Abstract

This chapter argues that the Singapore government's current ambiguous, and often contradictory, approach to regulating to queer politics, cultural expression and civic participation cannot be adequately evaluated unless it is understood as being shaped by Singapore’s unique position within the realms of international affairs. Singapore is a sovereign state entity whose compact territory is occupied by a singular urban environment designed to function and be consumed (by both citizen and foreigner) as a global city. To analyse the nature and future possibilities of queer politics in contemporary Singapore, we must remain critically aware that in today’s world order, Singapore stands alone in its status as a “global city-state".