As gender diversity spreads around the world, the position of sexual minorities in Chinese society is deteriorating, with many sent to correctional facilities where they undergo brutal treatment in the name of “conversion therapy.” The accusation comes from a group of victims and their supporters who in recent interviews revealed that there are some 100 such facilities in the country, including hospitals and private institutions. They say inmates are subject to beatings and other violent acts to attempt to “correct” their sexual orientation or gender identities. While prejudice based on conservative ideas pervasive in Chinese society plays its part, one expert said discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people is being spurred on by the Chinese leadership under President Xi Jinping, who see respecting the rights of sexual minorities as a “Western value.”