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liminalcurrents's review
4.0
I completed reading this book in the 21st year of the 21st century. On the cusp of 2021, we should ask what the state of Singapore queers in the 21st century is.
SQ21 is a feel-good and heart-warming collection of stories about the lived experiences of individuals from the queer community. Very often these lives get caught up in our culture wars, and we forget that queer individuals are humans too(I know this sounds so cliched). It highlights the unfairness of the double standards society enforces while evaluating their lives and condemning them.
The parts about how different parents accepted their queer children were particularly heart-wrenching. I honestly doubt that any homophobe could read this book and not come out regretting the vitriol they spill.
I do think, as much as the author attempted to display diverse and intersectional queer experiences, the book falls into the trap of cleansing queerness into societally acceptable forms of monogamy and cis-gendered experiences. But given the courage and difficulty associated with getting individuals to put their real names and faces in this book - I would not be surprised if this lack of diversity was a product of its form instead of its intent.
This is a book I will return to whenever I want to feel less alone. Anyone’s free to borrow my copy if they’re interested.
SQ21 is a feel-good and heart-warming collection of stories about the lived experiences of individuals from the queer community. Very often these lives get caught up in our culture wars, and we forget that queer individuals are humans too(I know this sounds so cliched). It highlights the unfairness of the double standards society enforces while evaluating their lives and condemning them.
The parts about how different parents accepted their queer children were particularly heart-wrenching. I honestly doubt that any homophobe could read this book and not come out regretting the vitriol they spill.
I do think, as much as the author attempted to display diverse and intersectional queer experiences, the book falls into the trap of cleansing queerness into societally acceptable forms of monogamy and cis-gendered experiences. But given the courage and difficulty associated with getting individuals to put their real names and faces in this book - I would not be surprised if this lack of diversity was a product of its form instead of its intent.
This is a book I will return to whenever I want to feel less alone. Anyone’s free to borrow my copy if they’re interested.
judithhuang's review
5.0
These stories are Singaporean stories. Written in transparent, clear first person narratives, they are stories of love and loss, family and faith and community. I admire the people whose stories are shared in this book for their bravery and Ng for taking the initiative to compile them.
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