Forcibly Hospitalized by Parents
"Tied with Rope and Forced to Endure Electric Shocks"
A Chinese man awaiting gender reassignment surgery filed a lawsuit against the hospital seeking 80,000 yuan (15 million won) in damages, claiming he was forced to undergo electroconvulsive therapy. [Photo by SCMP]
A Chinese man preparing for gender reassignment surgery has filed a lawsuit against a psychiatric hospital, claiming he was forced to undergo electroconvulsive therapy, seeking 80,000 yuan (15 million KRW) in damages. It is reported that this man was forcibly admitted to the hospital by his parents who opposed the gender reassignment surgery.
On the 20th, Hong Kong media South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the recent experience of Ringer (27), a live streamer from Hebei Province in northern China.
Ringer told the media, "My biological sex is male, but I have preferred to associate with girls since childhood," and "I realized I was female when I entered university." He posts videos wearing makeup and women's clothing.
Ringer began preparing seriously for gender reassignment surgery while taking the female hormone estrogen, but faced strong opposition from his parents. During this process, Ringer was forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital by his parents.
However, Ringer revealed that he endured horrific experiences during 97 days at the hospital, shocking the local Chinese community. He claimed, "After being admitted to the hospital, I was tied to the bed with ropes, many doctors manipulated my body, and I underwent electroconvulsive therapy for several days." He also said his phone was confiscated by the medical staff.
In response, the hospital stated, "The purpose of electroconvulsive therapy is to control the emotions of patients with mental illness and to strengthen self-awareness," and insisted, "We did nothing wrong."
Dr. Pin Bailin, a plastic surgeon, explained to the media, "Using electroconvulsive therapy to reverse gender identity is unscientific," and "Being transgender is not a mental illness." He added, "Gender anxiety can be alleviated through psychological counseling, hormone therapy, and voice training."
Local netizens reacted to the story with comments such as "How can they say there was no wrongdoing after electroshock therapy?", "Being transgender is not a mental illness," "The hospital should apologize immediately," "How can parents treat their child like that?" and "It must have been very hard for 97 days."
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