She wins a historic trial. In China, a trans woman filed a complaint against a hospital that imposed conversion therapy on her without her consent. In 2022, after her parents objected to her gender identity, artist Ling'er was admitted to a hospital in Qinhuangdao City. Diagnosed as having a “discordant sexual orientation,” she had undergone seven electroshock sessions over nearly three months.
“It caused serious damage to my body,” she told the Guardian. Every time I underwent this treatment, I fainted. I didn't agree, but I had no choice. The hospital tried to “correct” me, to make me conform to society’s expectations.” Since then, the young woman has suffered from heart problems which require treatment.
The Changli County People's Court in Qinhuangdao, where the case was tried, approved awarding record compensation of 60,000 yuan (about 8,000 euros) to the 28-year-old artist. LGBT+ activists described the ruling, handed down on October 31, as a “victory for transgender rights in China”. While homosexuality was removed from the list of mental illnesses by the Chinese Psychiatric Society in 2001, trans identity is still considered as such.
Living your trans identity in China
According to a report published by Asia Catalyst (an association that promotes the right to health in Asia) in 2014, the number of trans people in China is estimated at nearly four million, but the figures remain rare. Gender changes on official papers are therefore only authorized if the person concerned undergoes a sexual reassignment operation (must be approved by the family in advance) preceded by psychotherapy, then has the change validated by the courts on the basis of 'a document issued by the hospital, details…
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