US Edition
China crackdown on gay erotica stifles rare outlet for LGBTQ expression
CHINA, JUL 11 – Chinese authorities have detained dozens of amateur Boys' Love writers under obscenity laws as part of a broader crackdown on LGBTQ expression and feminist voices, with some facing prison terms.
- Chinese authorities have intensified a crackdown in 2024 targeting mostly amateur writers of Boys' Love erotica, detaining dozens and prosecuting them for spreading obscene content.
- The crackdown follows legal frameworks where profiting from obscene content, defined by over 10,000 clicks or fees above 10,000 yuan, can lead to fines or up to a decade in prison.
- Boys' Love, a genre originating from 1960s Japanese manga, mainly authored and read by heterosexual women, is increasingly censored amid a wider social and political push under President Xi Jinping.
- A lecturer noted police use these cases for profit and called the targeting a 'very dirty practice,' while a 22-year-old writer described her stories as 'resisting a male-dominated society.'
- This operation signals reduced space for LGBTQ expression and sexual knowledge in China, with implications including criminal charges barring offenders from civil service and medical jobs.
43 Articles
43 Articles
China police launch campaign against "boys' love" fiction writers
Police in Lanzhou, the capital of northwestern China's Gansu Province, launched a campaign earlier this year targeting writers of "boys' love" fiction -- romantic stories between men -- as part of Beijing's broader crackdown on pornographic publications, according to Hong Kong media.
Because they write novels featuring the homosexual love of androgynous boys, young writers are arrested by the police. While Chinese law prohibits erotic content, the authorities mostly see with a bad eye what they consider to be a challenge to family values.
China’s crackdown on gay erotica stifles rare outlet for LGBTQ expression
By Mary Yang 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. Posters featuring boy’s love are seen as people visit a merchandise shop in Beijing on July 9, 2025. Photo: Adek Berry/AFP. In recent months, Chinese police have detained dozens of writers on Haitang Literature City, a Taiwan-ba…
Malay Mail
AlKhaleej TodayChina cracks down on women writing gay erotica, some face up to 10 years in jail
BEIJING, July 11 — 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 heterosex…
InsideNoVA.com
China 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.
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