Chinas main internet regulator andcensorship authority ordered Apple to removetwo very populargay dating apps its App Store last weekend: Blued, an app with an estimated 56 million users; and Finka, which has 2.7 million users. The apps remain functional Chinese people whove already downloaded them, but their removal is just part of Chinas ongoing crackdown and censorship campaign against its LGBTQ+ citizens.We follow the laws in the countries where we operate, an Apple spokesperson told Wired in an email. Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only. Apple noted that Finka stopped being available outside of China earlier this year, while Blued was only available in China. China removed Grindr from Apples mobile app stores in 2022, citing Grindrs difficulties in complying with a new privacy law. Related TikTok secretly tracked which users viewed LGBTQ+ videos Gay dating apps arent only used for arranging adult encounters; they also provide ways for queer users to find community by providing personal conversation as well as connection to live events and social resources.Though China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, its government agents actively surveil, harass, and imprison LGBTQ activists as subversives. China doesnt have legalized same-sex marriage. The country also allows mainland clinics touse electroshock conversion therapyto turn LGBTQ people straight (even though thats impossible). In 2016, the countrybanned all LGBTQ TVandqueer web content, calling it similar to incestandsexual abuse. Never Miss a Beat Subscribe to our newsletter to stay ahead of the latest LGBTQ+ political news and insights. Subscribe to our Newsletter today The governments anti-LGBTQ actions come partly from viewing queer identity as a form of Western social protest meant to overturn social norms. The Chinese governments approach to queer issues and groups is roughly summarized asdont encourage, dont discourage, dont promote.In June 2017, the country also banned LGBTQ+ content from the internet, including video and audio content that displays abnormal sexual behaviors, such as homosexuality. The China Netcasting Services Association, a government agency, has unevenly enforced the ban. In April 2018, Weibo (basically Chinas Facebook) banned all LGBTQ content, stating it was pornographic. However,the company backtrackedafter users flooded the social network with images of rainbows, same-sex kisses and a hashtag that translated to #Iamgaynotapervert.China alsocut the gay relationshipsand any mention of HIV out of 2018 Freddy Mercury biopicBohemian Rhapsody, leaving the film largely incomprehensible.An estimated22% to95% of gay Chinese men stay closeted. Manymarry womento hide their homosexuality from their families. However, younger Chinese citizens support same-sex marriage, and LGBTQ+ spaces exist throughout the country, despite government attempts to suppress such places.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.