Apple has removed gay dating apps from its App Store in China after facing pressure from the government. Two apps, Blued and Finka, disappeared from the iOS and several Android app stores, However, those who have already downloaded the apps can still use them, according to PinkNews.
The China Project, a new and business-service platform said Blued is “not only the largest dating app for gay men in China but also in the world.” While Finka was referred to as the “second-largest dating app for gay men in China.”
Other international LGBTQ+ platforms have already been banned in China. Back in 2022, Grindr was also removed from the Apple app store. “We follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” an Apple spokesperson told Wired. “Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only. Earlier this year, the developer of Finka elected to remove the app from storefronts outside China, and Blued was available only in China.”
China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, but today same-sex marriage remains unrecognized in the country. According to Wired, China’s LGBTQ+ community has faced harsher rules in recent years as the Chinese Communist Party has cracked down on freedom of expression. As a result, a handful of the nation’s foremost gay rights organizations have shuttered, and online LGBTQ+ accounts and content face censorship.
According to Equaldex, China currently offers no protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people. However, polls show that as of 2021, around 63% of the public were in support of same-sex marriage and other protections for queer folks.
In 2020, BlueCity, Blued’s parent company went public and announced that the app saw over 49 million registered users, and more than six million active monthly users. Though Blued will no longer be available for download in China, BlueCity has expanded its ventures. An international version of the dating app called HeeSay is still being used in the Philippines, India, and Pakistan. Wired reports BlueCity has also expanded into health care, offering digital pharmacy and telehealth services specifically for Chinese men.
China still lags behind in providing its LGBTQ-identifying citizens with equal rights and access. In 2001, homosexuality was declassified as a mental disorder in China, and traditional family values still pervade society.
