A gay man has filed suit against China's largest search engine company for directing him to an "ex-gay" therapist that tortured him with electroshock therapy. Via
Gay Star News:
A court in Beijing will decide in the next few days whether to proceed with the lawsuit against Baidu and Chongqing-based Xin Yu Piao Xiang (XYPX). Baidu, the fifth most frequently visited website in the world, has broken various laws for displaying advertisements by XYPX with false claims about changing sexual orientation, according to volunteer lawyer Huang Yizhi. Last August, the gay man, who goes by the name of Xiao Zhen, googled the terms "homosexuality" and "gay therapy" on Baidu and the first result he got each time was an advertisement by XYPX. With XYPX promising to cure him of his homosexuality with a 30,000 yuan ($4880, €3525) treatment course, Xiao Zhen travelled all the way from the capital to Chongqing last month. "The psychological counsellor asked me to lie down for hypnotization, leading me to imagine being with another guy," he said. "I was electroshocked each time I was aroused. I was freaked out and jumped up at once, but he insisted that it was all right and that one needed persistence to succeed."
With an estimated market value of $55B, Baidu was the first Chinese company to be listed on the NASDAQ 100.
Labels: China, ex-gay, internet, lawsuits
