Patients With Mental Heath Problems Receive Treatment At Zhongshan Hospital (Photo : Getty Images)
China’s backward way of thinking when it comes to homosexuality remains in place even if being gay has been decriminalized in China in 2001.
The best example of that is an ongoing lawsuit in which a 37-year-old gay man who just divorced his wife sued a mental hospital for violation of his personal freedom. The case stemmed from the family of the man in Henan Province who forced him into a mental institution for 19 days to be cured of sexual preference disorder, reported Global Times.
The victim was confined on Oct. 8, 2015 at the Second People's Hospital of Zhumadian, reported Gaytimes. He sought an apology and damage of 10,000 yuan or $1,150.
But Huang Rui, the man’s lawyer, admitted he is pessimistic about the chances of winning the lawsuit since several evidence which are critical to the case, such as the victim’s medical record and investigation report by local authorities, have not been made available to Huang.
Until Wednesday, the hospital has refused to give him the man’s medical records. According to the victim, he was restrained immediately upon admission. However, the hospital did not perform any routine checks on him. During his 19-day forced confinement, the victim was given injections and medicine such as antidepressants. He signed an agreement with the hospital to discharge him, likely viewed as a consensus between the patient and the institution, despite the mental hospital’s unreasonable treatment.
Gay rights activists informed local police of his forced confinement which resulted in his rescue on Oct. 26, 2015. He was emboldened to file a lawsuit after he learned of a similar incident in 2014 in which the court, in its decision, affirmed being gay is not an ailment. A court is scheduled to hear the lawsuit on Wednesday.
