Although the notion of gay space started out as a cultural geographic study that predominantly focused on Western countries where gay visibility was high, more scholars have begun to show keenness in tracing the existence of gay space in Asian regions in recent years. This article traces the formation of gay space in Jono Anwar’s 2003 movie Arisan!. Set in modern day Indonesia where homosexuality is still deeply frowned upon, the movie explores how the male protagonist - Sakti struggles to come to terms with his own homosexuality in a world governed by heteronormativity. This study argues that the gay space in Arisan! is not formed by merely portraying the gay characters in a positive light but rather, by toppling the heteronormative structures that shaped the core of sexual hegemony as portrayed in the movie. This study examines how the formidable heteronormative structures are destabilized by toxic masculinity, toxic femininity, and the problematizing of heterosexual world for the purpose of making room for the formation of gay space.

The close relationship between nature and women is an aged-old phenomenon. Nature itself is often associated with feminine traits owing to its motherly and nurturing nature. There have been a substantial amount of academic studies conducted for the purpose of examining the intricate relationship between nature and women. Eco-feminism for instance, investigates how the exploitation of nature is akin to the exploitation of women by capitalism and patriarchy. Meanwhile, there is also ecological feminism that discusses how women have been placed in unfair positions through male- biased division of labour and environmental roles. Although some scholars have attempted to explore how nature serves to empower women, the role of nature as a means of empowerment for female ghosts remains relatively scarce. This study aims to examine how nature can play its role to empower women even as ghosts in two Southeast Asian horror films namely Inhuman Kiss (2019) and Suzzanna: Buried Alive (2018). This study explores the relationship between the female ghosts and nature in relation to the abject and the lens of eco-feminism. It aims to demonstrate how the bond between nature and women perpetuates beyond the corporeal world.

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