本文藉由Mike Douglass的「市民空間(civic space)」理論分析框架,探索西門町紅樓南廣場作為與以往台北同志空間迥異的空間,除了成為這一世代男同志都會生活的重要場景之外,如何使得當代台北男同志的社會生活產生了各種不同層次的改變。 紅樓南廣場位於西門町鬧區與邊陲橋接處的地理位置,原本是幾乎要被台北遺忘的邊角,〈小熊村〉將網路家族實體化的嘗試,意外集聚大台北地區的男同志在此地現身。經過三四年發展,戶外咖啡座與酒吧的叢集,創造出有別於以往男同志在室內消費飲酒、在室外開放空間「釣人」的社群空間形式,進一步帶動台灣第一個同志商圈在此生成。兼容並蓄的空間形式,使得商圈的形成與茁壯,廣義地包容了性別社群的展演、認同與差異,賦予了男同志對照、展演、認同的空間基礎。以一個實際被「生活著」的空間為根基,在日常裡扎根,具體回應了社會運動,公共治理,乃至於社會變遷的綜合命題。 除歌頌美好現狀,本文亦批判消費文化對性別政治解放所帶來的障礙,指認出社會運動與社會工作的內涵,事實上乃是扞格於消費文化的困境。並借鏡國外同志社區打造與經營的經驗,提出在紅樓南廣場結合消費空間與社會服務的可能願景。
Using the analytical framework on civic spaces provided by Mike Douglass, this paper examines how the mixture of sectors came out on “Hong Low Guan Chang (Ximen Red House Square)” changed the face of contemporary urban gay lives in Taipei. First, the negotiation between city governors and gay café managers points out that even if gay community brought the revival of a forgotten area, gay business is still a taboo in official urban plan. Second, the heteronormativity seems to fade out in the area; however, the differed gay performativity still reveals uneven power in between gay individuals including the bears, the sissies, and the transgender. Third, based on current organizational framework of gay café and service providers, the dissertation suggests the possibilities of opening up a new route of gay right movements in Taipei.