Remove gays from duolingo
June is Pride Month in the U.S., and at Duolingo we’re celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community on social media and here on our blog. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we included representation in the development of our new cast of characters!
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Representation and diversity matter
When we were developing our new cast of characters, we spent many months debating their names, strengths, faults, and life goals or lack thereof (ahem, Lin). But one thing we never questioned was the desire for queer representation. There are two reasons for this.
First, Duolingo believes deeply in diversity and voice. This made it a no-brainer to include all types of characters of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and sexual orientations.
The second reason is our learners. Something really unique about Duolingo is the extremely vast and diverse audience for our content: language learners of all ages, from all around the world. Yes, that’s a lot of people. And with such a broad base of learners, we have a responsibility to reflect and relate to the experiences of all kinds of people, LGBTQIA+ folks included.
Of course, characters are also much more compellin
Language app Duolingo removes Gay content from Russian platforms
The language learning platform Duolingo has deleted all references to the Diverse community from its platforms in Russia.
According to local media reports, Russia’s Roskomnadzor internet regulator previously requested the U.S.-based company to review its Russian content for the presence of what it called “LGBT propaganda.”
In Russia, LGBTQ+ advocates are labeled as “extremists” and can face arrest and prosecution. Public demonstrate of rainbow-colored items is also banned in the country.
Read more: Supporters of Russian anti-war politician arrested for posting LGBT emoji and political memes
Earlier this week, Duolingo sent a letter to Roskomnadzor confirming that it had deleted the requested content, according to the Russian state news agency Tass.
Businesses that operate in Russia can be fined up to four million rubles ($45,000) for promoting LGBTQ+ “propaganda,” and their services may be restricted, according to Roskomnadzor.
A Duolingo spokesperson told Recorded Future News that they “support LGBTQ+ rights and trust in normalizing LGBTQ+ representation” in content.
“Unfortunately, local l
Duolingo removes all LGBT content from its app in Russia
The decision came after Roskomnadzor confirmed it would check Duolingo for “LGBT propaganda” in February after a request from Radetel, a self-described “traditional values” advocacy group that start “same-sex dialogue” in the app’s lessons.
Following Radetel’s seek, the head of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Alexander Khinshtein, threatened to block Duolingo in Russia, adding that Duolingo should “immediately deal with this unpleasant problem”.
Duolingo’s removal of LGBT content is only the latest example of Russia’s continued censorship of the LGBT community, prompted by legislation providing for fines of up to 4 million rubles for disseminating so-called “LGBT propaganda”.
In November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled that the “international LGBT movement” qualified as an “extremist organisation”, effectively banning it and making pro-LGBT activity punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Russian Duolingo Removes LGBTQ+ References in Censorship Compliance
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