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HKFP
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- HKFP
China's crackdown on gay erotica stifles rare outlet for LGBTQ expression
Chinese women who publish homoerotica online say they are being threatened with fines and jail time, as increasing enforcement of vague obscenity charges targets a rare space for LGBTQ identity and feminism. In recent months, Chinese police have detained dozens of writers on Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-based website known for publishing serialised Boys' Love, a genre of erotic fiction mainly written and read by heterosexual women. Originating as a strand of Japanese manga comics in the 1960s known as 'yaoi', the genre has attracted a cult following in Asia and beyond, leading to popular screen adaptations and web series. The stories defy social stereotypes about the roles of men and women, a 22-year-old writer who asked to go by the pseudonym Miu Miu, told AFP. 'It's a kind of resistance… resisting a male-dominated society,' she said. The latest crackdown ensnared mostly amateur writers who earned little to nothing for their work. Under Chinese law, profiting from 'spreading obscene content' can lead to fines and prison. 'Serious' instances can carry jail terms of up to a decade. The obscenity law applies when someone's work gets at least 10,000 clicks or is 'used' to collect fees exceeding 10,000 yuan (nearly $1,400). While the law excludes 'artistic works or works of artistic value', that distinction is usually left to police. Embed from Getty Images 'The rules are outdated,' said a lawyer representing one of the authors and who asked not to be named due to the risk of repercussions. 'The general public's attitude towards sex is no longer the same as it was 30 or 40 years ago,' the lawyer added. One author phoned by police earned 2,000 yuan for two books with a total of 72 chapters that, combined, drew around 100,000 clicks. 'Are there really 100,000 people who have seen my work like they said? Are they really going to sentence me to three to five years?' the author wrote on Weibo. 'Don't they know how precious three to five years of life are?' Censors without borders The investigations have also renewed criticism of a practice known as 'distant water fishing', cross-provincial policing by cash-strapped local governments. The profit-driven enforcement typically involves authorities travelling to another jurisdiction and seizing a suspect's assets. Embed from Getty Images 'Police find this kind of stuff can make them money,' Liang Ge, a lecturer on digital sociology at University College London, said of the targeting of Boys' Love authors. In one case, a policeman from northwestern Lanzhou travelled 2,000 kilometres (more than 1,200 miles) to investigate a writer in her coastal hometown. She was driven to the police station and questioned for hours about her writing. She is currently on bail but could face criminal charges, which would disqualify her from taking China's civil service exam and positions in some hospitals and schools. Another 20-year-old author received a police summons which prompted her to travel hundreds of miles from the city of Chongqing to Lanzhou. On arrival police urged her to 'return the illegal income' she had earned from her writing to reduce her sentence. 'It's a very dirty practice,' said the lawyer, noting the central government in Beijing has issued several directives against it. 'Social awakening' Activists see the crackdown on alleged obscenity as part of a wider push to suppress LGBTQ expression — an effort that has expanded under President Xi Jinping. Embed from Getty Images China classified homosexuality as a crime until 1997 and a mental illness until 2001. Same-sex marriage is not legal and discrimination remains widespread. The Boys' Love genre — often lightly erotic but sometimes overtly explicit — has become increasingly censored as its popularity has boomed. Television adaptations have rewritten male lovers as friends, as same-sex relationships are banned from the screen. In 2018, a writer known by her pseudonym Tianyi was sentenced to over a decade in prison for earning $21,000 from a homoerotic novel about a teacher and his student. Last year, a court in Anhui province heard 12 cases involving spreading obscene content for profit, according to public records which do not give outcomes of the trials. Many in China 'feel less and less space to express themselves freely', said Ge, the lecturer and a longtime reader of Boys' Love. 'It's not just about posting something on social media, it's about reading something in their private life.' As news of the crackdown spread, Haitang users rushed to cancel their accounts. But writer Miu Miu said she has not given up hope she might be able to finish her favourite stories. 'Sexual knowledge has become taboo,' she said. 'This is a social awakening.'
Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Why Chinese women are being arrested for writing gay erotic fiction
Dozens of young women in China have been arrested for writing and sharing gay erotic fiction, known as 'danmei'. According to the BBC, at least 30 writers have been detained since February. Some are still in custody, while others are awaiting trial or on bail. These women are accused of breaking China's pornography laws by 'producing and distributing obscene material'. Under the law, authors who profit from such content could face prison terms of more than 10 years. Gay content is more likely to be censored than heterosexual erotica in China. The writers shared their work on Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-based platform popular for danmei fiction. The site hosts stories that explore romantic or sexual relationships between male characters, often in fantasy, sci-fi or historical settings. Many arrests were reportedly led by police in Lanzhou, northwest China. Some writers from other regions were called in for questioning, raising concerns about police overreach. Writers say they were tracked down based on online activity and sales, and some were forced to travel long distances for questioning at their own cost. Writers have described fear, shame and confusion. One said, 'Every word I once wrote came back to haunt me.' Another wrote: 'I earned my money word by word, but once it went wrong, people acted like I never worked for it.' Many have since deleted their posts, fearing further action. Danmei is written mainly by women and read mostly by female audiences. Though the stories centre on male characters, the genre is often used as a safe space to explore female desire and challenge traditional gender roles. But critics in China say such content is inappropriate, especially for younger readers. #svsss 빙추 — 재효 (@owopoqo) June 29, 2025 The crackdown highlights growing internet censorship under President Xi Jinping's push for 'traditional family values'. Social media posts supporting the writers or discussing legal rights have been deleted. Some experts believe the government sees danmei as encouraging women to turn away from marriage and motherhood. Writers, lawyers and scholars have voiced concern. Dr Liang Ge from University College London told the BBC that danmei allows women to 'detach from gendered realities' and find creative freedom. Lawyers have offered free advice to those arrested, and some are calling the crackdown excessive. It's unclear how many more will be charged. Some writers say they will stop, others are determined to continue. As one author wrote, 'If I could go back, I'd still choose to write. I just hope the law sees the girl behind the words.'
