Forensic Psychiatrist Aubrey Levin has been charged with sexual assault following complaints from a longtime patient, a 36-year-old man who claims that the assaults happened repeatedly over a period of time. 

Levin, a former University of Calgary professor and consultant with Corrections Canada, was the former chief psychiatrist at the Voortrekkerhoogte military hospital and was once identified by The Daily Mail and Guardian (July 28, 2000, original article no longer online) as the director of “The Aversion Project,” in which the South African military used aversion treatments to “cure” gay and lesbian military personnel.  In the most extreme allegations, it had been said that The Aversion Project treated those who could not be cured with chemical castration or forced Genital Reassignment Surgery, although these allegations have never been proven.   The latter allegations appear to come from Jean Erasmus, an interviewee who later committed suicide, and Daily Mail writer Paul Kirk, and are otherwise difficult to corroborate (at least from Canada — perhaps South African readers can add to the discussion) unless others were to come forward.

The National Post published the connection to “The Aversion Project” when Dr. Levin moved to Calgary in 2000, but then recanted after a lawsuit was threatened.  Lawyer Grant Stapon reminded at the time that “there are no proceedings or investigations against him to our knowledge.” 

It's important to note that while the Aversion Project is largely accepted to have happened to some degree (claims of chemical castration and forced GRS are sometimes disputed), whether or not Levin can be connected to it is ultimately unknown and responsibility has never been assigned — the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has never formally called anyone to account for it.  Still, this development may be of interested to people who are aware of the Aversion Project.

(Crossposted to DentedBlueMercedes)