This essay aims to give an overview of Hong Kong queer media productions by presenting specific media representations that speak to local queer sensibilities and sexual politics. I investigate the nature of a localized queer nonchalance that cultivates an environment readable as both tolerant and limiting of queer desires, as well as resistant of the rumors of a broader cultural death. One of the case studies includes, to use Helen Hok-Sze Leung's term, “do-it-yourself” queer cultural projects that focus on reaching out to LGBT communities rather than to a wider mainstream public reception. Another example involves gender-crossing performances and cultural productions from mainstream media icons in popular culture. Finally, I discuss gossip magazine coverage of queer celebrity rumors. I locate my concerns in questioning whether mass-media practices can perversely normalize same-sex sexuality in our everyday lives.
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Review Article|
October 01 2012
Citation
Denise Tse-Shang Tang; An Unruly Death: Queer Media in Hong Kong. GLQ 1 October 2012; 18 (4): 597–614. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/10642684-1600752
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