12/20/2023 0 Comments Wechat china wechat![]() He claimed victory after the court hearing, but the film was not put back on to the viewing platforms. In 2015 a Chinese film-maker sued state administrators in a quest to discover how and why his gay-themed documentary was removed from local streaming sites. The authorities’ slow squeeze of China’s LGBTQ community has been going on for some years, but until recently was often met with activists’ pushback. And while public acceptance – and commercial capitalisation – of the LGBTQ community in China has grown, authorities have not followed in step. Homosexuality in China was illegal until 1997, and classified as a mental health disorder until 2001. “A degree of official indifference had allowed LGBT advocacy to thrive in a grey space, but that space is now being squeezed down,” said Longarino. “This is not only homophobia but also political stigma towards non-governmental groups in a continuous crackdown on civil society in China.”ĭarius Longarino, a senior fellow at Yale law school’s Paul Tsai China Center, who researches LGBTQ rights in China, said this week’s developments were not surprising in the current climate. “Both feminist and LGBT student organisations are seen as being influenced by western values or manipulated by foreign powers, so: purge them all,” she said. The feminist activist Xiong Jing said the shutdowns were “quite a strong signal that the authorities don’t welcome anything that ‘contravenes’ mainstream values”. Tencent, the parent company of WeChat, did not explain the reasons behind the mass takedowns, and declined to comment when contacted by the Guardian. Xianzi is seen as a key figure of China’s #MeToo movement after she accused her former employer, a popular television host, of sexual harassment. On Wednesday afternoon the Weibo account of Zhou Xiaoxuan, popularly known as Xianzi, was suspended for a year for violating “Weibo complaint regulations”. The US state department spokesperson, Ned Price, said the department was aware of the shutdowns and was concerned that China had restricted the accounts of groups that were “merely expressing their views, exercising their right to freedom of expression and freedom of speech”.Ĭhina’s social media giants routinely censor content considered to be politically or culturally sensitive, but it is often unclear if such decisions come from government directions or are made internally, based on what is believed to be expected by government. “I can’t believe this happened in 2021, I can’t believe it happened in the universities which should have the most pioneering spirit and be teaching people tolerance and respect,” said another. “Every love deserves to be seen and respected,” said one. Many Weibo comments appeared to be deleted quickly, but others expressed anger at the censorship. “We were able to create a reliable channel with the outside, but now our communication will largely rely on Weibo and private WeChat groups,” it said. On Weibo, a post by the Shihe Society at Fudan University confirming the shutdown of its WeChat account was shared tens of thousands of times. The shutdowns have added to concern over China’s worsening intolerance of sexual and gender minorities and activism, which has also targeted feminist groups and individuals who have sought to push back against discrimination. ![]()
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