Almost 90 per cent of Indonesians feel ‘threatened’ by LGBT people
Indonesian police have over the last few years stepped up raids targeting ‘spas’ or what they call ‘gay sex parties’ and charged many of those involved with violating strict pornography laws
Nearly 90 per cent of Indonesians who understand the term LGBT feel “threatened” by the community and believe their religion forbids same-sex relations, a survey showed on Thursday.
Homosexuality is not regulated by law in Indonesia, except in Aceh province where Islamic law bans same-sex relations. But the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation has seen a rise in hostility toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community, with activists saying their rights are not being adequately protected by the state.
“The survey finds that, generally, the Indonesian public views the LGBT [community] negatively,” the Saiful Mujani Research Centre said on its website. “But the public is also of the view that the LGBT community has the right to live in Indonesia and that the government should protect them like other citizens.”
There are sizeable minorities of Christians, Hindus, and those who adhere to native beliefs among Indonesia’s 250 million people.
Indonesian police have over the last few years stepped up raids targeting “spas” or what they call “gay sex parties” and charged many of those involved with violating strict pornography laws.
The police should stop criminalising LGBT individuals and … instead protect them
This has raised alarm bells among rights activists who say the law is being used to unfairly target LGBT individuals. More than 300 people were arrested in 2017 for alleged LGBT-behaviour, according to Human Rights Watch.
