The Dutch government is about to investigate well-substantiated claims that hundreds of young mostly gay and bi men were surgically castrated in the 1950s while in the care of the Dutch Roman Catholic Church. The investigation follows claims that young men under 21 years of age were operated on to 'cure' their homosexuality. A psychiatrist with close links to the Church became known at the time as "the castrator of the Netherlands." In one particularly disturbing case a young man, a minor, was castrated after reporting to police that he was being abused by priests while in the care of a Catholic boarding home. The procedure was carried out in a Catholic psychiatric hospital.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Friday, 23rd March 2012 - 1:12pm