Chinese site known for gay fiction ordered to stop publishing ‘obscene’ content

LGBT pride flag. (Image: INQUIRER.net Stock Photo)

China’s National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications has ordered a Chinese literature website to close down some of its online sections following an investigation.

Jinjiang Literature City’s website was accused by the pornography watchdog of proliferating obscene information in its self-published e-books, which include homoerotic fiction, as per The South China Morning Post on May 24.

“There are ongoing issues in the realm of internet literature with the spreading of obscene content,” the watchdog said via Chinese microblogging site Weibo. “Some internet companies lack content supervision and have crossed the line repeatedly.”

The website has since said they will comply with the order, as per the report. The authorities did not define what obscene content it found, although some netizens theorized the probe came after a Chinese writer was sentenced to 10 years in jail in November 2018 for writing and selling gay erotic fiction. 

The crackdown and censorship on Jinjiang has sparked outcry from some users, who considered the website as a space for Chinese writers to promote themselves to publishers and readers.

This is not the first time Chinese authorities have ordered forms of media and literature to be taken down for its Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer (LGBTQ) themes.

In June 2018, children’s books that depicted same-sex parents were stripped from library shelves by the Home Affairs Bureau of Hong Kong following pressure from an anti-gay rights group.

Meanwhile, Chinese gay-themed science fiction drama series “Guardian” was taken down from China’s leading video-streaming platform less than two months after its release in August last year. 

The removal of the series came after the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television issued an official order in July 2018 to clean up programs with “harmful and vulgar content.”  Cody Cepeda /ra

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