Beijing [China], April 27 : A well-known account on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo was forced to alter its name from "Voice of Comrade" because the term is associated with homosexuality, leading to strong backlash against Chinese authorities who are notorious for censoring gay-themed content, according to a report from Radio Free Asia (RFA).
The term "tongzhi" or "comrade," commonly used by the Communist Party in China to address its members, has in recent years been adopted by the gay community in the country to refer to homosexual individuals, replacing previously derogatory terms, the RFA report stated.
On Tuesday, the account name "Voice of Comrade" was abruptly removed and replaced with the original user ID number. The following day, the account name was changed to "Voices of Pride" to comply with national Internet regulations, according to its moderator, inciting significant anger among Chinese internet users over the clear censorship, as mentioned in the RFA report.
"The unexpected prohibition of this name can be viewed as yet another instance of the Chinese government's infringement on human rights," said human rights activist Pan Jiawei, who noted that this Weibo account has been an essential source of information for sexual minority groups in China since its inception in 2009, as quoted by RFA.
"It highlights the discrimination faced by sexual minorities in China, while also revealing how the authorities employ absurd methods to enforce compliance among companies with party directives," Pan remarked, according to the RFA report.
Numerous Chinese netizens questioned why the account wasn't renamed to "Voice of Homosexuals." Others pointed out that the compelled name change illustrates the Chinese government's bias against homosexuals and indicates increasing limitations on content related to the gay community, as noted in the RFA report.
Despite homosexuality not being criminalised in China, in recent years, many organisations and platforms advocating for gender equality have faced challenges in conducting public activities, according to Li Maizi, a Chinese LGBT rights advocate, as highlighted in the RFA report.
In 2018, Weibo announced its intentions to censor cartoons, games, and short video content concerning homosexuality as part of a campaign to "create a healthy and harmonious community environment," as reported by RFA.
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