Sina Weibo backtracks from gay content ban after outrage
Sina Weibo has backtracked from a controversial gay content ban after a massive outcry.
Last Friday the microblogging platform said that posts related to homosexuality would be taken down.
It prompted a deluge of posts from outraged netizens protesting against the decision.
Then Sina Weibo made another announcement: it said its clean-up would "no longer apply to homosexual content".
"We thank everyone for their discussion and suggestions," the company added.
Netizens cheered the reversal. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with being homosexual... we hope that Weibo will not perpetrate such discrimination in the future," said one user.
What happened?
Last Friday Sina Weibo made a surprise announcement that it was launching a "clean-up campaign".
It said that for the next three months, the platform would remove content including images, videos, text and cartoons that were related to pornography, violence, or homosexuality.
"This is to further ensure a clear and harmonious society and environment," the network said in its statement, adding that it had already scrubbed more than 50,000 posts by then.
Sina Weibo said it was initiating the clean-up because of stricter internet laws put in place last year, but it did not explain why it was only acting now.
How did netizens react?
Over the weekend many in the LGBT community took to the network to protest against the decision, using hashtags such as #IAmGay and #ScumbagSinaHelloIAmGay. By Tuesday #IAmGay had gained over 580 million views on Weibo.
"I support Sina in clearing out pornographic content, but it definitely must not do so as before and target homosexuality — that kind of discrimination is wrong," wrote one user.
"Through everyone's unrelenting efforts, we finally got a basic right — how rare!" wrote another.
A third said: "Although I still don't like you, I thank you."
The People's Daily on Sunday published a widely shared commentary on its social media platforms, reaffirming the diversity of sexual orientations and the importance of non-discrimination.
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 30 years.
Homosexuality in China was decriminalized in 1997, and was removed from its official register of psychiatric disorders in 2001.
Sources: BBC, CNN, CGTN, People's Daily
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