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Johannes Nugroho

When Indonesian actor Rizky Billar’s spouse reported him to the police last month for alleged domestic abuse, social media users buzzed with chatter about him being a “wife-beater”.
But as the scandal grew, the online discussion descended into a different front: his sexuality.
“They say men fall into two types: jerks and gays, but Rizky Billar is both,” wrote Senja Heuning on Twitter. Another user named Amal Ramadhan went further: “The ultimate of bad apples: a gay douchebag.”
Rizky’s wife on Thursday withdrew her report of domestic violence against him.
Will a video about ‘being gay in Indonesia’ lead to an anti-LGBT law?
Indonesia has had a long history of linking criminality to homosexuality, and this case was no different, said anthropologist Benjamin Hegarty.
“The homosexuality in such cases is reported as (corroborating) evidence of criminality, rather than homosexuality in itself as criminality,” said Hegarty, the author of The Made-Up State: Technology, Trans Femininity, and Citizenship in Indonesia.
So strong is this tendency, the tactic appears to be espoused by even members of the LGBTQ community.
“I already outed him back in January. I told you all he (Billar) was being ‘kept’ by a transgender sugar mummy,” said prominent Indonesian talent scout Kim Hawt, who is openly gay.

The “gay angle” also featured in a murder investigation of police officer Brigadier Nofriansyah Yosua Hutabarat that occurred on July 8.
The case took a shocking turn when his commanding officer, Inspector General Ferdy Sambo, and his wife Putri Candrawhati were declared suspects along with three others by investigators.
When the autopsy of Hutabarat’s corpse revealed torture and five gunshot wounds as causes of death, the nation reeled in shock. Members of the public were glued to their television screens, following live reconstructions of the crime.
A persistent theory, amid conflicting theories for the murder, was the claim that Sambo was bisexual.
Twitter user Sarwedi Edi was convinced Sambo was a “sexual deviant” and wrote: “What should be determined is the nature of his relationship with Brigadier J, whether he was enraged because J wanted to marry and then decided to finish him off.”
For trans people in Indonesia, prejudice doesn’t end with death
Speculation about Sambo’s sexuality, however, did not just appear out of thin air.
The claim was first floated by lawyer Deolipa Yumara, who was legal counsel for the case’s suspect-turned-justice collaborator, Bharada Richard Eliezer.
“(Sambo is) LGBT, not the L, G or T but the B,” Yumara said when he was a guest at political talkshow The Karni Ilyas Club on August 18. “Was Yosua (Hutabarat) gay? Not according to my client Bharada (Eliezer) because they both bunked together and nothing ever happened.”
But Yumara did not believe the motive for Hubarat’s murder had to do with love affairs of any kind.
Yumara was not the only figure of authority that added to the LGBTQ rumour in Sambo’s case. Mahfud MD, Indonesia’s coordinating minister for politics, legal and security affairs, has been known to fuel public speculation with innuendos.
Indonesia urged to look the other way as Singapore, Vietnam ease anti-gay laws
Mahfud tweeted on August 9, “Our police force is good at investigating crime. Even in a (serial murder) case where mutilated bodies of the victims were scattered across different cities, they succeeded. Remember the case involving Ryan?”
Very Idam Henyansyah, 44, better known as “Ryan Jombang”, was arrested in 2008 and convicted of 11 counts of murder. All of his victims, whose bodies were dismembered and mutilated, were men and most had been his lovers.
Mahfud also characterised Sambo’s motive for murder as “revolting in nature” and “only suitable for adult consumption”.
Jakarta psychologist Benny Prawira has noticed the frenzy with which the gay rumours both in Billar’s and Sambo’s case were greeted by Indonesian netizens.

“It comes down to societal homophobia,” he said. “It just so happens that there was hearsay about somebody’s sexuality. So people start to complete the whole story based on their homophobic assumptions.”
Dede Oetomo, veteran LGBTQ activist, likened public obsession in Indonesia with LGBTQ-related scandals to watching horror movies. “For many, LGBTQ people are otherworldly creatures, both titillating and yet repulsively deviant.”
A 2018 public poll by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) found that 87.6 per cent of Indonesians saw LGBTQ people as a threat to society. A follow-up survey by SMRC in May this year suggested homophobia remained very much alive in Indonesia. Some 49.3 per cent of poll participants disagreed that LGBTQ people deserved respect as human beings while 44.5 per cent agreed.
Exorcisms, ‘corrective’ rape: inside Indonesia’s LGBT ‘conversion’ therapies
Oetomo said stigma against LGBTQ people remains the chief obstacle to acceptance. “It’s Catch-22. We need greater visibility so that people can see that LGBT people are mostly ordinary but the stigma in society keeps people in the closet.”
But anthropologist Hegarty cautioned that Indonesians’ attitudes towards LGBTQ people and their rights were too complex for a general verdict of rampant homophobia.
“We can see a politics of homophobia. Opposition to LGBT rights is used as a politically convenient tool for certain groups to claim moral authority, quite aside from anything related to people who can be identified as LGBT.”
Hegarty remains optimistic about the betterment of conditions for LGBTQ Indonesians.
“Indonesia isn’t behind or needs to ‘catch up’ with the West, but (LGBTQ) rights will need to be won through hard work and different strategies rooted in Indonesia’s own culture and history.”


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Indonesia

In Indonesia, ‘LGBT’ label is linked to criminal guilt amid ‘societal homophobia’

Muslim protesters hold an anti-LGBT rally outside a mosque in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, Aceh province in Indonesia in 2018. The LGBT community in Indonesia has faced a worsening climate of intolerance. Photo: Reuters

A man walks past an anti-LGBT banner erected by an ultraconservative Islamic group in Jakarta. A 2018 public poll found that 87.6 per cent of Indonesians saw LGBT people as a threat to society. Photo: AP

Indonesia’s veteran LGBTQ activist Dede Oetomo likened public obsession in Indonesia with LGBTQ-related scandals to watching horror movies. Photo: Dedy Andrianto

Singapore’s Section 377A: how attitudes towards anti-gay law have shifted over the years

Participants of Pink Dot, an annual pride rally in Singapore. File photo: Reuters

An aerial view of the Pink Dot gay rights rally in Singapore in June, attended by thousands. ‘Majulah Singapura’ is the nation’s national anthem. Photo: Pink Dot

The words ‘Repeal 377A’ are formed by the crowd during Singapore’s Pink Dot pride event in June 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE

A person holds a rainbow flag during the Pink Dot pride rally in June 2019. File photo: EPA-EFE 

Singapore’s Minister of Law K. Shanmugam noted that social attitudes towards homosexuality have “gradually shifted” since parliament last discussed repealing Section 377A in 2007. Photo: AFP

Two women cheer at the Pink Dot rally in support of gay rights in Singapore in 2013. File photo: AP

Supporters at this year’s Pink Dot pride rally on June 18, 2022. Photo: AFP 

‘What is wrong with Indonesia?’: trolls flood Thai couple’s gay wedding photos with death threats, ‘videos of slaughter’ in cross-cultural flame war

Suriya Koedsang pictured with his husband Bas at their wedding, in a photo that was uploaded to Facebook. Photo: Facebook

A group of Muslim protesters march with banners against Indonesia’s LGBT community in Banda Aceh in 2017. Photo: AFP

British actor and comedian Stephen Fry has been targeted by Indonesian online mobs in the past. Photo: AFP

In Indonesia, LGBT ‘wayang’ shadow puppets have a message of tolerance, without the sermon

Ki Samidjan posing with his shadow puppets Betari Jaluwati, left, and Warya Bissunanda. Photo: Handout

Warya Bissunanda. Photo: Handout

Ki Samidjan, centre, and his son Antoro, right, posing for a group photo with their team. Photo: Handout

Ki Samidjan performs at the Royal House Cultural Hall in Yogyakarta assisted by his son Antoro. Photo: Handout

Shinta Ratri, centre, after a traditional dance performance. Photo: Handout

Bisexual Superman comic ruffles feathers in Muslim-majority Indonesia

Jon Kent, the new Superman, moves in to kiss reporter Jay Nakamura in the new ‘Superman: Son of Kal-El’ comic book, which has created a stir in Indonesia. Photo: Reuters

Superman is bisexual, DC Comics announced. In an upcoming comic book issue, Superman will become romantically involved with his friend, a pink-haired reported named Jay Nakamura. Photo: DC Comics

In Indonesia, LGBT communities viewed as a moral threat – condemned by religion and, increasingly, by law

Indonesia’s LGBT communities face increasing persecution, punishment and public humiliation as the Muslim-majority nation loses tolerance for what it perceives to be moral crimes. Photo : Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

--ONE TIME USE ONLY--Dondu and Tee are two homosexual men who have been in a relationship for the last 8 years. They both work for NGOs focused on HIV prevention, advocacy and research. Dondus family stopped talking with him once they found out he was gay and he spent most of his young life with his aunt. Hes really worried about the current situation and he warned Tee many times to be really careful when hes going out since dress like that you can get harassed or killed.  Tee was diagnosed HIV-positive in 2010 and Dondu, who doesnt have the virus, has helped him to take care of his health ever since.[07APRIL2019 FEATURE POST MAGAZINE]CREDIT: Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

--ONE TIME USE ONLY--Masboi and Bintang met through Tinder and they have been together for a year. Masboi is a transgender man and Bintang is a cisgender woman unsure if she identifies herself as bisexual or just lesbian. Masboi felt like a boy since his childhood but he wasnt sure about transitioning until he was 30 years old. Bintang doesnt remember when she started feeling attracted to tomboy looking girls and she was in denial until recently. She thinks that what they do is a sin according to their religion, but she is trying her best to be a better human being despite of what the religion believes. They were both raised in conservative muslim families. [07APRIL2019 FEATURE POST MAGAZINE]CREDIT: Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

--ONE TIME USE ONLY--Ezra is a young homosexual man who was born and raised in Jakarta. In 2017 was arrested in a raid in a sauna with other 141 men. He was then sentenced to 2 ? years under the antipornography law with other 9 men. It was only after the raid that her mother knew he was gay, something he wasnt ready to tell her. Since his release from prison, he has been struggling to find a job as his name and photo were all over the media. Ezra is now trying to keep a low profile and hes doing his best to overcome this very difficult moment for him and his family. [07APRIL2019 FEATURE POST MAGAZINE]CREDIT: Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

--ONE TIME USE ONLY--Rio and Rangga are a young male homosexual couple who met each other in Grinder and now live together in a condominium in Central Jakarta. Rio discovered he was into guys when he was very young . During his childhood Rio was physically and psychologically abused by his uncle, who lived in the same house. His mother found out he is gay when she got into his Facebook account and told all his family. She didnt accept his choice and he told him that she would like to kill him if it was legal. He was 18 back then, and a few months later he got kicked out from his house by his uncle, at that time he touched rock bottom and even had suicidal thoughts. Rangga was born in the US and he lived in different places before arriving in Jakarta when he was around 10 years old. He is studying medicine. [07APRIL2019 FEATURE POST MAGAZINE]CREDIT: Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

--ONE TIME USE ONLY--Mei was born biologically as a woman, but she doesnt like to use conventional labels to identify herself. Mei was born and raised in Jakarta from a tolerant Indo-chinese-buddhist family and doesnt like when people use gender pronouns to address her. Mei considers herself a demisexual and needs to have a strong connection in order to feel attracted to someone. Before the relationship with her girlfriend Khun, Mei was married with a man and had children. Now divorced, Mei had her first relationship with a woman at the age of 33. When Mei started dating women she had to talked to her children about it to avoid misleading gossips. Mei said to the youngest: Is she kind to me? What do you think about her because some other people will say she's not a nice person? They will say bad things about us. You know what you know, we are happy and she's my partner. Mei works as photographer and model while Khun works in a garment company[07APRIL2019 FEATURE POST MAGAZINE]

Indonesia’s LGBT communities face increasing persecution, punishment and public humiliation as the Muslim-majority nation loses tolerance for what it perceives to be moral crimes. Photo: Thomas Cristofoletti / Ruom

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Indonesia has a history of linking criminality to homosexuality, and its citizens tend to voraciously consume LGBTQ news and rumours amid societal stigma
A 2018 public poll found that 87.6 per cent of Indonesians saw LGBTQ people as a threat to society


Indonesia has a history of linking criminality to homosexuality, and its citizens tend to voraciously consume LGBTQ news and rumours amid societal stigma.
