Queer Singaporean futures after 377a: establishing homonormativity as concrete labour

ABSTRACT

In 2022, the state of Singapore decided to repeal section 377a - a law that criminalizes sex between men. Although it was heralded as an important step towards inclusion, along with the ever-growing global reach of neoliberal capitalism, there has also been an increasing criticism of the ways in which LGBT and queer values have been absorbed by, and sustains, the very systems which creates the oppression it aims to dismantle. Thus, I illustrate homonormativity in Singapore by rereading the state discourse surrounding the repeal of section 377a. In this article, I read homonormativity and concrete labour together in order to reveal how neoliberal states subsume, exploit, and reconfigure queerness by integrating it into expanding neoliberal logics of use values. The repeal of section 377a subsequently reveals the use values of gay sexual labour power in Singapore: one that is private and upholds the heteronormative social order. This article contributes to a growing materialist understanding of queer studies linked to Marxist political economy.

KEYWORDS:

• Singapore
• neoliberalism
• queer theory
• Marxist political economy
• capitalism

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank George Radics for their previous comments. I would like to acknowledge the anonymous referees involved in previous versions of this article. A previous version of this article was presented at the 2024 Cultural Studies Association conference.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Gao Ding

Gao Ding is currently a research masters student at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, National University of Singapore. Ding’s research interests lay at the intersection of queer studies/theory and political economy. Previously, Ding obtained their undergraduate degree from the University of Melbourne.