cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/103276

Across China, queer college societies, which had been rare spaces to safely push boundaries, were being swiftly erased from the Chinese internet. In July, 14 of the largest and most prominent accounts were banned, cutting connections between thousands of members scattered across the country and casting them adrift.

The struggle has worsened. Things that were acceptable to speak about online before can now open you up to attack. It’s not just LGBTQI issues, in Mei’s view. Anything rights-related is now a target.

When the country went online in the 1990s, so did many queer people who wanted to find others like them. Gay sex was decriminalized in China in 1997, but by then, there was already a thriving online community. (…) “Censorship wasn’t as strict,” he said of those early years. “It gave you the false belief that things would get better.”

Though these apps present themselves as allies to the gay community, they have aligned with the censors. Blued assigns each user “rainbow credits,” which they deduct if users violate community regulations. Leo has found this includes trying to organize an activity. When a user loses credits, their profile faces more restrictions, the final stage of which is being frozen. Blued’s parent company is increasingly gathering a monopoly over queer online interactions — in August 2020, it bought the largest lesbian dating app, Lesdo, which it shut down this year.

    • @ttmrichter@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      32 years ago

      Keep in mind that Marx and company were absolute prudes with some really fucked-up views on sexuality and you’ll understand better.

    • Halce
      link
      fedilink
      02 years ago

      This report from a few years back seems to indicate that it’s the confucian beliefs, i.e. tradition, which limits family acceptance for example, even in countries like Singapore. Not much to do with Marxism really.

  • 江尚寒
    link
    fedilink
    02 years ago

    unfortunately yes, this may because somebody(s) want increasing fertility rates, but the sex ratio has already reached a very dangerous point =_=