TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Broadcasting commission chided for prohibiting “feminine men”
Change Size
For the sake of our children – Activists stage a peaceful rally in Jakarta recently against violence toward children and against what they see as negative influences, including the spread of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) related ideas. (Kompas.com/Malik Afrian)
M
edia Regulator and Regulation Observer (PR2Media) chairman Amir Effendi Siregar said a circular released by the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) to prohibit the airing of programs showing “feminine men” was not specific enough and over the top.
Amir said regulations on the content of programs aired by electronic broadcasting media institutions had to be tighter, because they used public frequencies.
However, he added that the implementation of the regulations should not go too far and had to be in line with the 2002 Broadcasting Law‘s framework, which aimed to guarantee the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press.
“The KPI must properly refer back to the 2002 Broadcasting Law and the Broadcasting Behavior Guideline (P3),” said Amir as quoted by kompas.com on Sunday.
The researcher said regulations stipulated in the KPI circular were unclear and forced into the corner certain groups of people, who were accused for improper attitudes in society. He referred to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community that has recently prompted heated public debates.
“The KPI has generalized the issue. The commission’s circular should be more specific [in defining so-called feminine men]. What about art performers like Didik Nini Towok,” asked Amir, referring to a prominent dancer and choreographer, who dedicated himself to female dances.
He pointed out that there were several male art performers in Indonesia who dressed and acted like women. Such performances were deeply rooted in the country’s art and culture.
Amir said the KPI should keep in mind that arts and culture were could not be separated from broadcasting media.
"Generalizing the [LGBT] issue puts the commission at risk of losing the spirit of the 2002 Broadcasting Law, namely the freedom of expression," he said.
Amir urged the KPI, together with related stakeholders, to revise broadcasting regulations.
As stipulated in the 2002 Broadcasting Law, media programs must contain elements that are informative, educative and entertaining. They should also provide material on intellectual development and uphold Indonesian culture.
"There must be a clearer outline of things that should not be broadcast to the public," he continued.
Meanwhile, Dhyta Caturani from the human rights organization One Billion Rising (OBR) said regulations delivered in the KPI's circular were blatant discrimination against LGBT people who had recently been subject to heavy public pressure, including from government officials and religious figures.
"It's ironic that the KPI, as a government institution, clearly discriminated against a group that is categorized as a minority," Dhyta said.
The activist admitted that airing programs showing effeminate men was not educative. However, she said the KPI would be in a better position if it prohibited the airing of TV programs showing feminine men as a move to respond the use of transgender people as a laughingstock for the public.
Dhyta said there was injustice in the KPI’s move to use the LGBT community as the basis of its regulations. She said LGBT people should not be viewed as a threat to society.
She said regulations in the KPI’s circular were meant to protect young children from following what they saw on television, but at the same time, they gave others an opportunity to express hatred toward the LGBT community. (liz/ebf)
