If adult sites block access via VPNs, does that not unfairly penalise LGBTQ+ people in authoritarian states which may use surveillance and punish them for accessing adult websites?

First of all, we would warn anyone against relying on the use of a VPN to keep their online activity secret. VPN’s may themselves be compromised, particularly lower quality free and cheap services. There are also other methods of surveillance, such as viruses planted on computers and smartphones, that put you at risk of being monitored.

The real issue here is the behaviour of such authoritarian states; not the application of measures to protect children from harm in liberal democracies.