(BE)LONGING: LESBIANS AND BISEXUAL CHINESE WOMEN IN ANGLOPHON LITERATURE

Abstract

Using concepts from sociology and queer theory, I explore representations of Chinese lesbians and bisexual women in Anglophone literature. I analyse how these characters live their lives while being harmed by hegemonic norms about what an ideal citizen should resemble. While these characters are legal citizens of their respective countries, they are socially excluded because of their sexual orientation or race. I examine two works, Eating Chinese Food Naked by Mei Ng and the Invitation to Treat trilogy by Eleanor Wong. Both works were written in the 1990s about queer Anglophone Chinese women. Eating Chinese Food Naked is about a bisexual Chinese-American woman who returns home after graduating from university, while Invitation to Treat is about a Chinese Singaporean lesbian lawyer who enters a marriage of convenience with her straight best friend. I hope to expand the body of literature on queer Anglophone Chinese women, who have been comparatively under-studied compared to their White queer counterparts. Furthermore, while there is much research on queer Singaporean social movements like Pink Dot and HIV/AIDS activism or the lives of Singaporean gay men, I focused on representations, because literature is an important way for LGBTQ people to understand themselves. I conducted a close reading of the texts and argue that citizenship is based on exclusionary premises, and this harms sexual minorities like lesbians and bisexual women. Nonetheless, the protagonists of the novels create different definitions of success and belonging, despite being rejected by the mainstream.