We've Got Ourselves An Old Fashioned (gay) Porno Ban In China!
Source – On Chinese social media, many were left angry, baffled, and upset. The outcry was prompted a decision by Beijing regulators to censor the portrayal of homosexual activity in online videos. The regulations, which came into force at the beginning of July, classify homosexuality as “abnormal” sexual behaviour and cover not only explicit sexual content but any portrayal of same-sex relationships, positive or negative – for instance in popular online dramas.
There are 84 categories of material that were banned from online video programmes by Chinese censors, including prostitution, drug addiction, extra-marital affairs and what authorities deem to be “unhealthy” views of the family, relationships and money. A ban on the portrayal of “erotic behaviour” includes kisses which last for a long time.
Under the latest guidelines, which were issued by the China Netcasting Services Association, at least two to three “auditors” will have to check all online content to make sure it adheres to the “advanced culture of socialism.”
Tim Hildebrandt, an assistant professor of social policy and development at the London School of Economics, says the recent censorship around homosexuality is surprising.
“Some might assume this is just about pornography,” he says. “This is not really the case. It’s any portrayal of homosexuality in online videos. As to what that means for gay people in China, essentially the internet is one of the few safe spaces to meet others within the community. This is how people are meeting each other both in a platonic and romantic setting.”
One would think the country leading the world in ass-eating restaurants and sex robots would be okay with a little gay porn. Nope. China is wiping it right the fuck off the internet. And you know what? I’m fine with it. Why? Because it’s one less Chinese export for Americans to rely on. I’m not sure how the ban will affect American internet, but I assume production will be slowed. Sure, there’ll be a backlog of authentic gay Chinese porn but don’t expect anything new coming out of the Middle Kingdom. Personally I would’ve rather they ripped the band-aid clean off and wipe all Asian porn from the internet, but I don’t think a US/Chinese war is in anyone’s best interest. The ban isn’t all bad though.
“A ban on the portrayal of “erotic behaviour” includes kisses which last for a long time”
Everyone can get behind this. One less thing to scrub through. No one wants kissing in their porn.
I’d like to know who decides what’s “too gay” for the internet. The Chinese government is in for a rude awakening if they think a three person team will be able to manage all internet porn. I’m sure it will be easy to beef up their staff though. “Gay porn scrubber” just became a coveted job in the Chinese gay community.
It’s got to be strange to live in a country that can take away anything it wants at a moment’s notice. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good dictatorship as much as the next guy but moves like this put things in perspective.