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WATCH: The Show That Has China Banning All Gay Couples From TV
WATCH: The Show That Has China Banning All Gay Couples From TV
After pulling the plug on a popular gay web series, Chinese censors have gone one step further.
On the heels of a crackdown of a popular gay-themed Chinese drama, China has reportedly banned all television programming depicting gay and lesbian couples.
Censors reportedly weren't happy about "abnormal sexual behavior" or the depiction of same-sex relationships on the web series, Addiction, according to BuzzFeed News.
The report says the China Television Drama Production Industry Association and the China Alliance of Radio, Film and Television introduced guidelines prohibiting "abnormal sexual relationships and sexual behavior." The ban also includes incest, sexual assault, extramarital affairs, "witchcraft practices and feudal superstition," and "grotesque criminal cases." Censors also tossed in a ban on programs that it contends have "adverse effects on minors" including smoking, drinking and fighting, according to BuzzFeed.
On February 28, China's iQiyi -- China's version of Netflix -- unexpectedly dropped the 15-part web series, Addicted, about the lives of queer high schoolers before it had concluded. Censors reportedly decided the show was "unfit for viewing," according toTime.
The magazine reported last week that more than 110 million online responses poured in from fans in the aftermath of the show's cancelation. Most comments posted online complained about the censorship and what they interpreted as Chinese government's intolerance and refusal to accept LGBT people.
Watch the first episode below.
