Many strides have been made for the LGBTQ community and the ultimate fight towards equality. We are now starting to see more diversity within our entertainment industry and even in high governmental positions. Nonetheless, we’re still met with the occasional pushback from those who still choose to deny the value of all humans. China falls under that list.
New orders have been issued by the Chinese government calling for a ban on”effeminate men” as a means to “resolutely put an end to sissy men and other abnormal esthetics”, according to the China TV regulators.
This mandate is followed by President Xi Jinping’s call for a “national rejuvenation”, following concerns of what they view as a harmful focus on high profile celebrities. Both businesses and the general public are expected to follow these guidelines and fall in line with the regime’s wishes for the country moving forward. That includes the promotion of any “vulgar internet celebrities” or anything that deviates from traditional Chinese values or “revolutionary culture”, as stated by the Chinese government.
Concerns of youth online gaming, boy band culture, gambling, cryptocurrency and sports have also been a topic of discussion in recent months and strides have been made to create a tighter control over Chinese internet industries. As of Wednesday, anyone under 18 is limited to three hours per week of online games and prohibits the use of gaming sites on school days.
The discussion of K-pop stars like the renowned group, BTS was also mentioned to promote a sleek, girlish look, deviating from what Chinese consider to be masculine enough.
The topic of media censorship in China is nothing to the communist country. In fact, most social media platforms that we use regularly are banned within the country including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Whatsapp and Youtube, according to Sapore di Cina, a website dedicated to providing firsthand information on how to travel or work in Asia.
While it’s unclear how this new policy will ultimately affect the programming in China or even the type of music they're allowed to listen to, it seems that the government officials are going above and beyond to ensure their vision for China is seen through.