BlueCity's 2020 ESG Report Highlights Its Unique LGBTQ-Driven Corporate Citizenship

BlueCity (Nasdaq: BLCT), a world-leading LGBTQ platform that provides a comprehensive suite of services aimed at fostering connection and enhancing the well-being of its global community, today released its 2020 ESG report.

The new report offers a comprehensive look into the company's ESG philosophy and efforts across wide-ranging areas, among them diversity, pandemic response, HIV prevention, user privacy and the environment.

"Driven by our mission to propel positive change in the lives of our users and across societies, BlueCity has bolstered our ESG commitments over the years," says Mr. Baoli Ma, founder, chairman and CEO of BlueCity. "We believe in the power of stakeholder capitalism to disrupt the status quo, and will leverage our unique role as a global LGBTQ platform to help forge a safer and more inclusive future in which we all thrive."

Highlights from the Report:

On Diversity

From sponsoring the movie Made on the Rooftop, which closed the Seoul Pride Film Festival in 2000, to the #liveyourpride campaign during the Pride month to cheer up the community during the pandemic, BlueCity has been striving to build a more inclusive and equal society for all.

Meanwhile, as a corporate leader and actor in the LGBTQ space, BlueCity is committed to ensuring that its workplace is as inclusive as its diverse user base. BlueCity's Board of Directors boasted a female-male ratio of 2:3 at the end of 2020, while the proportion of female employees increased by 6 percentage points year-on-year to reach 24% of the global workforce. In January 2021, Chairman and CEO Ma became the first mainland Chinese executive to be recognized on the global inclusion network Involve's OUTstanding 100 LGBT+ Executives List.

On COVID-19

As a responsible corporate citizen, BlueCity seeks to help in the countries in which it operates. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, it immediately explored new ways to fortify bonds and connect users in an unprecedented era of social distancing. Its social networking app Blued, which already had a livestream function, introduced a Quick Chat feature that enabled users to participate in live video speed dating, while the new Voice Chat Room allowed those who preferred voice messages to keep connected. Moreover, in Mexico, the digital #StayHomeWithBlued campaign was run from April-May 2020 to raise awareness of pandemic prevention, with 26 influencers joining in. The campaign attracted nearly 4,000 user posts.  

For its virtual #StayProud Pride celebration that year, Blued teamed up with entertainer and LGBTQ icon Todrick Hall for a special livestream, which also brought together influencers and users from around the world. All proceeds went to the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Pride Pantry, which provides groceries to the city's most at-risk LGBTQ residents.

In response to the pandemic, BlueCity also partnered with non-profit organizations in Brazil, China, India, Japan, Philippines, South Korea and Vietnam to donate much-needed medical supplies and conduct training via Blued's livestream feature. In South Korea, it also provided more than 13,000 medical sterilization products to over 110 offline LGBTQ spaces and co-sponsored the Seoul x COVID-19 Sexual Minority Emergency Response Headquarters initiative.

On HIV Prevention

One of BlueCity's biggest focuses is HIV prevention. In addition to supporting local community efforts, Blued is also expanding access to HIV services with its digital prevention feature. It has onboarded 163 NGOs by the end of 2020, enabling users to seamlessly access critical services. Moreover, Blued has provided 3,654 consultations and testing services via its online health platform, totaling 10,647 service hours. Blued has also used design to raise awareness with 89 unique app launch images conveying HIV prevention messages, displayed a total of 250 million times.

On User Privacy & Experience

BlueCity takes user privacy and experience extremely seriously. To ensure a safe space for all, Blued has introduced a series of new features geared at protecting user identity. This includes prohibiting screenshots and screen recordings during livestreaming and video calls. Meanwhile, its user satisfaction rate has reached 93%, up 10.6 percentage points year-on-year, while its user complaint resolution rate has reached 97.4%, up 7.4 percentage points year-on-year.

On Environmental Protection

In 2021, BlueCity submitted its environmental disclosure questionnaire to the non-profit Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), disclosing key data and performance metrics recommended by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Moreover, the company has also implemented a paperless office, reducing carbon emissions by an estimated 0.6 tons.

For more information, please refer to the complete 2020 BlueCity ESG report here.

About BlueCity

BlueCity (NASDAQ: BLCT) is a world-leading online LGBTQ community providing a comprehensive suite of services to foster connections and enhance the wellbeing of the global LGBTQ community. The company fulfills both the daily and lifelong needs of its members through a wide range of targeted and tailored services, including social networking, livestreaming and health-related services. With commitment to providing high-quality user experience, ensuring privacy protection, and promoting community health and well-being, BlueCity has captured the hearts and minds of LGBTQ people across the globe. Available in 13 languages, BlueCity's mobile app Blued has connected more than 60 million registered users in about 170 countries and regions. According to Frost and Sullivan 2020, it is the largest online LGBTQ community in China, India, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam by MAUs.  

SOURCE BlueCity Holdings Limited