Blued and Finka were removed from Apple’s App Store.
LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance have taken another hit in China, with Apple removing two of the countries biggest LGBTQ+ dating apps. Wired reports that Blued and Finka are no longer available on the iOS App Store or certain Android App Stores following orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator and censor.
Apple told Wired that it must “follow the laws in the countries where we operate.” Both dating apps were available solely in China, where LGBTQ+ dating apps are minimal — Grindr, for instance, hasn’t been available on Apple since 2022. Blued exists internationally under the name HeeSay.
China has increasingly cracked down on LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights and groups in recent years, allegedly shuttering large organizations like the Beijing LGBT Center in 2023. For reasons unknown, Blued previously stopped new registrations this past July, with individuals buying second-hand accounts to use the app. However, it reopened in the middle of August.
In other words, force gay people to have straight marriages. I’m sure those will be functional and healthy relationships that aid the state. Not like that hasn’t resulted in numerous suicides.
To put it simply, this is just ignoring reality and trying to stamp your own superficial views of society over it.
To be fair, socialist countries thus far have been mostly utilitarian when dealing with people.
If 10% of gay people commit suicide but 20% reproduce then the policy is a success. Lifes are just resources that can be spent for the “collective’s” (read: state’s) benefit.