AKIPRESS.COM - A Chinese writer has been given a ten year sentence for writing and selling a novel which featured gay sex scenes, BBC reports.

The writer, identified as Liu, was jailed by a court in Anhui province last month for producing and selling "obscene material".

Her novel, titled "Occupation", featured "male homosexual behavior... including perverted sexual acts like violation and abuse."

But her lengthy jail term has sparked protest across Chinese social media.

According to the Beijing News, Liu - better known by her online alias Tian Yi - has now filed an appeal to the court.

Pornography is illegal in China.