态度转弯：新浪微博宣布不再“清查”同性恋内容 | Weibo reverses ban on gay content

4月16日，微博社区公告表示，3天前展开的游戏动漫清理行动不再针对同性恋内容，而主要是清理涉黄，暴力血腥题材内容。

这则公告转发了 4 月 13 日发出的 “清查” 公告。13日的公告称，接下来三个月，微博的主要清查对象包含：“涉黄的、宣扬血腥暴力、同性恋题材的漫画及短视频内容”。

China's Twitter-like Weibo, one of the country's most popular social media platforms, has taken a major U-turn on an earlier ban on gay-related content.

The company announced last week it was banning the publication of any "homosexual" content on the platform in a "clean-up campaign", triggering popular backlash. Widespread criticism eventually led to Weibo reversing the decision.

Weibo released a statement on its official account on Monday, saying that the "clean-up" would no longer apply to "homosexual" content but will focus instead on pornographic and violent material.

The outrage on Chinese social media was almost immediate when Weibo announced last Friday that it would carry out a three-month "clean-up campaign" targeting cartoons, games and short videos containing pornographic, violent and homosexual content, in a bid to further ensure a "clean and harmonious" online community.

三天前的清查公告很快就在网上引发讨论，其中最具争议的话题在于同性恋群体的内容，为何会与涉黄、暴力血腥这两种内容并列。

网友们开始以 #我是同性恋#等标签发帖，以此表达对清查公告的看法。截至17日，#我是同性恋#超级话题累积获得5.8亿阅读量。

同一天，成立近 10 年，拥有 23 万粉丝的微博账号 “同志之声” 突然间也宣布无限期暂停更新信息。

Shortly after the announcement, the platform was flooded with comments from LGBT activists and other Weibo users who used the hashtags #IAmGay or #ScumbagSinaHelloIAmGay to support the LGBT community in China. Many same-sex couples even posted photos with their partners and family members.

By Tuesday, #IAmGay, one of the most used hashtags, had gained over 580 million views on Weibo.

"The Gay Voice," a Weibo account with over 230,000 followers, announced On Saturday it would suspend its operations. 

这一事件也引发了海内外媒体的关注。

4 月 15 日《人民日报》的评论栏目，发出了一篇名为《“不一样的烟火”，一样可以绽放》的随笔。这篇文章除了传达同性恋并不是病等科普信息之外，其中一句话是：“把同性恋内容与涉黄的、血腥暴力的内容相提并论，把同性恋视为性侵犯、性暴力一类的非正常性关系，难免会引发舆论的焦虑”。

BBC、CNN等外媒也纷纷报道此次事件。

People's Daily, the official news outlet of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), which normally does not comment on such issues, released a commentary on Sunday, arguing that members of the LGBT community are legal citizens of China and should be given the same rights as everyone else. It also added that people should put aside their prejudices and embrace diversity. The People's Daily article was viewed more than 100,000 times.

International media outlets including the BBC and CNN also reported about Weibo's backtrack.

微博16日发出不再清理同性恋内容的公告后，“同志之声”恢复更新。

不少网友表示，同性恋不该受到歧视。

过去20年来，中国对于同性恋的态度正在改变：成年人的同性恋行为在1997年实现了合法化，同性恋也在2001年从精神疾病范畴中被删除。

While "The Gay Voice" was back in business, Weibo's reversal of the ban spurred an outpour of comments about changing attitudes towards the LGBT community in China.

 "[Weibo], please do not adopt discriminatory provisions anymore," wrote a user who goes by the name @Yunyunyunyunyunyuntu.

@Xingshi, who identifies as a gay man, said: "There is nothing wrong with homosexuality. I love China and I love helping others. I am no different than others."

@Wandouhuanggua commented: "I support Sina Weibo censoring vulgar and gambling-related content, but please do not target homosexuality."

Although conservative attitudes still prevail in parts of China, the country has seen major shifts in social attitudes towards the LGBT community over the past 20 years. Homosexuality in China was decriminalized in 1997, and was removed from its official register of psychiatric disorders in 2001.