July 23, 2019

Just last month, Singaporeans celebrated the 11^th edition of Pink Dot SG, a non-profit movement that supports the freedom to love, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. How does Pink Dot relay its message to the public?

In ‘Homonationalist discourse as a politics of pragmatic resistance in Singapore’s Pink Dot movement: Towards a southern praxis’ (Journal of Sociolinguistics, 2017), Associate Professor Michelle Lazar from the NUS Department of English Language and Literature examines Pink Dot’s 2014 promotional video For Family. For Friends. For Love to show how the movement uses homonationalism as a political discursive strategy. Homonationalism is the combination of homonormativity and nationalism, and refers to the favourable link between nationalist and LGBTQ ideologies.

In particular, the video echoes Singapore’s five Shared Values, which in turn constitute its national ideology. Firstly, the video’s integration of national symbols like the Singapore flag reflects the first Shared Value’s call for national unity and interests to be prioritized above the individual. Secondly, it frames Pink Dot as a family-centred event, in accordance with the emphasis on familial bonds in the second Shared Value. Thirdly, the video also highlights a reliance on wider group support, which relates to the theme of individual rights and consensus-building in the third and fourth Shared Values respectively. Finally, its presentation of ethnic diversity is resonant of the fifth Shared Value on racial and religious harmony, bringing to fore Singapore’s emphasis on harmony-in-diversity.

Assoc Prof Lazar argues that these demonstrate the resilience, creativity and agency of a marginalized community within an illiberal context. While the movement leverages on the uniting force of nationalism, it also encourages Singaporeans to be open-minded and inclusive of all citizens. Similarly, while it maintains the discourse of heteronormative family structures, it also pushes for an acceptance of alternative family formations.

Read the full article here.