Why Are Chinese Women Writing Gay Erotica?

I discovered an interesting article in Sinosphere titled Why Many Young Chinese Women Are Writing Gay Male Erotica By Didi Kirsten Tatlow. Curious as why young Chinese women are writing gay erotica, I read the article and learned:

Danmei is part of an ‘‘ongoing sexual revolution’’ with feminist characteristics in China, perhaps the country’s first, said a Chinese academic who requested anonymity. China is currently undergoing a crackdown on pornography that has netted danmei writers and website managers, and closed some sites, sexual rights advocates said. ‘‘The campaign is really having an impact,’’ the researcher said. 

Creating and consuming danmei is a way for women to explore their long-repressed sexuality, said Ms. Jacobs. 

‘‘I think Chinese culture is still harsh on women in terms of how far they can go in developing a fantasy life or erotic art forms,’’ she said. ‘‘I think they have to be very careful in coming out with their fantasies. The norm is stifling.’’ 

So those fantasies, safely projected onto ‘‘other,’’ gay, male bodies, represent a revolt against a deeply conservative culture, which expects passivity and childlikeness from women, Ms. Jacobs and the Chinese researcher said.

Click on the above article to read the full article.