Drag Sentimentality, Intimate Publics, and the Unfinished Business of Queer Constitutionalism in Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/03/fal.1228Abstract
This commentary builds on Lauren Berlant’s affective notion of intimate publics to offer a reparative and melodramatic reading of Thai drag aesthetics in conjunction with the Constitutional Court Ruling No. 20/2564 on same-sex marriage and contemporary constitutionalism more broadly. It explores how drag sentimentality not only disrupts public discourse that perpetuates homophobic and transphobic assumptions but also creates an intimate public space that is both generative and healing for queer communities as they struggle for legal recognition as Thai citizens. This understanding of the intersection between the public and the private is particularly relevant during the contemporary period of democratization in Thailand, where constitutional issues are deeply intertwined with sex, gender, and sexuality.
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