Policing gender : queer-women and hetero-normative politics in Singapore.

Abstract

This study seeks to fill the gap in the current literature on non-normative sexuality in Singapore by melding gender and sexuality in analysing non-normative sexuality. It explores how gender intersects with sexuality, (re)producing different lived experiences for Singaporean queer-women. The focus on exploring these “ground-level” realities is critical in light of the current literature that has remained largely at state discourse analyses. Drawing on in-depth interview data, I argue on the importance of exploring the lived experiences of Singaporean queer-women to fully comprehend the costs and consequences of living in a predominantly hetero-normative environment – costs that are at times too severe to be ignored. Yet, despite experiencing hetero-normative constraints, respondents are still able to work within these constraints to create viable lives for themselves and others –concomitantly opening up a discussion on women‟s agency, which has been at the core of liberal feminist discussions on women‟s oppression.