Lesbian student sues Chinese publisher for describing homosexuality as 'a mental disorder' in a textbook
- Student sued a publisher and e-commerce company over controversial wording
- Her university book classifies homosexuality as a 'sexual physiological disorder'
- The case was heard at a district court in China after being delayed for three years
- The woman asked for financial compensation, apologies and a recall of the book
A Chinese university student has sued a publisher for producing a textbook that classifies homosexuality as a 'sexual physiological disorder'.
The lesbian woman, 23, also brought a lawsuit against a major e-commerce website for selling the mental health schoolbook, according to local media.
This case, the first of its kind in mainland China, was reportedly heard in court last week after being put on hold for three years. The judge is yet to announce a ruling.
The student, known as Xi Xi, was studying at a university in the southern city of Guangzhou when she read the description of homosexuality in a mental health textbook (pictured)
She said she had emailed the editor of the book, written letters to the Jinan University Press and even visited the publisher's office (pictured) to demand corrections of the content
The student, known by a pseudonym Xi Xi, was studying at a university in the southern city of Guangzhou in 2016 when she read the description of homosexuality in the school material, according to Chinese news outlet The Paper.
A picture released by Xi Xi to the website shows the schoolbook, published in 2013, listing homosexuality under 'sexual physiological disorders'. The author describes homosexuality as 'a disorder regarding sex or an inversion of sexual objectification'.
Xi Xi told reporters that she realised she was a lesbian in 2015 when she was 18. She found her first girlfriend, who studied at the same high school as her, in the same year.
The self-described Lady Gaga fan also described how her classmates had bullied her in university for her sexual orientation.
She recalled how her lecturer had held a debate over whether or not gay couples could form a 'real family'.
After confessing in class that she was a lesbian, Xi Xi said she was laughed at by her classmates who told her to read their textbook.
The university student, who was in Hong Kong, could not attend the hearing last week due to coronavirus. The picture shows her lawyers holding a rainbow flag outside the courthouse
Xi Xi decided to hold the Jinan University Press legally responsible after feeling furious and shocked about its characterisation of homosexuality.
She said she had emailed the editor of the book, written letters to the publisher and even visited their office, but received no satisfactory replies.
In 2017, the 20-year-old brought legal charges against the Jinan University Press for publishing books with 'erroneous and misleading content'.
She also sued the Jiangsu Yuanzhou E-Commerce, an affiliation of NASDAQ-listed e-commerce company JD which had been selling the book.
She demanded the defendants provide her with financial compensation, make public apologies to her, recall the book and correct its wording.
The case was formally set up by the Yusu District Court in the city of Suqian, eastern China, in July 2017. But it had been delayed twice due to various reasons before a hearing took place last Friday.
Xi Xi told reporters that she realised she was a lesbian when she was 18 and found her first girlfriend in the same year. She claimed to be laughed at for her sexual orientation (file photo)
A follow-up report from The Paper said Xi Xi, who was in Hong Kong, could not attend the trial due to coronavirus travel restrictions. It also noted that neither defendant had shown up.
The report said the court was due to announce its ruling.
In a post published by LGBT rights advocacy group, LGBT Rights, Xi Xi claimed that her lawyers had been interrupted by the judge multiple times while making their statement.
She also claimed that the judge had tried to halt the hearing halfway because of 'other matters'.
She expressed her anger over the fact that the defendants had chosen not to attend the hearing, but promised to stay strong and keep fighting for her rights.
'Do not give up every opportunity to speak out. We must make it impossible for them to avoid (the matter),' she urged in the article.
Chinese authorities removed homosexuality from its list of diseases in the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders, a national clinical guide, in 2001.
But the LGBT community continue to face strong social stigma. Stories of families enrolling relatives in treatments seeking to change their sexual orientation also remain common.
Gay rights campaigners act out electric shock treatment to protest outside a court where the first court case in China involving so-called conversion therapy was held in Beijing in 2014
Human rights group have urged the Chinese government to ban hospitals and other medical facilities from subjecting LGBT people to the so-called 'conversion therapy'.
Though widely discredited by doctors, such treatment is an attempt to change a person's sexual orientation through various means such as hypnosis, drugs, acupuncture and even electric shock therapy.
Chinese society continues to favour children who can pass on their family name. Since same-sex marriage is not legal and same-sex couples may not adopt jointly, gay and lesbian people feel compelled to enter heterosexual marriages and have children.
China also has no laws protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, which deters victims of conversion therapy or general abuse from seeking justice out of fear that their sexual orientation will be made public.
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