Tag: indonesia

Young Indonesian lesbians struggle with the pressure to marry

Many lesbians in Indonesia feel the pressure to marry, and like many others in less accepting societies around the world, many consider marrying a gay man, but is it a way to solve their marriage problems? Kate Walton, who works for a national women’s organisation in Jakarta, explores the issue. In Indonesia, where same-sex marriage… Read more »

Recorded abuses against LGBT ‘the tip of the iceberg’

Forum LGBT Indonesia, a coalition of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals, has recorded 47 cases of abuse against gay individuals across the country over the last year, a figure it says is only the tip of the iceberg. The coalition said on Tuesday that it had collected and studied 47 reports of violence… Read more »

Letter from Indonesia: I’m gay, I’m not a product of the West, and I’m not alone

On Monday March 4, law professor Arief Hidayat, stood before members of the House of Representatives and answered questions to determine his fitness for Indonesia’s constitutional court. In a series of answers delivered to the commission of elected officials, Hidayat declared that all Indonesians ought to believe in God, and that the country, an emerging… Read more »

Newspapers blast ‘Dark Ages’ laws in Indonesian province of Aceh

New Islamic Sharia laws in Indonesian province of Aceh propose flogging gay people and making it illegal for women passengers to straddle a motorbike Editorials in The Jakarta Post and The Bangkok Post have slammed authorities in the Indonesian province of Aceh for introducing new Islamic Sharia laws that include flogging gay people and banning… Read more »

Indonesian Islamic extremists shut down trans festival

FPI forces closure of Festival Waria Berbudaya (Cultural Transgender Festival) in Jakarta, but denies violence Indonesian Islamic extremist group FPI (Front Pembela Islam, the Islamic Defenders Front) forced the closure of a festival for transgender rights in Jakarta on Monday. A witness reported that the members of the FPI wore helmets and brought sticks to… Read more »