One of China's biggest social media sites, Weibo, has reversed its ban on content related to LGBT issues. On Friday, it made a statement saying that for the next three months, it would delete images and videos that were "related to homosexuality". It also said it would remove pornographic content or anything that promoted "bloody violence". Weibo said it was part of a new "clean-up campaign" to "create a sunny and harmonious [online] community" within China. It also said it wanted to follow China's cyber-security laws.
Weibo reversed the decision after a public outcry from the country's Internet users. Many of Weibo's LGBT community answered the ban by posting photos of themselves with their partners online, often adding rainbow emojis. One user said the Chinese constitution maintains that no one can offend the "personal dignity" of citizens. A woman from Shanghai posted: "I suddenly find that in this strong country, Weibo is discriminating against and attacking this sexual minority." Weibo responded to the outcry by reversing its decision. It thanked everyone for the discussion.