‘It feels safe when I’m around queer people’: relational safety, belonging and queer legitimacy in Singapore

Gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender (GBQT) men in Singapore face layered marginalisation shaped by heteronormativity, cisnormativity, and socio-religious conservatism, producing complex experiences of vulnerability and isolation. Singapore's landscape of queer expression is frequently policed, medicalised, or confined to sexualised and digital spaces, with few safe and affirming environments. This qualitative study explores how eight GBQT men in Singapore experienced a Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) workshop as a space for safety, belonging, and collective reflection. Drawing on video recordings, participant reflections, field notes, and a focus group discussion, data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis. Findings illustrate how participants sought safe and platonic queer spaces, negotiated belonging and queer legitimacy, and collectively engaged with embodied experiences of marginalisation. Across these experiences, safety, belonging and embodied meaning emerged as relational processes negotiated through participants' interactions, dialogue and collective witnessing. Findings characterise belonging as an ongoing relational process and underscore the need to cultivate non-sexualised, community spaces in Singapore where queer and transgender people can experience safety, reflection and collective care.