WeChat has deleted dozens of LGBT accounts run by Chinese university students. How will this move hurt China’s LGBT community — and WeChat itself?
What Happened: Tencent-owned WeChat has come under fire for silencing LGBT voices. CNN reports that the super app has deleted dozens of LGBT accounts run by students from prestigious Chinese universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University in Beijing, and Fudan University in Shanghai. The unexpected move sparked fear of a crackdown on gay rights at a time when a growing number of countries around the world are criminalizing homosexuality or finding ways to discriminate against LGBT. WeChat’s attack on gay student clubs could exacerbate the potential for abuse of LGBT rights in China and beyond. Moreover, the move could be seen by Western powers as yet another state-sponsored crackdown on civil liberties.
The Jing Take: WeChat’s clampdown triggered an array of angry responses on Chinese social media. “The era is regressing. China wasn’t like this 10 years ago. Gradually we’re losing all our freedoms,” said a comment on Weibo. Continue to read the full article here
