Homophobia in Yogyakarta, an unfinished story
- Daniel Rose
Sun, 06/01/2008 10:44 AM | Lifestyle
Dikutip dari: http://www.thejakartapost.com/

At least three acts of homophobia took place in one nightclub in Yogyakarta city in the last two years.

First, a waria (or, in its oversimplified translation, transvestite) was dragged out by the club’s security after she danced on stage. Second, two lesbians were removed from the dance floor after they embraced. Third, an HIV/AIDS organization was about to hold a rehearsal for an AIDS Day event, but was told to leave after it became apparent to the club manager that there would be “men wearing high-heels” involved.

The club and the organization had signed a contract; the event was to be held there that night. “The manager didn’t care about the contract. The organization was told to find another place,” Matius Indarto, 21, said.

Matius heads PLU-Satu Hati (People Like Us-One Heart), a non-governmental organization that runs programs related to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered person/transsexual) issues in Yogyakarta.

Formally legalized just last year, the organization has tried to tackle a number of legal cases regarding discrimination or violence against LGBT, including those taking place in the infamous club, especially since it has refused to explain the incidents.

Coordinating events to call for respect for LGBT, May 17 is the date chosen to celebrate International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). PLU-Satu Hati, in cooperation with various organizations such as Perkumpulan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia (Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association) and Jakarta’s Arus Pelangi (Rainbow Flow), took part in the marking of the removal of homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization on May 17, 1990, with a painting and photo exhibition, public discussion, film screenings, musical performance, and charity works from May 15-19.

“This is the second time IDAHO is being celebrated in Yogya. Our primary target is, of course, to reduce the stigma associated with LGBT, and therefore gradually eliminate homophobia,” Matius said, “whereas the specific target is to bring all LGBT in Yogya together, working hand in hand to attain that main goal.”

On the afternoon of the big day, PLU-Satu Hati went to Malioboro Street in a peaceful act of handing out 1,000 roses to the people as a sign of good intentions. Three young women wearing headscarfs and a man in Muslim dress came to show their support.

“We are taking this Introduction to Peace Studies class at university and are required to step out of our comfort zones and research the lives of people we aren’t familiar with, and we chose them,” Sukmawani Bella Pertiwi, 19, added.

“It wasn’t easy for me to step out of my comfort zone and interact with gay people because I usually spend my time in the mosque,” Ade Nuansa Wibisono, 20, Sukmawani’s research partner, confessed. “It’s worth it, though, because we’ve come to understand them better and it’s proven that the negative assumptions I used to have about them are not true.”

PLU-Satu Hati members are aware of the misperceptions people have about LGBT. “They should realize that heterosexuals also have the tendency to do most of the things homosexuals are guilty of, like hedonism and free sex. But what happens is that people tend to emphasize our negative side,” PLU-Satu Hati member Dudy Iskandar, 32, commented.

The consequences of homophobia are upsetting. PLU-Satu Hati members gave copious examples of violence in public places, discrimination in the workplace that mostly ended in resignation and dismissal, backbiting, verbal harassment, and many others. “Being a woman alone is hard in a patriarchal country like Indonesia. Imagine being a woman and a lesbian,” Deo, 22, who was fired from her job for being a lesbian, pointed out.

The theme chosen by Indonesia’s LGBT network for this year’s IDAHO is “Homophobia: The Unfinished Story”. Besides in Yogyakarta, banners bearing this slogan were simultaneously put up in Jakarta, Surabaya, Purwokerto, and Makassar. To respond to the constant threat of homophobia, the network sees communication as the best way to establish an understanding and friendship between LGBT and the majority of heterosexuals, and plans to hold more discussions in the future.

“Last year we invited a homophobe to a discussion about homophobia, and we learned that he wasn’t really against homosexuals, but homosexuals who act like complete fools, like talking loudly in public or making a pass at strangers,” Dudy explained. “Many of us still have to learn that as a part of society, LGBT have to act like respectable citizens too.”

To learn more about homophobia, please visit www.idahomophobia.org.

–Daniel Rose
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Bags of friendship from people like us
Daniel Rose, Contributor , Yogyakarta | Sun, 06/01/2008 10:44 AM | Lifestyle
Dikutip dari:http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/06/01/bags-friendship-people-us.html

Postcard view of Sundak: (JP/Daniel Rose)Postcard view of Sundak: (JP/Daniel Rose)

May 18, 2008. In the dark, hot kitchen of her house, just meters away from the beach, Surati, 45, and three other women are preparing dinner for 45 new arrivals from Yogyakarta city.

Some of the guests occupy the semi-open common room, sitting on a wooden platform or lying around on mattresses; others chat and sing in the bamboo house in front of the main abode. Almost everyone there is under the age of 30 and describes themselves as gay, lesbian or transgender.

The troop, calling themselves PLU-Satu Hati (People Like Us-One Heart), arrived at Sundak Beach, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta by bus, car and motorcycle, bringing bags of sembako (daily necessities such as cooking oil, sugar, and milk), secondhand clothing, and a banner that reads International Day Against Homophobia 2008. Their mission?

“We’re going to hand out over 100 bags, as well as provide free medical help to the people here tomorrow. We did the same thing in 2005, on the beach on the other side of that hill,” Uki says, pointing to a rocky hill on the west side of Sundak. At 38, Uki (last name omitted at his request) is one of the respected seniors of PLU-Satu Hati. The young ones lovingly call him Mamak-Mother. “We want to help a little, but we also have this mission to reduce homophobia by introducing people to our friends of various sexual orientations,” Mamak adds.

The sun is slowly sinking behind that same hill, but the evening sky is exceptionally clear and the moon nearly full. A number of guys and girls, and those who have decided to stay in between, are sitting on the sand, facing the horizon, singing loudly. Many of them have impressive voices.

A BOAT AWAY FROM WATER: (JP/Daniel Rose)A BOAT AWAY FROM WATER: (JP/Daniel Rose)

“Just so you know, a waria friend of mine once made it to the ‘big 20′ round of a dangdut singing audition. If only the committee didn’t find out about her sexuality, she would’ve made it to Jakarta, I’m sure,” Sonya (not her real name), 29, also a waria, says.

It is tricky to translate the word waria into English because of the whole bundle of homosexual, transvestitism, and sex-for-money connotations it carries.

“Yes, some waria work as prostitutes, but that’s only because it’s so hard to find decent jobs elsewhere. Many (waria) work in beauty salons, but not all of us have the skills,” Sonya says, and quickly adds that another waria friend of hers had to choose between changing the way she dressed or leaving. She decided to quit
s.

Maybe it is a waste of space to write that homosexuals in Indonesia continue to come up against discrimination; many longer, more comprehensive articles on the subject have been written and published, and more are yet to come. But it is important to note that, according to the members of PLU-Satu Hati, the discrimination — and sometimes violence — stems from the public’s failure to recognize that LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered persons/transsexuals) deserve to be treated as positively as any other person. But it is not always their fault. “The media has long been focusing on the negative stereotypes and characteristics of LGBT. That’s why we’re doing this. To balance things up,” says Mamak.

***

The old lady by the well: (JP/Daniel Rose)The old lady by the well: (JP/Daniel Rose)

May 19, 2008. Three members of PLU-Satu Hati are standing in a queue in front of four toilet stalls not too far from Surati’s house. Fresh water is not scarce here, but it is not in abundant supply either. An old woman is seen pulling bucket after bucket of water from a well next to the stalls, pouring the contents into an opening until it flows through a PVC pipe into the bathroom vessels.

The fishermen of Sundak and nearby beaches have not been able to go out to sea for around a month now, reporting “strange” weather. High tide or low tide, it has been too shallow to sail. And when some do go out to the ocean, strong winds force them to head back. For the old woman by the well, providing water for visitors is an alternative way of making money.

Parsinah, Sarilah, and Supen are among the people gradually filling the seats of the bamboo house. Asked about the meaning of gay or lesbian, they shook their heads with an apologetic shy laugh. “We are here because we got tickets,” Parsinah says. But they have seen the waria all around them, priming and preening, minutes away from delivering a performance. “They’re funny,” says Sarilah before, again, laughing.

Locals don’t immediately warm to the members of PLU-Satu Hati. Every now and again, they laugh at the men in drag lip syncing to old dangdut songs, though they aren’t averse to answering the odd question or clapping along. The emcee does try to explain what lesbian, gay, transgender, transsexual, and homophobia mean, but the blank expression on the people’s faces prompt him to fill the awkward silences with simple jokes.

With such responses, two things become clear: The people of Sundak have not been that exposed to the negative stereotypes and characteristics of LGBT portrayed by the media, and they do seem ready to accept the fact that LGBT exist. Thus if friendship is what PLU-Satu Hati offers to systematically reduce homophobia, then they have given it in the right place.