Queer Youth and Everyday Spaces in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand: A Photovoice Project Matthew Barry Scott A thesis submitted to Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences Victoria University of Wellington Te Whare Wānanga o te Ūpoko o te Ika a Māui 2019 ii Abstract Queer people are often ‘othered’ in everyday spaces because of the assumptions, practices, and beliefs that reinforce heterosexuality and cis-gendered bodies as normal and natural. For queer youth, these experiences are further exacerbated by their age and agency. Yet there has been little explicit geographic scholarship focused on understanding how queer youth navigate heteronormativity and practice their subjectivities in different everyday spaces. In this thesis, I draw on the work of queer theory and geographies of sexuality literature to consider how subjectivities are constructed, controlled, and experienced by some queer youth in everyday spaces of Wellington, Aotearoa-New Zealand. I work within a transformative epistemology, and use photovoice as my research method to present the reflective engagements of six queer youth aged between sixteen and twenty-two through their photographs and accompanying narratives. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis to examine the participants’ visual and verbal texts yields contradicting and varying experiences of heteronormativity. Processes of subjectivity negotiation, queering space, conforming strategies, and gender performance influence how queer youth are placed within their everyday spaces. Safe spaces, like nature, the stage, and queer youth groups provide queer youth with the ability to be self-expressive, escape from the pressures of everyday life, and be surrounded with other queer people. Such spaces can be enhanced through activism, queer representation, and with the presence of animals and friends. This research contributes academically to research within geographies of sexualities and works towards disseminating these findings through a collaborative zine to support efforts to counter some of the dominating effects of heteronormativity identified by the queer youth. Key words: queer, queer youth, heteronormativity, subjectivity, space, place, geographies of sexuality, queer geography, queer theory, photovoice, New Zealand iii iv Acknowledgments I would firstly like to thank the participants that contributed their time and energy into the photovoice project. The opportunity to get to know such honest, lovely, and happy people has been the biggest highlight in this research journey. Without you, this thesis would not have been possible. To my supervisor Associate Professor Sara Kindon, it has been both a pleasure and honour to work with you through this journey and through journeys past. Your words of encouragement, scholarly knowledge, and unwavering support of me has made this thesis what it is today. I feel extremely privileged to have had you as my supervisor and I look forward to our paths crossing in the future. To my fellow Masters students – especially Janie Walker, Lisa Dowling, and Sky Halford – I thank you for the shared panic and stress, but also the joy and comradery of going through this together. I am also grateful to my friends for excusing my absence from their lives while putting this thesis together. To my family, I thank you for your support and love during this past year. And to Josh, who has endured me at my best and at my worst – thank you. v Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .................................................................................................... vi Table of Figures .................................................................................................... viii List of Abbreviations .............................................................................................. xi CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ...................................................................... 1 1.1 Research Background ........................................................................................ 1 1.2 Research Questions ............................................................................................ 3 1.3 Research Approach ............................................................................................ 4 1.4 Thesis Outline .................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER TWO: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK .......................................... 7 2.1 ‘Queer’? ............................................................................................................. 7 2.2 Queer Theory ..................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER THREE: QUEER GEOGRAPHIES .................................................. 15 3.1 Space and Place................................................................................................ 15 3.2 Gender, Sexuality, and Queerness in Geography ............................................ 20 3.3 Geographies of Youth ...................................................................................... 31 3.4 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................ 33 CHAPTER FOUR: METHODOLOGY ................................................................ 35 4.1 Epistemological Approach ............................................................................... 35 4.2 Queer, Multi-Sensory, and ‘Everyday’ Methodology ..................................... 35 4.3 Photovoice as a Research Method ................................................................... 38 4.4 Ethics, Positionality, and Representation......................................................... 51 4.5 Chapter Summary ............................................................................................ 53 vi CHAPTER FIVE: PHOTOGRAPHS .................................................................... 55 5.1 Public Spaces ................................................................................................... 55 5.2 Semi-Public Spaces .......................................................................................... 69 5.3 Private Spaces .................................................................................................. 95 5.4 Chapter Summary........................................................................................... 103 CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION ............................................................................ 105 6.1 Heteronormativity in Everyday Spaces .......................................................... 105 6.2 Safe Spaces and Feelings of ‘Safety’ ............................................................. 112 6.3 Chapter Summary........................................................................................... 119 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH ................ 121 7.1 Conclusions .................................................................................................... 121 7.2 Limitations and Future Considerations .......................................................... 124 REFERENCE LIST ............................................................................................... 127 APPENDICIES ....................................................................................................... 143 Appendix A – Photo Information Sheet ............................................................... 143 Appendix B – Photo Information Sheet ............................................................... 144 Appendix C – Health and Safety Information Sheet ............................................ 145 Appendix D – Interview Guide ............................................................................ 146 Appendix E – Participant Information Sheet ....................................................... 148 Appendix F – Participant Consent Form .............................................................. 151 vii Table of Figures Figure 1: Signifiers for Male Response .................................................................... 25 Figure 2: Queering the Map, Wellington .................................................................. 26 Figure 3: Focus Group Two at Toi Poneke Arts Centre ........................................... 43 Figure 4: Compass and Kate's Day ........................................................................... 44 Figure 5: Posey Dyke on Cuba Street ....................................................................... 56 Figure 6: TERF Poster .............................................................................................. 58 Figure 7: Symbols on the Streets of Wellington ....................................................... 69 Figure 8: Carmen Crossing Light ............................................................................. 61 Figure 9: Rainbow flag in Cafe Window .................................................................. 62 Figure 10: Rainbow flag on City Streets .................................................................