China’s largest e-commerce site, Taobao, began removing LGBT-themed items from online stores this week. Taobao, owned by Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, told Vendors selling products such as rainbow clothing and accessories that ‘erotic, violent and vulgar content’ was not allowed. It told Hu Nao, a 27-year-old from ShanDong who sells handmade rainbow accessories, the company prohibited items described as ‘LGBT’, ‘Les’ and ‘Gay’.

They claimed her products contained ‘obscenity, pornography, violence or political sensitivity’. This week, China’s largest social media, Sina Weibo, also removed LGBT content and a page named ‘les’ dedicated to lesbian users disappeared on Sunday (14 April). Les had 143,000 members and 540 million engagements. Meanwhile, a lesbian group is no longer accepting new members.

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