TheJakartaPost
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LGBT rights event proceeds unhindered
While people in other world cities, such as New York, in the United States and Tel Aviv, in Israel celebrate Pride month with carnivals, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group in Jakarta observed it with a low-key discussion on gender and sexuality
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span>While people in other world cities, such as New York, in the United States and Tel Aviv, in Israel celebrate Pride month with carnivals, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group in Jakarta observed it with a low-key discussion on gender and sexuality.
The most surprising thing about the event in Jakarta was perhaps that it passed off without being disrupted by police or other organizations.
In a country where LGBT people often face persecution and discrimination, Pride Day is little known. In other parts of the world, it is openly observed in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, a tipping point for the gay liberation movement in the US.
Around 50 people from different backgrounds held a lively exchange of ideas on gay rights at a discreet location in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Friday evening.
Participants knew of the event from a flyer posted by the organizer on its Instagram account. Some helped disseminate information by sharing or reposting it on their social media accounts.
The discussion, titled Ask Me Anything, was the first to be held by the PurpleCode Collective, a local nonprofit organization. Founded in 2015, it focuses on gender, human rights and technological issues.
“Heterosexual people often wonder how lesbians and transgender people fall in love with each other and how a woman comes to realize that she is a lesbian,” Dhyta Caturani, the coordinator of the group, said.
“These questions often come up. But, many are afraid to ask [LGBT] people because they think it could offend them.”
To everyone’s relief, the event proceeded without incident. In the past, LGBT-related events were frequently broken up in disarray, forcibly dispersed by radical religious groups with the tacit backing of police.
LGBT people in Indonesia still face legal obstacles and intolerance. Under the existing system, same-sex couples are denied legal protections as the country does not recognize gay marriage.
In 2015, the Religious Affairs Ministry stated that homosexuality was intolerable despite the country’s reputation as a moderate Muslim country.
The National Population and Family Planning Board’s (BKKBN) principal secretary, Nofrijal, recently labeled LGBT people the “main enemy of national development”, saying that “these sexual deviations also weaken us in the face of the demographic bonus, aside from violating religious rules”.
The country has seen a rising trend of intolerance toward the LGBT community. In May, a 30-year-old police officer in Semarang, Central Java, was fired for being gay after his colleagues outed him and his partner. The former officer, identified only as TT, has filed a complaint about his dismissal with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).
Discrimination against LGBT people has been formalized in Pariaman, West Sumatra, where the regional administration has begun enforcing a rule that fines any gay person Rp 1 million (US$71) if they “disturb public order”.
In May 2017, at least 140 men were arrested during a “gay sex party” in Jakarta. In September of the same year, women were expelled from their rented house after authorities in Tugujaya village, Bogor regency, West Java, accused them of being lesbians. Another raid took place in October 2017, when police raided a sauna in Central Jakarta popular with gay men, arresting at least 50 people.
Friday’s discussion on LGBT-related matters was a success. It was a two-hour forum that allowed participants to ask four openly gay speakers questions about the LGBT community.
Ananta Brahmana, 19, attended the discussion with classmate Thia Gabriella Nikita, 19, after being invited by local LGBT rights group Sanggar Swara, where they are interning. They were aware of the rise of discrimination against LGBT people in the country.
Ananta and Thia are students at the Jakarta Theological Seminary (STT Jakarta).
“[This sort of discussion] has satisfied my curiosity as they [the speakers] were very open,” Ananta said.
Thia hopes such an event will be held again.
Overwhelmed by the public response, PurpleCode Collective coordinator Dhyta is considering holding an Ask Me Anything event every two months with varied topics. (das)
