Surgical and chemical castration

Domain XVI · Historical, discredited & harmful · 1938 · Netherlands

What it is

Surgical and hormonal castration of men because they were homosexual is a historical harmful practice and part of the wider family of conversion practices. Its premise was that same-sex desire was a disorder or a crime that could be removed by destroying or suppressing sexual function. Documented…

Format

• Redress, advocacy and meaning. Goal: practical redress (pardons, disregards, legal advice), testimony or commemoration if wanted, family work. End or space sessions when the client's goals are met.
• Format: individual work is the norm; couple, family or group work only at the client's request. Session numbers are set by clinical need and the client's goals, not by a protocol. Phases overlap; risk assessment continues throughout.

Evidence status, as the guide reports it

• There is no change mechanism to describe: professional and international bodies state that conversion practices do not change sexual orientation or gender identity and are associated with serious harm. The APA's 2021 resolution states there is "no evidence of sexual orientation change"; the UN…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Is there physical contact? Was it explained beforehand, and do you feel free to say no or stop at any point?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• defensiveness when the client criticises therapists. Working: you can hear the criticism and stay steady.
• litigation stress; the client's goals shifting. Working: the client acts from choice rather than pressure.
• relatives speaking for the person harmed; intergenerational secrecy repeating. Working: the family can talk about it openly.
• shame or dissociation; a sense of being examined again. Working: the client sets the pace and reports more ease with closeness.
• pressure from campaigns or family to go public; exposure the client later regrets. Working: the client feels ownership of the story.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.