Grindr disappears from app stores in China ahead of 2022 Winter Olympics

Grindr, one of the largest social networking apps for the LGBTQ community, disappeared from app stores in China ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Bloomberg reports operators of the social network in China removed the app from Apple’s App Store, citing difficulties in complying with new technology regulations.

The app is also no longer available on app stores run by domestic companies, such as Tencent and Huawei. Reports from Bloomberg suggest local competitors, such as Blued, remain available for the time being.

While the operators of Grindr cited difficulties complying with new technology regulations as the reason for the app’s disappearance, the removal of the popular social network came amidst a “purification campaign” run by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

As reported by Around the Rings, the Cyberspace Administration of China launched a month-long purification campaign, with the intention “to create a healthy, happy and peaceful online environment.”

According to the Cyberspace Administration of China, any obscene, vulgar, bloody, violent, illegal or bad information will be eliminated, along with other forms of undesirable content such as online rumors, displays of extravagant wealth or spending, gluttony, heavy drinking, and fortune-telling.

While LGBTQ topics and representation are not explicitly mentioned in the language used by the Cyberspace Administration of China, Bloomberg notes that Chinese authorities have clamped down on LGBTQ themes and representation in the past.

According to Bloomberg, the National Radio and Television Administration used the slur, “niangpao,” which roughly translates to “sissy men,” in a guidance sent to media companies meant to warn them about depicting men who express a more feminine style last year. Chinese authorities have also placed a ban on entertainment depicting LGBTQ themes within the last decade.

China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, removing it from a list of mental disorders a few years later according to the South China Morning Post. However, Chinese authorities have continued to further limit LGBTQ expression, even as the country closes in on hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics, which according to Outsports, is set to see a record amount of LGBTQ representation.

The media outlet dedicated to highlighting the stories of LGBTQ athletes, coaches and other people in sports reports that at least 35 publicly out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, pansexual and non-binary athletes are scheduled to compete at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

That figure represents a significant increase from the 15 openly LGBTQ athletes that competed at the Winter Olympics in 2018.

Brazil’s Nicole Rocha Silveira, who will compete in skeleton, told Outsports, “knowing that I can step on the big stage, the Olympics, as a known LGBTQ member, and be able to bring out more visibility and help athletes be who they want to be, brings me a lot of joy. I hope I can be that person that helps lift that weight off someone else’s shoulder.”

It remains to be seen if the increased presence and exposure of LGBTQ athletes at Beijing 2022 will have any impact on LGBTQ representation and expression in China moving forward.

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