By: Mohammad Irfandi )*
The rise of incidents of violence and discrimination against a group of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) in Indonesia, as the spotlight to immediately resume the discussion of LGBT which is considered not to have the attention that is so significant. Do LGBT will be a real threat to Indonesia will be new or received by the Indonesian people?
Discrimination against LGBT seen from the increasing cases of violence against LGBT groups which were recorded by Arus Pelangi, an organization of civil society who often advocates in LGBT issues.
One human rights activists (HAM) of Arus Pelangi, Yulita Rustinawati, explained that from January to March 2016, there were 142 cases of arrest, assault, discrimination, expulsion, and the speech of hatred directed against LGBT people. Meanwhile, in 2013 recorded 89.3 percent of the total amount of LGBT in Indonesia experienced psychological violence, physical, and cultural.
Yuli said, based on research results Arus Pelangi, it is known that the majority of perpetrators of hate speech is a state apparatus which then makes the legitimacy of the organization intolerant to violence to LGBT groups. As more and more violent, civil society movement emerged to fight for the protection of human rights of LGBT groups.
The civil society movement stems from the awareness of discrimination and violence experienced by LGBT groups. The violence that has continued until today. Yuli explained that the civil society movement for the rights of LGBT people actually have appeared around the 1980s in big cities, especially Jakarta.
Movement in the fight for LGBT rights groups would have met with resistance in the communities, as long as the negative stigma continue addressed to people with a different sexual orientation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are often seen as a disease that must be cured. Often not treated as human beings who have rights from birth. Not to mention they have to collide with the values and religious norms that always used intolerant groups to legitimize violence against LGBT persons.
The emergence of resistance in society against LGBT caused by prohibiting religious views other than their gender Male and Female has been predetermined at birth. When they intend to change that, of course, they have been against the will of God that makes them figure a Male or Female. Although everyone has the right to disagree with the LGBT, but it would be problematic when the disagreement continues to violence and spreading hatred.
Therefore, responding the development of LGBT that was between stigma and religious norms in Indonesia, hence the group’s return to the right path by determining the sexual orientation that has been predetermined, because it’s all related to customs which must be changed, because Indonesia is a country which is based on religious norms.
)* Indonesia Political Economy Observer