Sina Weibo Drops Crackdown On Gay Content

Mainland social media firm Sina Weibo says it is abandoning a threatened crackdown on homosexual content on its platform, following an outcry from users.

The company had said last week that for the next three months it would be removing "illegal" content, including manga and pornographic videos, and material promoting violence or relating to homosexuality.

The announcement prompted a flood of angry comments online by tens of thousands of people, denouncing the firm's link between pornography and homosexuality. Many people used the hashtags #iamgay and #iamgaynotapervert.

Many of the comments were quickly deleted. But on Monday Sina Weibo said it was dropping the move to take down gay-related material.

The Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper said on Sunday that tolerance towards gay people should be encouraged.

Attitudes towards homosexuality remain conservative on the mainland. But vibrant LGBT communities have emerged in recent years in the bigger cities.