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Indonesia sex laws 'nail in coffin' for LGBTQ rights

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Lucie Godeau with Marchio Gorbiano and Agnes Anya, Agence France-Presse

JAKARTA — Indonesia&#x27;s legislation banning sex outside marriage represents a major new threat to the LGBTQ community&#x27;s rights in the conservative country, where same-sex unions are not recognized.&quot;It&#x27;s another nail in the coffin at the moment. A big nail,&quot; Dede Oetomo, an activist with the LGBTQ rights group GAYa NUSANTARA, told AFP.Once enacted, the legislation approved Tuesday in parliament would punish sex outside marriage with 1 year in prison, while unmarried people living together could face 6 months in jail.The reforms make it riskier for gay couples to live together openly in a country where they already face widespread discrimination and anti-LGBTQ regulations, according to activists.&quot;Before the new criminal code, it was already bad. People can be searched even in their private residences. Although it was not systematic, but it can happen,&quot; Oetomo said.Indonesia is the world&#x27;s most populous Muslim country, and its constitution recognizes 6 religions.Homosexuality is not illegal in the Southeast Asian nation -- except in the police, military, and in Islamic law-abiding Aceh province -- but rights groups say the legislative changes pose an inherent risk to LGBTQ people.&quot;Many LGBTQ couples have been living together under the radar, as same-sex marriage isn&#x27;t allowed here,&quot; said Robby Nasution, a 30-year-old freelancer who lives with his partner in Bali.&quot;With the new law, this means that another right has been taken away from the community.&quot;Kai Mata, a musician, and activist, said LGBTQ communities were &quot;bracing ourselves for impact and backlash&quot; from the legislation, which stood &quot;against our rights to exist&quot;.The amendments still need to be approved by President Joko Widodo before they come into force.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/06/22/indonesia-approves-code-to-punish-premarital-sex">Indonesian parliament approves code to punish premarital sex</a></li></ul><div>&#x27;LIVING IN FEAR&#x27;</div>Albert Aries from Indonesia&#x27;s Law and Human Rights Ministry defended the amendments before the vote and said they would protect the country&#x27;s marriage institutions. Sex outside marriage could only be reported by a spouse, parents or children, drastically limiting the scope of the amendment, he said.But Andreas Harsono from Human Rights Watch said LGBTQ people were &quot;living in fear&quot; in a society that was becoming &quot;more and more conservative&quot;.&quot;If they are reported by a member of their family, their life can be ruined,&quot; he told AFP.There are already dozens of national and local regulations that affect LGBTQ people, and some have been arrested on charges of lewd conduct under anti-pornography laws.Last month, 2 Indonesian soldiers were given a 7-month jail term for having gay sex, which the military deems &quot;inappropriate behavior&quot;.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/11/30/22/two-indonesian-soldiers-get-seven-months-jail-for-gay-sex">Two Indonesian soldiers get seven months&#x27; jail for gay sex</a></li></ul>At least 15 members of the police and military have been fired in recent years for having gay sex, according to Amnesty International in 2020.Last year in Aceh province, 2 men were sentenced to nearly 80 lashings each for having sex.&quot;Of course, I feel this country is not safe for me,&quot; said Gusti Arirang, 29, a musician who identifies as pansexual.&quot;I&#x27;m not pessimistic about Indonesia&#x27;s future progress as I am trying to stay strong. But now I have more concerns and am more cautious.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/07/13/18/gay-couple-whipped-in-indonesia-for-sharia-banned-sex">Gay couple whipped in Indonesia for sharia-banned sex</a></li></ul><div>RELATED VIDEO:</div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1979238" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Indonesia's legislation banning sex outside marriage represents a major new threat to the LGBTQ community's rights. 

Indonesia sex laws 'nail in coffin' for LGBTQ rights

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Indonesia sex laws 'nail in coffin' for LGBTQ rights

Lucie Godeau with Marchio Gorbiano and Agnes Anya,

Agence France-Presse

Published Dec 08, 2022 01:59 PM PHT

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