Friends fans accuse Chinese streaming services of censorship over removal of LGBT, strip joint references

Chinese fans of US sitcom Friends have expressed dismay online after noticing censorship in recently released episodes of the beloved show, including of LGBT issues. Key points: Friends was relaunched on Chinese streaming services after a several year absence Some eagle-eyed fans noticed references to Ross's lesbian wife was omitted and a reference to a strip club was translated differently Discussion of the censorship appeared to have also been censored on Chinese social media sites Several major Chinese streaming sites, including Tencent, Baidu's IQiyi, Alibaba's Youku, and Bilibili, started showing a version of the first season of the show on Friday, its first re-release in China for several years. In recent years, China has shut tens of thousands of websites and social media accounts that contained what it said was illegal content as well as "vulgar" and pornographic material. "I resolutely boycott the castrated version of Friends," said one user on China's Twitter-like Weibo. China has shut tens of thousands of websites and social media accounts that contained what it said was illegal content as well as "vulgar" and pornographic material in recent years.