Action: Challenging "Conversion Therapy"
In this event, we invited three activists who have been fighting against "conversion therapy": Wulao Bai, Yanzi, and Xixi. Xixi is a climber and was the plaintiff of the first anti-homophobic textbook case in China; Wulao Bai is one of the initiators of "Three Trucks of Lovers," an artistic action that intervenes in public discourse; and Yanzi is the first person in China to publicly share their experience of "conversion therapy".
Xi Xi
In 2016, Xixi began to get involved in activities related to the LGBTQ+ community. In 2014, many NGOs discovered that many textbooks in universities classified homosexuality as a disease, and 50% of the books supported "conversion therapy". These contents were mostly concentrated in professional textbooks such as mental health and psychiatric disorders. Xixi's university, South China Agricultural University, had a relatively closed campus environment and lacked correct information related to LGBTQ+ education.
Therefore, in June 2017, Xixi began to take personal action: starting with the textbook "College Student Mental Health Education", she called various editors or publishers to suggest that they change the content of the books, but the process was not smooth. Many editors blocked Xixi's phone number or could not be reached at all. Later, Xixi and Qiu Bai together conducted systematic lobbying and received some responses. For example, some publishers believed that many homosexuals suffer from their sexual orientation and find it painful, so it can be considered as a psychological disorder; however, some publishers were open to change.
In July 2017, Xixi decided to sue, with the initial intention of using this method to change the content of the textbooks. However, the case went through twists and turns, and both the first instance and the second instance were lost. Initially, the defendant argued that their textbook's pathologizing of homosexuals was a knowledge-based mistake, so the plaintiff appealed on the grounds of inadequate editorial quality. However, the defendant claimed to have quoted a file from the State Administration of Radio and Television to oppose the appeal. However, the understanding and citation of the "Chinese Classification and Diagnostic Criteria for Mental Disorders" by the State Administration of Radio and Television itself were also incorrect. Xixi believes that it is precisely these layers of misunderstandings and citations that make it so difficult to de-pathologize homosexuality.
As the plaintiff, Xixi also sought many experts and witnesses to refute the publisher's views and pointed out that the National Health and Family Planning Commission mainly diagnoses based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which had already de-pathologized homosexuality. During the initial lawsuit, Xixi was very concerned that her actions would have a significant impact on the LGBTQ+ community at the societal level. However, she later realized that using the law to legitimize the LGBTQ+ community's identity was a very valuable effort. She was also deeply moved by the many voices of support for herself and the "de-pathologization of homosexuality" that emerged on the internet, even though the case was lost.
Yanzi
In 2013, there was news that a lesbian couple's relationship was discovered by their family members, and they were sent for "conversion therapy". At that time, there were numerous organizations such as "Danlan" offering "treatment" for homosexuality, with many web pages promoting electric shock therapy to alter sexual orientation.
Yanzi and his friends attempted to curb the popularity of these "conversion therapy" organizations through television and commercial complaints, and even attempted legal means to change the situation, but to little effect. As a result, Yanzi decided to undergo "conversion therapy" himself. Despite being mentally prepared, he still felt extremely fearful when he went to the facility. After witnessing the horror of "conversion therapy," he turned to the legal route and also issued statements to various organizations.
In 2014, the Haidian District Court in Beijing announced the victory of the case and declared that homosexuality is not a disease, and any organization that offers therapy for homosexuality is illegal. In the following two years, many media outlets reported on "conversion therapy" related issues. At the end of 2016, a male homosexual in Zhumadian was sent by his family to the Zhumadian Second People's Hospital for mandatory treatment and was detained for 19 days. He was eventually rescued by volunteers who contacted the local police. In 2017, Yanzi and his friends filed a lawsuit for this homosexual individual, based on the provision of the Mental Health Law that any treatment should be based on the individual's will, and they successfully won the case.
In recent years, Western countries, including Taiwan, have issued official documents supporting the "depathologization" of homosexuality in their mental health centers. However, it was not until 2018 that such a document was issued in China. Therefore, in the Chinese context, it is urgent for relevant professional ethical standards to be established.
He believes that only by uniting with the community and taking corresponding actions can we truly change the situation. While online debates are important, offline actions are the core of change. "If you want to see the world change, you should be the change."
Wu Laobai
"Lover" is a project aimed at "conversion therapy" for Chinese homosexuals, jointly initiated by Lin He and Wu Laobai. At the end of 2018, Wu Laobai obtained a list of "conversion therapy" organizations from Yanzi and made phone calls to each one. Most of the organizations mentioned "sexual orientation disorder" and demanded expensive treatment fees. There were even hospitals in Guangxi that made absurd claims such as "homosexuality is a karmic debt from a past life." Therefore, Wu Laobai believed that keeping recordings and evidence when dealing with these organizations is a better way to protect oneself.
On November 29, 2018, Wu Laobai launched a crowdfunding campaign. As of June 2019, a total of 810 people participated in the "Rainbow Path" campaign, forming a protest route of over 2,000 kilometers from Shanghai to Beijing.
At the end of 2019, as the field investigation was coming to an end, Wu Laobai and his friends decided to form a truck convoy with the slogans "Treating a Non-existent Disease," "Why after 19 Years?" and "The Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders Still Retains 'Sexual Orientation Disorder'" and began their journey from Shanghai.
Their experience in the first stop in Shanghai was not particularly successful. There were some issues, such as a dispute between volunteers and local psychologists. When they visited the second organization, Wu Laobai directly presented the previous recordings and interacted with the doctor, but was threatened and reported to the police by the other party. Due to concerns about the project's failure, they changed their strategy after that.
Their new strategy involved visiting different locations and checking in, and spreading information on the internet to let others see that people were taking action. In the process, they also received many positive feedback, such as being discovered by netizens and being contacted and reported by journalists. Wu Laobai believes in the power of sustained advocacy and speaking out.
The second stop was in Nanjing, where Wu Laobai felt a great sense of shock, especially when facing the strong pressure from the doctors at Renkang Hospital. The doctor's personal introduction was "professionally treating homosexuality," and his way of speaking made people extremely nervous. He claimed that he could completely change a person in 10-15 days. At this hospital, Wu Laobai underwent testing with a brain neurotransmitter detector, and while worrying about being harmed, he also despised the doctor's constant emphasis on serving high-end clients. In fact, it was reported in 2014 that the brain neurotransmitter detector has no diagnostic value. This shows that there is no systematic way of diagnosing and treating homosexuality in hospitals, and it is not a scientific approach.
During this process, there were also many unexpected statements, such as a doctor at Yuanda Traditional Chinese Medicine Brain Health Hospital saying that "homosexuality is not a problem, but it is a disease." Another hospital proposed injecting some "factors" for treatment, but refused to disclose the specific ingredients of the factors and charged high fees. In Shijiazhuang, a doctor even asked Wu Laobai to extend his hand for pulse diagnosis.
Of course, there were also uplifting moments during the campaign: more and more media attention along the way, support and discussions from many netizens, and the successful crowdfunding giving Wu Laobai more strength. One hospital in Tianjin even said that homosexuality is not a problem, and if there are emotional issues, patients can bring their family and friends for counseling together.
The final stop was in Beijing, which Wu Laobai reached during the Rainbow Month in June 2019. Considering the political sensitivity of Beijing, they removed the slogans from the three trucks and replaced them with the red trucks themselves. They also opened up a channel for people to write their own messages, and collected 98 sets of messages. They went to the scene of the incident in 798 and circled the Sina building three times to express their dissatisfaction with Sina's deletion of homosexual illustrations.
Although there were still some regrets in their artistic practice, such as not being focused enough on specific issues, the practice is still worth encouraging.
In the end, Wu Laobai said, "We have always hoped for the moment when we can dance in the streets."
Q&A
During the Q&A session, all three speakers emphasized the importance of connecting with the community. Only through mutual support can individuals gain confidence and understand that their cognition and behavior are not problematic, and that being in the minority does not mean being wrong. Regardless of whether one wants to advocate for homosexuality or "conversion therapy," actual action requires being with the community, seeking support, and gathering strength to go further.
Ｑ: What are the obstacles to promoting the complete abolition of sexual orientation conversion therapy in medical institutions?
Yanzi: There is a blank in terms of cooperation and communication with legal professionals; practitioners such as psychological counselors also need to be friendly to the "gay" community.
Wu Laobai: Persistent and unremitting advocacy, as well as networking with different communities.
Xixi: There is no relevant policy such as the "Anti-Discrimination Law" to provide strong legal support.