Desiring Wanghuang: Live Streaming, Porn Consumption and Acts of Citizenship among Gay Men in Digital China

Abstract

This paper investigates Chinese gay men’s consumption of domestic pornography on international social network platforms following the country’s anti-porn campaigns targeting live streaming. Set against the backdrop of China’s illiberal digital landscape characterized by rapid platformization and evolving Internet governance, the paper draws on in-depth interviews with twenty-one Chinese young gay men to explore how they take advantage of digital platforms and algorithms to creatively and resiliently carve out a space for expressing same-sex desires in a precarious environment. It argues that, although these creative acts of sexual citizenship empower gay men in self-understanding and community-building, they are also critically limited by China’s intertwining neoliberal and illiberal cultures.