Why LGBTQ plot of popular series 'Friends' banned in China?

Ground Report | New Delhi: LGBTQ Friends banned in China; Chinese fans of the hit comedy series Friends are decrying the censorship of several episodes, specifically those featuring LGBTQ content. Reuters reports that several streamers, including Tencent, Youku, and Bilibili, among others, began airing episodes from season 1 on Friday when fans noticed that moments had been cut from the US version.

One particular moment where Ross (David Schwimmer) shares that his wife is a lesbian has been removed. Another where Joey (Matt LeBlanc) suggests going to a strip club, via Tencent Video, says they should go out and play.

Fan outcry through social media sites like Weibo is also being limited. The #Friendshasbeencensored hashtag has been buried and is currently not returning results, according to the report.

The censors also changed some other non-LGBTQ phrases and scenes. The line "multiple orgasms" in one scene, for example, was translated to "women gossip endlessly" in the subtitles. Fans of the show quickly took to social media to express their outrage.

According to CNN, the hashtag quickly received more than 54 million views. However, on Saturday morning, it appeared that the term had also been censored. A search for the hashtag resulted in a message saying: "this topic is not displayed in accordance with relevant laws and regulations."

Seriously, if you can't stream , just don't,” one Weibo user wrote. “ spent a lot of money to buy the rights , but the efforts to alter lines and edit scenes ended up being criticized by the audience. So that?"

The sterilization of "Friends" comes as the Chinese government tightens censorship on what it deems "vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content," according to guidelines issued in 2015. The rules for television production expressly prohibit content that depicts "sexual intercourse or abnormal sexual behavior, such as homosexuality."

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