Housing the Singapore's 'normal' family

• Main Author: Lim, Su Wen
• Other Authors: Michael Stanley-Baker
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Humanities::History::Asia::Singapore::Politics and government
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/147308
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper examines that beyond protecting a heterosexual norm whose narrow definition curtails and excludes participation of the non-normative, the government seeks instead, to protect a particular ‘idealized’ form of family that has been envisioned and created by the state for the pursuit of economy advancement. In other words, the non-normative are excluded from full citizenship and participation in the state not so much because they pose a challenge to the proper family unit but rather, they have deviated and departed from the normalized practices in which the state built their policies upon. More than regarding its entire population as heterosexual, the state instead, presume its citizenry to be and state policies are hence, built upon these assumptions and thus, its citizens are regulated as such. The paper also shows that while the state did relax some of its family and housing policies to allow those who have been queered to participate in the nation-building project, its inclusion is partial and conditional and in turn, it only serves to further reinforce and perpetuate the secondary status of the non-heteronormative others that full participation or citizenship is unattainable.