Chinese messaging app WeChat has sparked outrage after suddenly deleting LGBTQ+ dating accounts ran by students.
The widely popular Chinese dating platform WeChat is under fire after deleting after removing numerous LGBTQ+ accounts claiming they had broken regulation, Reuters reports.
WeChat’s move to take down accounts has internet users fearing greater targeting of LGBTQ+ content online.
Speaking to Reuters, members of the LGBTQ+ student groups said their accounts were first blocked and then all their content deleted.
The accounts in question are not able to be viewed on the dating app, however, Insider has reported users of Weibo (a Chinese micro-blogging site) were able to create a list of users impacted.
The list includes Peking University, National People’s University, Tsinghua Purple, and more.
Homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry up until 2001, and same-sex relations were illegal until 1997. However, there are no laws offering direct protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ expression and freedoms are tightly monitored in the country. Last year, China’s biggest annual Pride celebration, Shanghai Pride, was shut down.
The sudden movement marked the “end of the rainbow” for the Pride event after running for 12 years.
“We are honoured and proud to have travelled this journey of raising awareness and promoting diversity for the LGBTQ community,” Shanghai Pride wrote.
The post WeChat shuts down dozens of student LGBTQ+ accounts in China appeared first on GAY TIMES.
WeChat shuts down dozens of student LGBTQ+ accounts in China
Chinese messaging app WeChat has sparked outrage after suddenly deleting LGBTQ+ dating accounts ran by students.
The widely popular Chinese dating platform WeChat is under fire after deleting after removing numerous LGBTQ+ accounts claiming they had broken regulation, Reuters reports.
WeChat’s move to take down accounts has internet users fearing greater targeting of LGBTQ+ content online.
Speaking to Reuters, members of the LGBTQ+ student groups said their accounts were first blocked and then all their content deleted.
The accounts in question are not able to be viewed on the dating app, however, Insider has reported users of Weibo (a Chinese micro-blogging site) were able to create a list of users impacted.
The list includes Peking University, National People’s University, Tsinghua Purple, and more.
Homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder by the Chinese Society of Psychiatry up until 2001, and same-sex relations were illegal until 1997. However, there are no laws offering direct protections for the LGBTQ+ community.
LGBTQ+ expression and freedoms are tightly monitored in the country. Last year, China’s biggest annual Pride celebration, Shanghai Pride, was shut down.
The sudden movement marked the “end of the rainbow” for the Pride event after running for 12 years.
“We are honoured and proud to have travelled this journey of raising awareness and promoting diversity for the LGBTQ community,” Shanghai Pride wrote.
The post WeChat shuts down dozens of student LGBTQ+ accounts in China appeared first on GAY TIMES.
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