this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2025
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"I've been warned not to talk about it," the woman wrote, before revealing snippets of the day she says she was arrested for publishing gay erotica.

"I'll never forget it - being escorted to the car in full view, enduring the humiliation of stripping naked for examination in front of strangers, putting on a vest for photos, sitting in the chair, shaking with fear, my heart pounding."

The handle, Pingping Anan Yongfu, is among at least 8 in recent months which have shared accounts on Chinese social media platform Weibo of being arrested for publishing gay erotic fiction. As authors recounted their experiences, dozens of lawyers offered pro bono help.

At least 30 writers, nearly all of them women in their 20s, have been arrested across the country since February, a lawyer defending one told the BBC. Many are out on bail or awaiting trial, but some are still in custody. Another lawyer told the BBC that many more contributors were summoned for questioning.

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[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 154 points 1 week ago (9 children)

Ah yes, this is the democracy some people talk about

[–] blackbelt352@lemmy.world 68 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Authoritarians gonna authoritarian regardless of economic model.

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[–] oh_@lemmy.world 135 points 1 week ago (4 children)

This will eventually be the U.S. if we don’t stop the erosion. Right now they are going after trans, brown people. They will turn attention after to others.

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[–] QuoVadisHomines@sh.itjust.works 92 points 1 week ago (63 children)

But .ml communities promise meChina has mote free speech than the West! How is this possible?

/s

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 43 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Clearly, the BBC made it all up. Because it contradicts them. /s

Literally the newest top-level comment right now.

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[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 82 points 1 week ago (1 children)

These authors are being accused of breaking China's pornography law for "producing and distributing obscene material". Writers who earn a profit could be jailed for more than 10 years.

The law targets "explicit descriptions of gay sex or other sexual perversions".

Jesus I thought there might have been some bullshit pretense, but apparently it's just straight-up illegal there.

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[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 79 points 1 week ago (5 children)

"The Chinese government wants to promote traditional family values and liking danmei novels is seen as a factor in making women less willing to have children," Dr Ge explains.

[–] Supervisor194@lemmy.world 52 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Man, it's wild to see them go from one-child to this in a single generation.

[–] partial_accumen@lemmy.world 46 points 1 week ago

Overcorrection in policy is not uncommon in authoritarian regimes. I'd imagine because policy carries the threat of imprisonment, not just guidance.

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[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 66 points 1 week ago (6 children)

Yea... porn in illegal in China, erotic stories is just "word-porn" basically, this is nothing new.

This is what conservatism does. Same in China, same in the Deep South of the US (the only reason why porn is still legal-ish in the south is because of the first amendment, but the constitution is being eroded so that might not last long)

Conservatism is a disease that many countries still have. Take a look at this map:

Porn being legal is mostly only a thing in the "western world".

Even if China has a liberal democracy like in the west, people would still elect conservatives. See democratic countries like: India, South Korea, Ukraine, Phillippines, Malaysia, they all made porn illegal despite being democratic.

I'm cisgender and probably straight (or asexual not sure tbh), but if I was trans or gay, my parents would've disowned me for being "mentally ill" and gave me zero inheritance. I mean, even currently with depression, my parents are already thinking about leaving me out of the will for being a "useless eater", imagine if I was LGBT. For context, parents are from Mainland, PRC, currently we're in the US, they are conservstives that just thinks everyone who's is depressed is either "faking it" or crazy psychopaths and/or "useless eaters". I hate my life.

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