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 pic.twitter.com/HwotMuQm9E
— 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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
Who Is Bob Vylan? Music duo under fire after Glastonbury 2025 performance sparks outrage
Bob Vylan is a UK music duo made of two members: Bobby Vylan who is a singer/frontman and Bobbie Vylan who is a drummer. They've never revealed their real names to keep their privacy, as per The Guardian report. Formed in Ipswich in 2017, now based in London. Their music is a mix of punk, rap, and hard rock. They've released 3 albums, We Live Here (2020), Bob Vylan Presents The Price Of Life (2022), and Humble As The Sun (2023). They've won awards like Best Alternative Act at the MOBOs and Best Album at the Kerrang Awards both in the year 20222. Their songs talk about racism, homophobia, toxic masculinity, and far-right politics. Bobby often says 'violence is the only language that some people understand' before performing one of their songs, as stated in the report by BBC. They're known for crowd-surfing, wild shows, and collabs with artists like Amy Taylor, Laurie Vincent, and Kid Kapichi. Bobby said he went to his first pro-Palestine protest at age 15 with a friend's mom, as per The Guardian report. What happened at Glastonbury 2025? Bob Vylan performed live on stage at Glastonbury Festival 2025. Before the show, they posted: 'Turns out the BBC trusts us on live TV!' During the show, they performed in front of a screen that said Israel's actions in Gaza are genocide. Bobby led chants of 'Death, death to the Israel Defense Forces'. Live Events He also said 'Free, free Palestine' and used the phrase 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. Critics say that chant is a call to destroy Israel, but pro-Palestinians say it's just about ending the occupation, as mentioned in the report by BBC. After the show, Bobby posted on Instagram saying, kids need to speak up for change. Adults lose fire, so we must pass the torch to the next generation. His caption said, "I said what I said." Their set came right before another controversial band, Kneecap, performed. One member of Kneecap is facing a terror charge, as stated in the report by BBC. ALSO READ: Sydney Sweeney was the star of Bezos wedding — dancing with Tom Brady till 2AM Fallout & Backlash Emily Eavis, Glastonbury's organiser, and the festival itself said the chants 'crossed a line'. They added there is 'no place for antisemitism, hate speech or inciting violence' at Glastonbury. Michael Eavis, the founder of the festival, had earlier said if people don't like political acts, they should just 'go somewhere else'. The BBC removed the performance video and said, 'We support free speech, but we don't support violence or hate speech.' They said the antisemitic content was 'utterly unacceptable'. They admitted they should've stopped the live stream but didn't act fast enough. Office of Communications, the UK's media watchdog, is investigating the BBC for broadcasting the chants live. They said the BBC 'clearly has questions to answer.' Police are now investigating the performance for any crimes under Public Order laws. The US government has revoked Bob Vylan's visas. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted, 'Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome in the US.' United Talent Agency dropped Bob Vylan from their roster in the US. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has asked the BBC chief for answers. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said both the BBC and Bob Vylan should be investigated and possibly prosecuted, as stated by BBC. FAQs Q1. Why is Bob Vylan trending? They made controversial comments at Glastonbury 2025. Q2. What did Bob Vylan say on stage? They led chants like 'Death to the IDF' and supported Palestine.
Time of India
31 minutes ago
- Time of India
60kg heroin of ‘int'l cartel' seized, 9 held from multiple states
1 2 Jaisalmer: Punjab Police in collaboration with Border Security Force (BSF) and Rajasthan Police busted an international drug cartel and seized 60.3 kg of heroin from near India-Pakistan border in Barmer, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said Monday. This cartel was operated by Pakistani smuggler Tanveer Shah and Canada-based handler Joban Kaler, he said. Nine traffickers of this cartel and hawala operators from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir have been arrested, the DGP said. "Punjab Police has achieved a significant success against drugs. Under an operation, 60.302 kg of heroin has been seized. We dismantled a major gang, leading to arrests from multiple states. We remain committed to combating drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. Our goal is to make Punjab drug-free and protect the youth from this menace," Yadav said. According to the DGP, this operation was based on months of intensive surveillance and intelligence gathering. Police utilised modern technologies and inter-state coordination to track the drug cartel's network. Interrogation of the arrested individuals is ongoing .
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Man held for setting father-in-law's car on fire, demanding money
Ludhiana: The man who made an extortion call to a Nirankari Mohalla-based businessman turned out to be his son-in-law. The accused, Tarun Kumar , claimed to be a member of the "Pandit gang." He also confessed to having married businessman Satish Jain 's daughter for money. Satish Jain filed a complaint saying that three masked men set his bike on fire early on June 20. He added that two days later, his son received a WhatsApp call from an individual claiming responsibility for the arson and demanding Rs 5 lakh. The caller threatened Jain, asking him to pay up if he wanted his family's safety. Police said that Tarun Kumar wanted to open a business and resorted to threats and extortion to obtain funds. In 2022, Jain's daughter eloped to marry Kumar. Unhappy with the marriage, Jain cut ties with his daughter and son-in-law. ASI Dharminder Kumar, in-charge of Miller Gunj Police Post, said that CCTV camera footage captured three masked men setting the car on fire. Jain expressed the suspicion that one of the assailants resembled his son-in-law. Investigation revealed that Tarun was in Ludhiana on the night of June 19-20, which led to his arrest. His two aides are at large. Tarun confessed to the crime, admitting that he married Jain's daughter for financial gain. He explained that they lived in a rented accommodation in Noida and struggled without steady employment. Tarun plotted the extortion, believing that he would be easily intimidated. Police said that Tarun used a stolen mobile number from Delhi to make the extortion call. A case was registered under sections 125 (acts endangering the life or personal safety of others) and 308 (2) (extortion) of the BNS has been registered at Division Number 6 police station. MSID:: 122162010413.
