Thammasat University students interested in law, sociology, gender studies, political science, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 14 March Zoom webinar on Legislating Against Conversion Therapy in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The event, on Tuesday, 14 March 2023 at 6:30pm Bangkok time, is organized by the Faculty of Law and Centre for Chinese Law, The University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The TU Library collection includes some books about conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual norms.

The speakers will be Dino Wong and Joann Yeung, representatives of The Society of True Light, a Hong Kong-based non-governmental organization (NGO) advocating for self-acceptance among the LGBTQ+ community.

Also speaking will be Dr. Hsu Chih-Yun, a clinical psychiatrist who runs an LGBT consultation clinic at the National Taiwan University Hospital.

Here is the description of the event from its faculty webpage announcement:

Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), colloquially known as “conversion therapy”, refers to any form of treatment that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation. Such treatment is predicated upon the assumption that being LGBTQ+ is a condition that can be “cured”. Those that are treated may therefore encounter physical, psychological and sexual abuse, including cruel and inhumane treatments like electric shocks, forced medication or surgery, isolation and humiliation. “Conversion therapy” is generally regarded as discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientation. It is not only a serious violation of human rights of LGBTQ+ persons, but also a public health crisis.

In 2016, Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that they are drafting an amendment bill to outlaw “conversion therapy”, which was met with strong resistance from local anti-LGBTQ+ groups. They eventually achieved the ban via a letter of interpretation in 2018 – those who provides such treatment can receive up to 3 years of sentence. Meanwhile, Hong Kong is still very much behind on any discussion of a legislative ban. This webinar will involve LGBTQ+ advocates and medical professionals to explore the basis and strategies of legislating against “conversion therapy”.

Students are invited to register at this link:

https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_regform.aspx?guest=Y&UEID=86710

For any questions or further information, please write to

equality@hku.hk

According to the website of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP),

which promotes the healthy development of children, adolescents, and families through advocacy, education, and research,

Conversion Therapy

Variations in sexual orientation and gender expression represent normal and expectable dimensions of human development. They are not considered to be pathological; therefore, they are not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and other accepted nosological systems (1). Health promotion for all youth encourages open exploration of all identity issues, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression according to recognized practice guidelines (2). This fosters healthy development, especially for sexual and gender diverse youth, as they integrate their sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression, into their overall identity without any pre-determined outcome.

“Conversion therapies” (or “reparative therapies”) are interventions purported to alter same-sex attractions or an individual’s gender expression with the specific aim to promote heterosexuality as a preferable outcome (3, 4). Similarly, for youth whose gender identity is incongruent with their sex anatomy, efforts to change their core gender identity have also been described and more recently subsumed under the conversion therapy rubric (5). These interventions are provided under the false premise that homosexuality and gender diverse identities are pathological. They are not; the absence of pathology means there is no need for conversion or any other like intervention. Further, there is evidence that “conversion therapies” increase risk of causing or exacerbating mental health conditions in the very youth they purport to treat (2-5).

Comprehensive assessment and treatment of youth that includes exploration of all aspects of identity, including sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression is not “conversion therapy” (2). This applies whether or not there are unwanted sexual attractions and when the gender role consistent with the youth’s assigned sex at birth is non-coercively explored as a means of helping the youth understand their authentic gender identity. In the presence of gender dysphoria (distress related to the incongruence between gender identity and sex assigned at birth), the standard of care may involve exploration of living in a different gender role (appropriate to the child or adolescent’s developmental understanding of gender) and/or potential use of affirming gender transition interventions to align anatomical features with one’s gender identity for appropriately assessed pubertal adolescents (6, 7). This follows recognized standards of care and is not considered “conversion therapy.”

The AACAP Policy on “Conversion Therapies”

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds no evidence to support the application of any “therapeutic intervention” operating under the premise that a specific sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression is pathological. Furthermore, based on the scientific evidence, the AACAP asserts that such “conversion therapies” (or other interventions imposed with the intent of promoting a particular sexual orientation and/or gender as a preferred outcome) lack scientific credibility and clinical utility. Additionally, there is evidence that such interventions are harmful. As a result, “conversion therapies” should not be part of any behavioral health treatment of children and adolescents. However, this in no way detracts from the standard of care which requires that clinicians facilitate the developmentally appropriate, open exploration of sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression, without any pre-determined outcome.

Ajarn Timo Ojanen of the Faculty of Learning Sciences and Education, Thammasat University, addressed information to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the leading United Nations entity in the field of human rights, suggesting that

Conversion therapy in Thailand seems rare but there are isolated reports of related practices taking place. […] In my view, these kinds of practices are likely to be rare in Thailand mostly because Buddhism often views related phenomena through a lens of karma rather than sin – hence, non-normative expressions are a consequence of past-life sins rather than a cause of further divine punishment. If this belief holds, there is little motivation to change, unlike in the United States context where some conservative Christians think that a change in sexual orientation is key to living a life in a less sinful way.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)