Apple News on Conversion Therapy 15 July 2011
by adminSource: Apple.com
This is an English translation of the article; please scroll down for the Chinese original.
Apple Daily
15th July 2011
Social Welfare Department’s ‘Corrective Therapy’ maybe Discriminatary
20,000 Emails from Overseas Poured In
The World Health Organisation (WHO) not see homosexuality as a dieases; therefore corrective therapy that makes gays ‘go straight’ has long been controversial overseas. Last month, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) invited psychiatrist Dr. Hong Kawi Wah, who is famous for corrective thearapy, to give a talk to social workers. This created dissatisfaction in the Tongzhi community in Hong Kong. Also, concern groups from overseas objected to the actions of the Hong Kong government, and initiated an email campiagn to protest against the SWD. The initiative has already drawn the support of 20,000 individuals from around the world, making Hong Kong the launghing stock of the world.
On the 17th June last month, the SWD organised a talk for its social workers, titled ‘Counselling Same-sex Attracted Youth’. The speaker of the talk is Dr. Hong Kwai Wah, chairman of ‘New Creation’, a Christian-related group famous for its corrective therapy. Dr. Hong is a psychiatrist and director at The Society for Truth and Light, an organisation which has been at oddes with the Tongzhi community for its ant-homosexual stance. SWD’s hiring of Dr. Hong to instruct its social workers on counselling homosexuals has created an uproar in the Tongshi community. The community angrily accuse the government for labelling homosexuality as a diease, a practice against international standards.
Tongzhi group Rainbow Action protested outside the SWD on the day the talk was held; the protest was reported by more than 20 foreign media organisation.
Online Email Campiagn
In response to the controvesy, concern groups from overseas has initiated an email campign against the SWD, drawing the support of nearly 20,000 people world wide. The controvesy created concern from overseas; on the second day (date unclear), Truth Wins Out, an American LGBT group, and Chnage.org, a social movement group which raised 140,000 signitures supporting the release of Ai Wei Wei, banded together to organise the email campaign. Numerous psychiatrists and psychologists from overseas also left thier comments on the campign site. Some accuses the Hong Kong government as advocating corrective therapy, which they consider unscientific and inhumane. Some said that the government’s actions is the ‘shame of Hong Kong’.
Tommy, a member of Rainbow Action, stated that homosexuality has ceased to be considered a dieases by the WHO in 1990. He also remarked that many psychiatric organisations in the world are against corrective therapy, and that in 2008, the American Psychiatric Association has issued a statement condemning corrective therapy, citing potential risk of causing depression, anxiety and self-harm. ‘We demand a public apology and a promise not repeat similar action from the SWD. So far we have had no response from them. We have already been contacted by international organisations, and together we are drafting a complaint to the WHO,’ said Tommy.
SWD Claims Talk did not Touch Corrective Therapy
Cheung Kowk Tung, Legco member for the Social Work constituency and chairman of the Hong Kong Social Workers’ General Union, said he has received complaints from social workers on the discriminatory nature of the talk. He said he has contacted the SWD for more information regarding the talk, with no responses so far. He emphasised that according to social workers’ code of practice, they should not impose their values on the counselled.
A spokesman from the SWD claimed that between the 17th of June and today, the department has received 30,000 emails regarding the incident, with some of the emails being duplicates. The SWD claims that all the emails has been responded to. It also stressed that the talk on the 17th June was not to teach corrective therapy, but to provide social workers with more information regarding youth identity and sexual attraction.
社署「拗直同志」涉歧視
海外二萬人發電郵聲討
2011年07月15日
【記者梁御和報道】同性戀被世界衞生組織界定非疾病，將同志「攣拗直」治療一直在國際引起爭議。社署上月邀請出名為同志「攣拗直」的精神科醫生康貴華為社工辦講座，引起香港同志界不滿。事件餘波未了，外國關注團體不值港府所為，發起網上一人一信行動聲討社署，已有 2萬名來自世界各地的人士支持，事件令香港國際之都成為笑柄。
社署於上月 17日舉辦一個以社工為對象的「被相同性別吸引的青少年輔導講座」，講者為以「拗直同志」聞名的基督教背景組織「新造的人協會」會長康貴華，康為精神科醫生及明光社董事，明光社因一直高調反對同性戀與同志界勢成水火，社署高調聘請他教導社工如何輔導同性戀，惹起同志界譁然，怒斥政府將同性戀標籤為疾病，做法歧視兼有違國際標準。
同志組織「彩虹行動」於課程舉行當日到社署抗議，事件有逾 20個海外傳媒報道。
網上發起一人一信行動
外國關注團體發起網上一人一信行動，現全球有近 2萬人（見紅圈）聲討社署。事件引起國際關注，翌日美國同志組織 Truth Wins Out與收集過 14萬個簽名聲援國內藝術家艾未未的社運網站 Change.org，在網上共同發起一人一信行動，呼籲全球網友向社署發電郵抗議，根據網站資料，已有近 2萬人參與，不少外國精神科及心理醫生也在網頁留言，有人質疑社署作為政府部門帶頭鼓吹不科學、不人道的拗直治療，為香港恥辱。
「彩虹行動」成員 Tommy指出，世衞早在 1990年將同性戀在精神病名冊中除名，不再被定性為疾病，多個國際心理學會也反對「治療」同性戀，包括美國精神醫學會於 08年發出聲明指「拗直治療」潛在風險，會引致沮喪、焦慮及自毀行為。「我哋要求社署公開道歉同承諾日後唔再容許同樣情況發生，但一直冇回應，事件已引起國際社會關注，有國際關注組織聯絡我哋會介入事件，正草議文件準備向世衞投訴」。
社署稱講座沒教改傾向
立法會社福界議員兼香港社會工作者總工會會長張國柱表示，曾接獲社工投訴上述講座歧視同性戀，他曾聯絡社署要求提供講座資料，惟一直沒回應。他強調，根據社工守則，輔導時不能將個人價值加諸案主身上。
社署發言人表示，由 6月 17日至今共收到 3萬封來自上述行動的電郵，當中有重複寄件，該署均已回應及澄清。該署強調，有關講座並非教授「改變性傾向治療」，而是為社工提供更多有關年輕人性別身份及性別吸引的資料。
This is an English translation of the article; please scroll down for the Chinese original. Words inside brackets are notes by the translator.
Apple Daily
15th July 2011
Suppressing Desire
Hong Kawi Wah only Admitts to Providing Counselling
Hong Kwai Wah has been actively advocating corrective therapy for the past 7 years. Apart from practicing psychiatry at his clinic, he also provides courses for homosexuals at ‘New Creation’, an organisation he chairs. When asked for details regarding corrective therapy, he denies that he provides treatment for homosexuals. This may or may not have to do with the international pressure (associated with the controversy).
Constant Brain-washing Through Hypnosis
According to Rainbow Action, homosexuals who attended the corrective course said that the treatment suppresses desires mainly by hypnosis, and the indoctrination of the message ‘homosexuality is sin’. (speaker identity unclear) ‘When desire for a member of the same sex arises, they ask you to take cold showers to dampen your desire. To those (course attendants) with religious beliefs, they convince you that you have fallen prey to the devil, and ask you to pray for a change in sexual orientation.’ Pastor Kelvin Wong of the Blessed Minority Church said that believers who were indoctrinated with implied messages during hyponsis dsiplayed physical revolt in the sight of a body of the same sex. Some even had symptoms of depression.
Hong Kwai Wah denied all the above charges. He emphasised that he only provides counselling to homosexuals. ‘If a homosexual wants to radicate his/her homosexuality, I would only provide counselling and assistance. That can’t be called ‘corrective therapy’,’ Hong said. After much questioning by our reporter, he admitted that he mentioned successful cases of homosexuals ‘radicating their homosexuality and reverting to heterosexuality’ at the SWD talk. He also admitted to mentioning the ‘success rate’ of 20%.
Insider Claim Treatment Useless
Last month, in a program discussing corrective therapy on the CNN, an American TV Station, parents of homosexuals claimed that corrective therapy destroyed their son(s). In recent years, organisations advocating corrective therapy has seen a serious of walk-out by their important members. In 2007, an important member of Exodus International publicly apologised to homosexuals, saying that corrective therapy is useless, and can cause mental disorder and suicide.
Dr. Ng Man Lun, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Sexual Education Association claimed that at present, there is no corrective therapy for homosexuality, neither in Western nor Chinese medicine. ‘(A corrective effect) can be achieved by brain-washing, and if the patient signed consent forms before the treatment, the doctor may not have acted against rules. But from a medical and humanitarian view point, you should not do (corrective therapy) for its harmful effects,’ said Dr. Ng.
壓抑慾念
康貴華只承認提供輔導
2011年07月15日
康貴華於過去七年積極推動「攣拗直」，除在診所應診，也在其任會長的新造的人協會為同志提供課程。惟記者向他查詢其「拗直治療」詳情時，他竟否認向同志提供治療，未知是否因已引起國際關注有關。
透過催眠不斷洗腦
根據彩虹行動資料，曾參與課程的同志透露治療主要透過催眠及不斷灌輸「同性戀是罪惡」等訊息以壓抑慾望，做法有違人性，「一對同性出現性慾，就叫佢哋冲凍水浴壓抑慾念，有宗教信仰就話佢哋係邪靈或者魔鬼附身，叫佢哋祈禱改變性傾向」。本港同志教會基恩之家黃國堯牧師則透露，曾有信徒被催眠加入暗示訊息後，面對同性時身體便出現惡心或手震等負面反應，有人甚至有抑鬱病徵。
不過康貴華對上述指控一一否認，他向本報強調，只向同志提供輔導，「有同志如果想消除同性戀傾向，或者想發展異性戀，我哋只係提供『輔導』同『協助』，係唔係叫『拗直』根本唔可以一概而論」。記者多番追問下，他承認在社署講座中曾向社工提及同志可「消除同志戀傾向變回異性戀」的「成功」例子，機率約 20%。
要員直指療程無效
上月美國 CNN一個討論「拗直治療」的節目中，有同志家屬便認定拗直治療毀掉兒子。近年外國一些著名鼓吹「拗直治療」的組織均有重要成員離開，其中「走出埃及國際」（ Exodus International）的要員便於 07年向同志公開道歉，指療程無效，令同志精神失常及有自殺傾向。
香港性教育會副會長兼精神科專科醫生吳敏倫直言，目前中西醫學也沒有同性戀治療，「用洗腦方法實做到，如果『被治療者』事前簽晒同意書，醫生未必犯例，但問題係站喺醫學同人道立場，你應唔應該做，做完有冇不良後果」。
Posted on Sunday, July 24th, 2011 at 11:55 pm in Article, Conversion Therapy, News | RSS feed | Respond | Trackback URL
