Same love : a post-structural exploratory study into the experiences of Singapore’s gays and lesbians

Abstract

Using detailed individual experiences, this study aims to explore the ways in which gays and lesbians in Singapore negotiate the identity development process, and how they strive to establish familial ties with their family of origin in light of their personal understanding of their sexual orientation. In particular, this study adopted a post-structural Foucauldian framework of discourse analysis and power/knowledge to assess (a) the factors influencing the decision to reveal their sexual orientation, (b) the effects of the individuals’ experiences on either disclosing or concealing their sexual orientation, on their identity formation, and (c) the familial relations that are negotiated in the debate homosexual individuals have between publicly disclosing or withholding their sexuality. Essentially, findings reveal two main areas of concern, the managing of multiple discourses, as well as the conundrum between homosexuality and familial ties.