Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
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Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#2Its not safe to be queer. There are broad societal protection that one loses out on the second they aren't straight acting and cis-gendered, all it takes is a shift in the political winds for governments to start rounding up any class or minority they don't like.
There are "safer" places in the world to be queer, but the threat of danger and violence never goes away, even in gayborhoods like here in parts of Seattle.
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#3Its not safe to be queer. There are broad societal protection that one loses out on the second they aren't straight acting and cis-gendered, all it takes is a shift in the political winds for governments to start rounding up any class or minority they don't like. There are "safer" places in the world to be queer, but the threat of danger and violence never goes away, even in gayborhoods like here in parts of Seattle.
> There are "safer" places in the world to be queer, but the threat of danger and violence never goes away, even in gayborhoods like here in parts of Seattle.
100% true. And the risk is multiplied for those of us who are both queer and not-white.
Yes, sometimes there are ways to mitigate that risk, but most of the time, it's just there - nothing we can do except hope that we're lucky.
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#4[deleted]
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#5[deleted]
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#6The Reddit discussion said the issue was not about being gay but about being pornography, sold illegally, to minors, violating all sorts of copyright and porn related regulations.
Apologies for not having a link handy from my cell phone, I'd appreciate if someone could look it up and respond with links.
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#7[deleted]
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#8Censorship of erotic material isn't a purely Chinese thing, other countries practice it at smaller scales. In England, various fictional artworks can be prosecuted under the Obscene Publications act, even possession of some cartoon pornography can be prosecuted under CAJA 2009 s.63. To the dismay of LGBTQ+ and sexual freedom campaigners, even possession of simulated rape pornography is illegal.
That's not to say that homosexuality can be compared to fetish porn, but people should be aware that in some countries without constitutional protection for free speech (or those with one but with an "obscenity" exception, looking at you Canada) censorship of harmless porn is par for the course.
(Would someone mind explaining why this is being downvoted? In my experience, few people are familiar with such laws in Western countries, and of course I condemn China's laws more; is this comment off topic? Please tell me if I can improve.)
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#9Its not safe to be queer. There are broad societal protection that one loses out on the second they aren't straight acting and cis-gendered, all it takes is a shift in the political winds for governments to start rounding up any class or minority they don't like. There are "safer" places in the world to be queer, but the threat of danger and violence never goes away, even in gayborhoods like here in parts of Seattle.
What you're saying may well be true, but it has no bearing on the case in this article. Based on the article, it appears that the author wasn't jailed for writing gay sex scenes, but rather for selling books with sex scenes of any kind. Apparently China has a law against selling pornographic books of any kind, and this author ran afoul of it.
Re: Chinese erotic writer jailed for more than 10 years over gay sex scenes in novel
#10Censorship of erotic material isn't a purely Chinese thing, other countries practice it at smaller scales. In England, various fictional artworks can be prosecuted under the Obscene Publications act, even possession of some cartoon pornography can be prosecuted under CAJA 2009 s.63. To the dismay of LGBTQ+ and sexual freedom campaigners, even possession of simulated rape pornography is illegal. That's not to say that…
> In England, various fictional artworks can be prosecuted under the Obscene Publications act, even possession of some cartoon pornography can be prosecuted under CAJA 2009 s.63. To the dismay of LGBTQ+ and sexual freedom campaigners, even possession of simulated rape pornography is illegal.
The UK is hardly a touchstone of freedom of erotica. It's not just simulated rape - if you look at the full list of things censored under Cameron, it includes a lot of things that would be considered rather dry by American standards (such as most pornography filmed outdoors).