery. Again this approach has shown absolutely no success, whatsoever.
It is very clear from all literature that being gay is not a disease, it cannot be “cured” because it is not an illness (whatever any organization wishes to claim), and it is a sad thing that this industry can flourish in China due to lax regulations and a general misunderstanding of all matters sexual.
I apologies for the overuse of quotation marks in this piece, but I felt it was the only way to convey this information without appearing to endorse it. Which I don’t in any way.
Shards of China 
Thanks for this informative and distressing piece. I’ve noticed a lot more homosexual couples in Beijing than ever before, and all of them are younger folks. I’m really happy about this because as you said, the treatments can be permanently damaging physically and emotionally.
They certainly can Emily. Thanks for stopping by to comment. 🙂
I agree with Emily.
All to often (even from foreigners… thankfully the number of them is less as the years go on) I hear “being gay is a choice” (or being a lesbian or bi). My response is always… if it was a choice, do you think anyone would want the social stigma attached to being the way they are?
I chalk it up too… if I had a choice, do you think I’d choose to be this tall? Or choose to live in a country so far away from my family? Or choose to have oily skin? Or choose to love science fiction over romantic comedies?
Yes, you can “condition” yourself to appreciate romantic comedies, but you’ll never stop loving science fiction. One can control the oil appearance through regular washing, maintaining a healthy diet… but my skin will always produce more oil than someone with drier skin.
It is good and exciting to see that there are more and more people in the world finding their happiness with someone they love, respect and their best friend.
I 100% agree, the world needs as much love as people can give – and much less judgement whether people can give it or not…
Personally, I don’t understand what all the hippity hooplah is about. If Chinese people knew as much of their history as they claim to then they’d know homosexuality was accepted back in the day. But whatever, hopefully, the more tolerant younger generations will relax and let people do what they want to do.
How much history can any country teach in its schools? In fairness to the locals and the education system – it’s not widely taught that the UK used to try and “cure” homosexuals through very similar methodology in the 1960’s and 70’s (that’s in my lifetime – just).
In fact it’s pretty unusual for any country to educate people about the history of gay folk – mainly because of the enormous prejudices around the issue. In the UK – Clause 28 – which was passed in the 1980’s forbade schools from teaching that homosexuality was a normal option – and this took nearly twenty years to repeal.
In my school we learned that Alexander the Great and the Greeks were gay and bisexual. Admitting that the Greeks, the founders of Western civilization, accepted homosexuality as an everyday part of life is pretty profound I think. That’s just one piece of gay history among many that are now taught in US public schools. It’s that easy. But hopefully, one day the Chinese education system will teach the full and truthful history of their civilization, even the parts that make them uncomfortable.
Sad … just sad
Good article. I guess, in this case, the saying holds true that sometimes that cure is worse than the disease.
So cannot cure ready la… Very sad