Seminar Series: Abstract

1:00
May 11 2009
Seminar Room C

“And I am also gay”: Non-normative Sexualities, Internet Technology, and the Reconfiguration of the Singaporean Public Sphere
Robert Phillips

Visiting Research Fellow, University of Wollongong

In this paper, I use a blog entry, in which a Singaporean school teacher “comes out” as a gay man, as a starting point in an exploration of how and why the use of technology has been so crucial in the process of opening up discussions on topics that heretofore had not been spoken of in the public sphere. Here, I argue that through the use of blogs, forums, and other interactive online sites, Singaporeans of all persuasions are able to express opinions on controversial issues online that in turn lead to productive debates in the physical world regarding such topics as citizenship rights, sexualities, and uses of public space. This paper thus examines how Singaporeans throughout society have embraced technology as a manner by which to participate in larger discussions relating to the future direction of the nation.