"China divided as WeChat deletes LGBT accounts from platform", 8 July 2021

A recent crackdown on LGBT accounts on Tencent's popular WeChat platform has divided Chinese social media.

Dozens of such accounts, mostly run by university students, had been deleted on Tuesday night - sparking fears of a tightening control over gay content. [...]

On Wednesday, at least two student LGBT groups have issued statements in response to their WeChat accounts being removed, which included the erasure of all their previous posts.

The groups are known for advocating LGBT and gender equality, and providing support to students on campus.

"Our activities will not stop due to the closure. On the contrary, we hope to use this opportunity to start again with a continued focus on gender and society, and to embrace courage and love," Fudan University's Zhihe Society Fudan University's Zhihe Society said.

Meanwhile, Tsinghua University's Wudaokou Purple said that although it was "frustrated" that its "years of hard work" had been "burned" at one go, it has only made them closer. [...]

Many of the closed WeChat accounts display messages saying that they had "violated" Internet regulations, without giving further details.

The account names have also been deleted and just read "unnamed".

"After receiving relevant complaints, all content has been blocked and the account has been suspended," the notice said. [...]