When ‘us’ becomes ‘them’: Rescripting queer sexual subjectivities in Thai children’s lifeworlds

Abstract

Public discussions of non-normative sexualities are generally ‘tolerated’ in many Thai public spaces; however, being visibly homosexual in Thailand can mean being susceptible to discrimination and stigmatization. In this study, children’s ability to re-narrate their life worlds is articulated and through an a/r/tographic articulation of the assemblages of their onto-epistemic social relations drawn from their everyday encountering of images of gender and sexuality. Their depictions via social media we collected include self-disclosure, desired becoming, intimacy, and the ideal of coupledom and marriage. This study argues that the conspicuous divide between the curated personas of young queers in the digital platform and the nuanced authenticity of their lived experiences may not singularly account for the prejudices they endure within Thai society. The immediacy and alluring nature of these platforms heighten the vulnerability of LGBTQ+ ingénues, whose audacious self-representation serves as both a declaration of identity and a target for inspection.