Despite displaying rainbow themed products through June as part of its “Pride Out Loud” campaign, Amazon is restricting website search results and items related to LGBTQ people in the United Arab Emirates. The changes come after the company faced pressure from the UAE government, according to a report from The New York Times.

Search keywords like “lgbtq,” “pride,” and even “closeted gay” were part of 150 words that were scrubbed from the Amazon website that Emiratis use. Products like books and product keywords like “chest binder for lesbians” and “transgender flag” were removed from the platform. 

In an email to Gizmodo, an Amazon spokesperson said that the company “remained committed to diversity, equity and inclusion” and that they believed that the “rights of LGBTQ+ people must be protected.”

The move doesn’t come as much of a surprise as homosexuality and gender expression by trans people is a criminal offence in the UAE with punishment being imprisonment for up to 14 years. The country’s government censors conversations and content related to queer issues. 

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The government had given the online retail behemoth a deadline until Friday July 1, 2022 or face penalties, according to the NYT report. However, the government did not make clear what sort of penalties there would be. Regardless, Amazon complied.

Many tech companies have often been criticized by people both inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community for their support of civil rights issues. Companies like Amazon have, in the past, pulled their products and services from regions that country’s deem to be offensive. 

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It’s worth pointing out that the company has paid over $450,000 to politicians, who coincidentally also voted against the Equality Act in 2020. Their donations prompted Seattle Pride, organized in Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, to remove them from the 2022 version of the pride parade.