"And I Am Also Gay": Illiberal Pragmatics, Neoliberal Homonormativity and LGBT Activism in Singapore

Authors

  • Robert Phillips University of Manitoba

Keywords:

Singapore, illiberal pragmatics, homonormativity, LGBT social movements, Internet, citizenship

Abstract

For decades, members of Singapore's LGBT com
munities have been unsuccessfully advocating for rights. How
ever, since the state introduction of the Internet, there has
been a profound shift in the relationship between LGBT Singa
poreans and their nation. In this article I examine recent
Internet-influenced developments in LGBT activism and posi
tion them within the framework of illiberal pragmatics, which
highlights the ambivalent logic employed by Singaporean au
thorities when formulating social and legal policy. I describe
how illiberal pragmatism, in combination with a Singaporean
specific neoliberal homonormativity, has changed strategies of
LGBT activism and provided new ways to think about rights.

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Published

2014-04-30

How to Cite

Phillips, R. (2014). "And I Am Also Gay": Illiberal Pragmatics, Neoliberal Homonormativity and LGBT Activism in Singapore. Anthropologica, 56(1), 45–54. Retrieved from https://cas-sca.journals.uvic.ca/index.php/anthropologica/article/view/630

Issue

Vol. 56 No. 1 (2014): Queer Anthropology

Section

Thematic Section:

License

Copyright (c) 2014 Robert Phillips

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