Over Ling’er’s protests, her mother had her involuntarily hospitalised.
She remained in the hospital for 97 days, despite repeatedly pleading to leave. She was given psychiatric medication and subjected to seven rounds of modified electroconvulsive therapy.
The doctors did not explicitly say that the electric shocks were intended to change her gender identity, Ling’er said, but they urged her to cut her hair short and wear men’s clothing, and they made clear that they believed her transgender identity was wrong.
“The doctors didn’t listen to anything I said,” she said. “They thought I was sick, so I was sick.”
Medical and private institutions offering “conversion therapy” are common in China, according to activists, because the stigma against transgender people is widespread.
The Chinese Society of Psychiatry removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 2001, but it retained the ego-dystonic diagnosis, and it also continues to classify transgender individuals as having a mental illness. People are allowed to change their legal genders, but only if they undergo gender-affirming surgery and notify their families.
Authorities’ continued classification of transgender people as mentally ill also makes it harder to build a legal case, said Mr Chen Junmi, an LGBTQ+ rights activist in the United States who helped Ling’er bring her lawsuit.
When Ling’er was finally released from the hospital, she returned home to find that her parents had thrown away her clothes and makeup. At first, she tried to live as a man. But in September 2023, she decided to cut off her family and leave home.
For months, she drifted from city to city. She was turned away when she tried to find work as a server or caterer and at times slept on the street. Seeking solace, she connected with LGBTQ+ communities online, including Mr Chen. In July, Ling’er sued the hospital. (Her lawyers also suggested suing her parents, but Ling’er said she could not bring herself to do that.)
The hospital denied any wrongdoing, arguing that Chinese law allows people with mental disorders to be hospitalised against their will with their families’ consent, if they cannot consent on their own. The hospital could not be reached for comment.
The hospital initially offered only one-quarter of the 80,000 yuan (S$14,755) that Ling’er had sought. But after months of negotiations, they reached a settlement that Ling’er said would allow her to start her own shop or street food stall, and to begin saving for gender-affirming surgery.
She is now renting an apartment in the city of Tianjin, and she dreams of becoming an entertainer, playing instruments or chatting with viewers on livestream apps.
Ling’er said she hoped to see legal protections for, and education about, diverse gender identities.
“My own strength is far from enough,” she said. “We need all sisters to stand up and work together to improve the situation of transgender people in China.” NYTIMES
