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Bandung mayor against publicizing LGBT issues on social media
Fight for rights: Transsexuals stage a peaceful rally in Jakarta to urge the state to do more to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people
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Fight for rights: Transsexuals stage a peaceful rally in Jakarta to urge the state to do more to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. (Kompas.com) (LGBT) people. (Kompas.com)
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span class="caption">Fight for rights: Transsexuals stage a peaceful rally in Jakarta to urge the state to do more to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. (Kompas.com)
Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil said on Tuesday he did not have any problem with citizens who supported or were involved in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. However, he called on LGBT community members not to publicize their movement, especially on social media.
"For me, I basically am not bothered about other people's personal matters. What becomes problematic is when there is a private matter that cannot be accepted as the norm and it is publicized," Ridwan said as quoted by tempo.co on Tuesday.
The Bandung mayor added that he would take action against citizens caught publicizing LGBT issues openly on social media, such as by suspending their accounts.
"We cannot live freely as we want. The fact is that there are people who are 'different', we don't know and that is their business. Sexual preferences should be a private matter and cannot be exposed or campaigned about publicly because there are social behaviors that are not acceptable in Indonesia," he said.
Ridwan said that despite it being a private matter, there were still rules people should adhere to when they accessed social media. He cited the example of rules against pornography, an issue which was considered inappropriate and not fitting public norms. Such boundaries were what the Bandung city administration would adhere to when deciding whether to take action or not, he added.
Ridwan said several accounts on Twitter had been suspended due to LGBT-related posts, showing that social media also had its boundaries.
Recently, a Twitter account that had been posting obscene homosexual images received strong condemnation from online users and has since been suspended.
Ridwan, who is an active user of social media, said he was not afraid of taking steps against those who were openly campaigning for LGBT.
"Entering the realm and opening oneself up and inviting others indirectly, in my opinion is a violation of ethics and social norms, and I will firmly take action against it," Ridwan said. (liz/ebf)
