Indonesian netizens were prompt in their reactions to the video, flooding timelines with strong-worded disapproval of not just Dedy, but the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community at large.

The May 7 video podcast, titled “A tutorial on being gay in Indonesia”, garnered more than 6 million views. In the video, Ragil Mahardika and his German husband, Frederik Vollert, talked about their life in Germany and the nature of homosexuality.

Following a charged polemic that quickly made its way to social media, at least 200,000 people have unsubscribed from Dedy’s YouTube channel.

After taking down the podcast episode on Tuesday, in a public apology, Dedy said he understood that homosexuality was an unjustifiable “deviation”. 

Some social media users also called the authorities to prosecute Dedy for distributing ‘pornographic’ and zina (adulterous) content.

Gerinda Party politician Habiburokhman was among those who floated a suggestion for the country to come up with a new rule to police online broadcasts considered as “going against Pancasila and religious values”. 

The lawmaker also said that current broadcasting laws must be amended to include online content.  “The state must fill this legal vacuum. The easiest way would be to issue a policy to manage podcasts and other [online content],” he said on Thursday. 

‘Nothing extraordinary’

The fierce discourse among netizens also prompted statements from Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD and National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara.

Both officials maintained that citizens had the right to express their criticism, just as the LGBT community had the right to freedom of expression. 

Beka called out against discrimination. “Criticism and disagreements have to be expressed in a dignified manner, without threatening someone’s life or inciting violence. There should not be discrimination against sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, race or social background,” the commissioner said on Wednesday as quoted by Detik.

Mahfud hopped on Twitter to elaborate on the legal aspects of the matter. 

“There’s a law forbidding same-sex marriage, meaning with regard to its administration aspects. It’s unlawful to be in a gay marriage. But this does not penalize the LGBT identity, nor anyone talking about it,” Mahfud tweeted on Thursday. 

“[Based on the legality] if there is no law to penalize a behavior, then the sanctions are autonomous, such as public insults, exclusion, shame, guilt and other forms. Autonomous sanctions are moral and social sanctions,” he continued. 

Khanza Vina, an activist and transgender woman, said the debacle was a sign of public unreadiness to receive out-of-norm information, despite the fact that such expressions were legal. She pointed out that while Dedy’s video was removed, harsh criticism online displaying revulsion toward the LGBT community remained uncontested. 

“Animosity is nothing extraordinary for us. We are targets regardless of the video. Dedy is not even a member of the LGBT community, so imagine what we go through every day,” Vina told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

Persistent anti-LGBT sentiment

Public acceptance of homosexuality in Indonesia has improved slightly in the past few years, according to a 2019 study by the Pew Research Center, though the level remains low compared with other countries. 

The report found that only 9 percent of Indonesians agreed that homosexuality should be accepted by society, an increase from only 3 percent in 2013. Most Indonesian respondents disagreed, with 80 percent saying homosexuality should be discouraged. 

The United States-based think tank said it found that public opinion on the acceptance of homosexuality in each society remained sharply divided by country, region and economic development, despite major changes in laws and norms in many countries regarding same-sex marriage and the rights of LGBT people.

The Pew report suggested religion and its importance in people’s lives shaped opinions in many countries, with those affiliated with a religious group tending to be less accepting of homosexuality than those who are unaffiliated.

In its 2015 report, the Pew Research Center ranked Indonesia in third place among countries that highly regarded religion, with 97 percent of people in the country saying religion was very important to them. 

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia – except in conservative Aceh with its strict Islamic laws – however, sentiment against the LGBT community has persisted in the country over the years. 

The anti-LGBT rhetoric hit a new high in 2016, with an unprecedented flood of inflammatory statements and crackdowns against the minority group. Intimidation and persecution against the LGBT community still persist to this day.