Beyond 'Majulah': homonationalism and cruel optimism in pink dot

Abstract

Pink Dot is considered one of the most successful civil society movements in recent Singapore history. Pink Dot’s approach has been described in terms of ‘pragmatic resistance', where gay activists adhere to the formal law and cultural norms, while push the limits of those norms. They also work within the discourse of ‘pragmatics’ that govern Singapore’s semi-authoritarian regime, where citizens tacitly accept the trade off of their civil liberties for economic growth and stability. I look at queer scholarship on homonormative contemporary gay ‘pride’ and queer subjectivities, and attempt to tease out their implications in the illiberal state of Singapore where homonormative families based around non-heterosexual couples have yet to enter the state’s definition of families that can produce ‘quality’ citizens. I take an affective approach, using Lauren Berlant’s cruel optimism, and Warner’s concept of counterpublics, to look at the tactics of ‘pragmatic resistance’ of the Pink Dot movement. I argue that “pragmatic resistance” entails using state-sanctioned discourses while changing norms, such as through building counterpublics, but that the discourses used by Pink Dot’s ‘pragmatic resistance’ attempt to expand sexual citizenship to those national interest, can inadvertently lead to cruel optimism for queer people. Finally, I consider the potential for a queer movement that goes beyond LGBT identities to but can different ‘queer-ed’ subjects in Singapore. I suggest a possible alliance between groups experiencing different but overlapping cruel optimisms, and even linking minoritarian and majoritarian concerns by engaging with Singaporeans’ cruel optimism that they can achieve a good life if they work hard, and that the government’s pragmatics is working for them, public housing being one potential site of contestation.