Twenty-four-year-old Kai Mata, an outspoken LGBT activist, an openly lesbian singer-songwriter and a Chinese Indonesian, says the hateful messages that she often receives are at the intersection of homophobia and racism.

“[They say things like,] ‘This person has a disorder. I hope you get well soon and return to normal. Or maybe you can return to your home country of China,’” said Kai, who lives in Bali. She added that she received other messages that used expletives and called her racial slurs.

Born in 1997, Kai Mata moved with her family to the United States while she was a baby, after the May 1998 Jakarta riots that targeted the city’s ethnic Chinese population. She moved back to Indonesia as an adult and uses her social media platforms to speak out against the country’s attitude toward minorities.

“Being both Chinese-Indonesian and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community feels like I continuously have to keep my head on a swivel for discrimination and being ‘othered’. I feel like I am constantly on the lookout for ways the government and society will attempt to strip away my humanity and my identity,” she said.

Kai cited several damaging events, including the May 1998 riots, a 2016 decision by the Indonesian Psychiatrists Association (PDSKJI) classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder and the controversial family resilience bill, which proposes that LGBT people report for ‘rehabilitation’.

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