Indonesia declares homosexuality a 'mental disorder'

Indonesia's Aceh province: Caned in public for being gay

The decision came just days before the government decides on whether to criminalize homosexuality

Indonesia’s Ministry of Health has just declared homosexuality a mental disorder with advocates worried it could strengthen the case for politicians wanting to criminalize homosexuality.

On Friday (2 February) the Ministry announced it would add homosexuality to a list of mental disorders in a new medical guide it planned to publish.

The announcement came just days before the Indonesian parliament will vote on proposed amendments to the Criminal Code.

Some of those amendments include a code to criminalize homosexuality.

Indonesia’s Health Ministry said it made the decision to classify homosexuality as a mental disorder based on two reports.

The Indonesian Psychiatrists Association (PDSKJI) released one of the cited reports in 2016.

The Health Ministry produced the second report itself after consulting with other Ministries. The Ministry of Religion was one of those consulted and concluded that homosexuality is against the ethos of Indonesia.

PDSKJI’s report concluded gay, lesbian and bisexual people suffer from identity crises and are therefore are at higher risk of mental health issues. It also said trans people are ‘susceptible to mental diseases’, according to a report in EFE.

Gay as a crime

In 1992 the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder.

Homosexuality in not illegal in Indonesia, except in the Islamic province of Aceh which follows Sharia Law.

But over the past two years there has been a clampdown and rising persecution of the LGBTI community in Indonesia.

In 2017 there were multiple police raids of saunas, nightclubs and private hotel rooms of allegedly gay men.

In West Java, police set up a special taskforce to monitor the LGBTI community and in that same province 12 suspected lesbian were evicted from their homes.

The LGBTI community in Aceh faces a decidedly tougher time than the rest of Indonesia.

Last year, two men were caned 82 times after being convicted of being gay and having homosexual relations.

In the past week, Aceh has been the focus of international attention after 12 trans women were rounded up.

They had their heads forcibly shaved and were ‘coached’ into acting like men again by local police.

Source: Gay Star News, Shannon Power, February 5, 2018

Indonesia Could Criminalize Homosexuality As Soon As Valentine’s Day

Proposed changes to the penal code would make gay sex punishable by up to five years in prison.

Attacks on LGBT people in Indonesia have increased in recent months, and activists worry lawmakers are readying to criminalize homosexuality throughout the country.

Same-sex activity is currently legal in most of Indonesia, except for the northern province of Aceh, which is governed by sharia law. Over the weekend, police there detained 13 transgender women, shaving their heads and forcing them to dress and talk like men. The raid follows a series of raids of gay bars, bath houses and private homes in Jakarta, as well as the public flogging of two suspected homosexuals in Aceh.

This month, a survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research Centre found that 87.6% of Indonesians “felt threatened” by LGBT people. Advocates say that’s because so few know any openly LGBT people. Gay rights are seen as an import from the West and a threat to Indonesian identity.

Indonesia’s health care providers classify homosexuality and transgender identity as mental disorders, and censors have banned gay or cross-dressing characters from Indonesian television. This week, gay dating app Blued was taken down from the Google Play Store in Indonesia.

Ferena Debineva of KTASAMA (the Indonesian Coalition on Sexuality and Diversity) told the Australia Broadcasting Company some LGBT Indonesians are already looking to seek asylum abroad. “But for most people leaving Indonesia is not an option,” she added.

December, efforts to ban homosexuality were narrowly blocked by Indonesia’s Constitutional Court in a 5-4 decision. But legislators continue to propose changes to the criminal code that would make both gay sex and relations outside of marriage punishable by up to five years in prison.

The House of Representatives says it aims to pass the new criminal code by mid-February. “Some have even said they will be doing it on February 14,” activist Kate Walton told ABC. “A lot of people have seen the irony between that being Valentine’s Day and the potential for raids on boarding houses, houses and apartments to catch couples having sex outside of marriage.”

But even if the code isn’t changed, LGBT people aren’t safe, as police often use the country’s strict anti-pornography law to arrest and detain them. More than 300 people were charged under the law in 2017, according to Human Rights Watch. In fact, the communications ministry claims Blued was removed from the Google Play Store “because of negative content related to pornography inside the application.”

Ministry spokesperson Noor Iza told AFP, “Probably one or some members of the application put the pornographic content inside.”

Source: NewNowNext, Dan Avery, January 31, 2018

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