2014
CASE STUDY :
The Beijing LGBT Center
2015
uring the litigation, The
Beijing LGBT Center
and partners in Beijing
conducted a public advocacy
campaign to fuel public outrage
and awareness. The activists
protested and held performances
outside of the courthouse,
dressing up as faux doctors and
nurses administering chilling
“conversion” therapy techniques
to patients.
Just over one year into their three-year
advocacy plan, The Beijing LGBT Center
and partners from across China are not
slowing down. In 2015, the campaign
garnered remarkably high levels of
international media coverage on the
issue of gay “conversion” therapy.
Multiple documentaries aired on the
campaign internationally, including a
November 2015 exclusive story on
the UK television program Unreported
World.
The court announced its verdict
on December 18, 2014.
The Beijing LGBT Center’s definitive
goal is to end discrimination against
LGBT people in China. To do this, the
root cause of people’s discriminatory
attitudes must be uncovered. Thus,
The Beijing LGBT Center is also
currently conducting a survey of
psychological counselors’ and mental
health professionals’ attitudes towards
homosexuality across China; thousands
of people have already responded. As
their advocacy campaign continues
to gain momentum in China, the
organization will set its sights regionally.
D
The court ruled that
“conversion” therapy
was unnecessary
and reaffirmed that
homosexuality is not
an illness; accordingly
it does not require
treatment.
Iron and volunteers from The Beijing LGBT
Center pretend to inject a patient with a
mock syringe outside of the Beijing court
hearing the case on gay “conversion”
therapy.
Photo: Greg Baker / AFP / Getty Images.
This was a major victory for
China’s LGBT community.
According to Iron, “It’s
really a milestone.
And Yang Teng will be
recorded in history.
This is the first time
LGBT people initiated
this sort of litigation, so
it’s very inspirational
for the LGBT
community.”
The court also ordered the clinic
that “treated” Yang Teng to
publicly apologize and provide
him with compensation. The
court also ordered Baidu, the
popular Chinese search engine,
to stop posting advertisements
for the clinic.
According to Iron, “through
collaboration with experts in
this field, we can gradually
eliminate discrimination against
homosexual people in the Asia
region. That is the ultimate
goal.”
Yang Teng awaits the verdict of his landmark lawsuit outside of
the Beijing courthouse. Photo: AP.
Iron was interviewed for Al
Jazeera Media Network’s
documentary on the advocacy
campaign. Screenshot: Al
Jazeera Media Network, June
2015.
28
In October 2015, the UK
television program Unreported
World produced a video
on the situation of gay
“conversion” therapy in
China. The video featured
the continuing advocacy
campaign of The Beijing
LGBT Center and its partners
in China. Photo: Unreported
World, 2015.
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