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It’s 'deviation' and ‘mental disability': Some Indonesian institutions put ban on LGBT applicants
While millions are expected to compete for more than 190,000 vacant posts, requirements set by some institutions might force potential LGBT job seekers to think twice before applying.
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An event is held in support of the LGBT movement in Singapore in 2017. (AFP/Roslan Rahman)
A
dding to the long list of prejudices faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Indonesia, some government institutions are refusing to recruit those they say possess “deviations” of sexual orientation and behavior.
November marks the opening of civil servant recruitment at 74 ministries and state agencies as well as 467 local administration offices across the county.
While millions are expected to compete for more than 190,000 vacant posts, requirements set by some institutions might force potential LGBT job seekers to think twice before applying.
From The Jakarta Post’s observations, at least two institutions have put forward a ban on LGBT applicants, namely the Trade Ministry and the Attorney General’s Office. Their job requirements can be seen in documents uploaded on the institutions’ respective official websites.
The Trade Ministry’s special requirement directly says that applicants “must not possess sexual orientation deviations” or “behavioral deviations”, with the latter referring to transgenderism.
The AGO’s special requirement even goes as far as categorizing homosexuality and transgenderism as mental illnesses: Applicants “must not be mentally disabled, including sexual orientation deviations and behavioral deviations”.
The requirement has raised eyebrows as the country’s Diagnostic Classification on Mental Disorder Guidelines (PPDGJ) III, issued in 1987, states that homosexuality is not a mental illness.
