Reggie Ho email to the Department of Health 2006
E-mail: mc-dc@dh.gov.hk (dated 2006)
Dear Madam/Sir,
I am the secretarial coordinator and chairman of HORIZONS, a 16-year-old charity specialized in counseling service on sexual orientation issues. This letter serves as a written complaint against an organization New Creation Association (www.newcreationhk.org), which offers what is generally known as conversion therapy aiming to “assist” homosexuals to “change” and become heterosexual.
This kind of therapy began in the US and it has been questioned by authorities such as American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association. Many professionals in the field of clinical psychology and psychiatry are worried that such therapy not only shows few proofs in its effectiveness, it may also induce psychological damages to
“patients” by increasing their guilt and self-blame for their sexual orientation, something that they don’t feel they have control over.
Although New Creation claims that their clients turn to them voluntarily, one must look at the circumstances in the context of society’s adverse attitude towards sexual minorities. Under pressure from the mainstream, sexual minorities would naturally be more prone to turning to “therapy” that promises a way out. But there is little evidence that this kind of
therapy works. In fact, there are more proofs that they do not work, but leave clients who have failed to change with tarnished self-esteem.
Many cases in which clients of conversion therapy have been failed by this practice and their testimonies on the harms they have been inflicted are widely quoted on the Internet, including http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_therapy#Scandals. I have personally
cross-checked these cases and they have all checked out.
I have also attached herein a document containing information that we have collected about conversion therapy, as well as an article by the South China Morning Post on May 18 reporting actual cases in Hong Kong of how clients of New Creation came out of the “therapy” worse off than before.
As one of New Creation’s leading practitioners, Dr Hong Kwai Wah, is a registered psychiatrist in Hong Kong and the service being rendered is touted as “therapy”, I believe the Medical Council has the responsibility to investigate what the organization is practicing.
I’d like to request that the Medical Council follow up on this matter, and ensure that no more individuals are falling victims of this unscientific therapy.
Regards,
Reggie Ho
Secretarial Coordinator and Chairman
HORIZONS
www.horizons.org.hk
Tel.: (852) 2815 9268
Mobile: (852) 9867 8283
