Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-6bf8c574d5-pdxrj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-03-09T03:22:22.056Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

5 - Indonesia

from Part I - Considerations for Sexual Minority and Gender Diverse Individuals Living in Specific Countries

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2025

By
Nikodemus O. Budiman ,
Pingkan C. B. Rumondor ,
Aryo Edhie Nugroho  and
Nangoi Priscilla Francis
Edited by
Ashley K. Randall  and
Pamela J. Lannutti
Ashley K. Randall
Affiliation:
Arizona State University
Pamela J. Lannutti
Affiliation:
Widener University, Pennsylvania
Get access

Summary

The chapter begins with a review of the historical and current socio-political context for sexual minority and gender diverse (SMGD) individuals living in Indonesia, followed by relevant research on the associations between minority stress and well-being. A particular focus is devoted to presenting data collected as part of the SMGD-MN study. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future psychological research with SMGD communities in Indonesia.

Keywords

Sexual minoritygender diverseminority stresswell-beingsocial supportdyadic copingIndonesia
Type
Chapter
Information
Experiences of Sexual Minority and Gender Diverse Individuals in Romantic Relationships
Heeding a Global Call
 , pp. 99 - 113
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adihartono, W. (2015). Homosexuality in Indonesia: Banality, prohibition and migration (the case of Indonesian gays). International Journal of Indonesian Studies, 1(2), 18–32.Google Scholar
Ahmad, D. (2022). Indonesian Foreign Ministry Respond to US LGBTQI+ Special Envoy Visit. https://en.tempo.co/read/1663790/indonesian-foreign-ministry-respond-to-us-lgbtqi-special-envoy-visitGoogle Scholar
Amalia, S. (2019, July 4). Sejarah Gerakan dan Perjuangan Hak-hak LGBT di Indonesia. https://Magdalene.Co/Story/Sejarah-Gerakan-Dan-Perjuangan-Hak-Hak-Lgbt-Di-Indonesia. https://magdalene.co/story/sejarah-gerakan-dan-perjuangan-hak-hak-lgbt-di-indonesiaGoogle Scholar
Ardiya, P., & Hutahaean, B. S. H. (2020). Does sense of belonging mediate the relationship between internalized homophobia and depressive symptoms among homosexual individuals in Indonesia? Joint proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Intervention and Applied Psychology (ICIAP 2019) and the 4th Universitas Indonesia Psychology Symposium for Undergraduate Research (UIPSUR 2019), 494, 447–459. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201125.038CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arli, D., Badejo, A., & Sutanto, N. (2020). Exploring the effect of intrinsic religiousness, extrinsic religiousness, and religious fundamentalism on people’s attitude towards lesbians and gays in Indonesia. Journal of Religion, Spirituality and Aging, 32(2), 118–134. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528030.2019.1640830CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pelangi, Arus. (n.d.). Tentang Arus Pelangi. https://aruspelangi.or.id/tentang-kami/Google Scholar
Asia Pacific Transgender Network. (n.d.). Our Vision & Mission. https://weareaptn.org/about/our-mission-vision/Google Scholar
Asyari, F. (2017). LGBT dan Hukum Positif Indonesia. Legalitas, 2(2), 57–65.Google Scholar
BBC News. (2017, May 17). Indonesia’s Aceh: Two gay men sentenced to 85 lashes. BBC News. www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39945651Google Scholar
Bisset, V. (2022, December 6). Indonesia’s parliament votes to ban sex outside of marriage. The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/06/indonesia-sex-before-marriage-ban/Google Scholar
Blackwood, E. (2007). Regulation of sexuality in Indonesian discourse: Normative gender, criminal law and shifting strategies of control. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 9(3), 293–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691050601120589CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bodenmann, G., Pihet, S., & Kayser, K. (2006). The relationship between dyadic coping and marital quality: A 2-year longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology, 20(3), 485–493. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.20.3.485CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boellstorff, T. (2016). Against State Straightism: Five Principles for Including LGBT Indonesians. www.e-ir.info/2016/03/21/against-state-straightism-five-principles-for-including-lgbt-indonesians/Google Scholar
Bourchier, D., & Jusuf, W. (2023). Liberalism in Indonesia: Between authoritarian Statism and Islamism. Asian Studies Review, 47(1), 69–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2022.2125932CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BPNB Sulsel. (2017). Eksistensi Bissu di Bone Dalam Mempertahankan Nilai Budaya Lokal di Kabupaten Bone. Kebudayaan.Kemdikbud.Go.Id. https://kebudayaan.kemdikbud.go.id/bpnbsulsel/eksisten-bissu-di-bone-dalam-mempertahankan-nilai-budaya-lokal-di-kabupatem-bone/Google Scholar
BPS-Statistics Indonesia. (2023). Statistical Yearbook of Indonesia 2023. In BPS-Statistics Indonesia. www.bps.go.id/publication/2020/04/29/e9011b3155d45d70823c141f/statistik-indonesia-2020.htmlGoogle Scholar
Chandler, D. P., Cribb, R., & Narangoa, L. (2016). End of Empire: One Hundred Days in 1945 that Changed Asia and the World. NIAS Press.Google Scholar
Damayanti, R. (2015). Pandangan lesbian, gay dan biseksual (LGB) terhadap status gender dan persamaan hak asasi manusia di Jakarta, Bogor, Depok dan Tangerang, 2015. www.kemenpppa.go.id/lib/uploads/list/8cd37-3-laporan-lgbt-lgb.pdfGoogle Scholar
Davies, S. G. (2007). Challenging Gender Norms: Five Genders among Bugis in Indonesia. Thomson Wadsworth.Google Scholar
Debineva, F., & Pelupessy, D. C. (2019). Mengurangi Prasangka Negatif Terhadap Transpuan Dengan Metode Kontak Imajiner Melalui Photovoice Kepada Orang Muda Di Tangerang, Indonesia. Jurnal Psikologi Ilmiah, 11(1), 21–30. http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/INTUISI/article/view/20113Google Scholar
Ekasari, D., Demartoto, A., & Murti, B. (2018). Effects of sexual behavior, family support, peer support, stigma, and discrimination on quality of life among gay community in Tulungagung, East Java. Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health, 3(1), 50–59. https://doi.org/10.26911/jepublichealth.2018.03.01.04CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fatgehipon, A. H., Azizah, F., & Zulfiqar Bin-Tahir, S. (2019). LGBT among students: A case study at several universities in Indonesia. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 8(10), 2162–2166. www.ijstr.orgGoogle Scholar
GAYa Nusantara. (n.d.). Vision & Mission. https://gayanusantara.or.id/about/vision-mission/Google Scholar
Harrisa, S. I., & Lainsyamputty, N. P. A. (2022). Cultural violence towards the LGBTQ+ community in Islamic majority country: A case from @tabu.id’s comment section. Religio: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 12(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.15642/religio.v12i1.1862Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture. https://doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Human Rights Watch. (2016). “These Political Games Ruin Our Lives” Indonesia’s LGBT Community under Threat. www.hrw.org/report/2016/08/10/these-political-games-ruin-our-lives/indonesias-lgbt-community-under-threatGoogle Scholar
Indriyani, L., & Kadarisman, Y. (2013). Kehidupan Pasangan Gay di Kota Pekanbaru. https://repository.unri.ac.id/items/5a188a13-97f0-424a-9768-bcbf4327dfebGoogle Scholar
Jansen, W. (2022). Living on the line: Gendered invisibilities among queer women and transmen in Indonesia. Asian Studies Review, 47(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2022.2090502Google Scholar
Khoir, A. B. (2020). LGBT, Muslim, and heterosexism: The experiences of Muslim gay in Indonesia. Wawasan: Jurnal Ilmiah Agama Dan Sosial Budaya, 5(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.15575/jw.v5i1.8067Google Scholar
Krismawati, N. U., Warto, W., & Suryani, N. (2018). Eksistensi Warok Dan Gemblak di tengah Masyarakat Muslim Ponorogo Tahun 1960–1980. Religió: Jurnal Studi Agama-Agama, 8(1), 116–138. https://doi.org/10.15642/religio.v8i1.747Google Scholar
Kurnia, T. (2022, December 2). US Special Envoy for LGBT Jessica Stern Cancelled Visit to Indonesia after Protests. www.liputan6.com/global/read/5142872/us-special-envoy-for-lgbt-jessica-stern-cancelled-visit-to-indonesia-after-protestsGoogle Scholar
Kusnandar, V. B. (2022). Sebanyak 86,93% Penduduk Indonesia Beragama Islam pada 31 December 2021. https://databoks.katadata.co.id/datapublish/2022/02/12/sebanyak-8693-penduduk-indonesia-beragama-islam-pada-31-desember-2021Google Scholar
Lang, N. (2020, March 3). Indonesia proposes bill to force LGBTQ people into “rehabilitation.” www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/indonesia-proposes-bill-force-lgbtq-people-rehabilitation-N1146861Google Scholar
Lewis, R. J., Derlega, V. J., Griffin, J. L., & Krowinski, A. C. (2003). Stressors for gay men and lesbians: Life stress, gay-related stress, stigma consciousness, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 22(6), 716–729. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.22.6.716.22932CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lovibond, P. F., & Lovibond, S. H. (1995). The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) with the Beck Depression and Anxiety Inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-uCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lubis, D. S., Conn, C., & Andajani, S. (2021). Developing HIV prevention online using a habermasian “lifeworld” approach with young men who have sex with men from Bali. Social Work in Public Health, 36(6), 749–757. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2021.1939830CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahardika, A. G. (2023). Legal politics concerning the fulfillment of the LGBT constitutional rights in the Indonesian legal approach. Jurnal Anifa: Studi Gender Dan Anak, 4(1), 43–55. https://doi.org/10.32505/anifa.v4i1.5985Google Scholar
Manalastas, E. J., Ojanen, T. T., Torre, B. A., Ratanashevorn, R., Hong, B. C. C., Kumaresan, V., & Veeramuthu, V. (2017). Homonegativity in southeast Asia: Attitudes toward lesbians and gay men in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(1), 25–33. www.researchgate.net/publication/317329054CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mao, F. (2022, December 6). Indonesia passes criminal code banning sex outside marriage. BBC News. www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63869078Google Scholar
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mitchell, E., Lazuardi, E., Rowe, E., Anintya, I., Wirawan, D. N., Wisaksana, R., et al. (2019). Barriers and enablers to HIV care among waria (transgender women) in Indonesia: A qualitative study. AIDS Education and Prevention, 31(6), 538–552. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2019.31.6.538CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muhibbuthabry, , & Sulaiman, . (2019). Anticipatory efforts on the behavior of LGBT community in Indonesia: A study of anticipatory and educational roles of religious figures. Jurnal Ilmiah Islam Futura, 18(2), 221–238. https://doi.org/10.22373/jiif.v18i0.4131Google Scholar
Mulya, I. S., & Hutahaean, B. S. H. (2020). Does perceived social support mediate the relationship between stigma consciousness and depressive symptoms among homosexuals in Indonesia? BT: Joint proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Intervention and Applied Psychology (ICIAP 2019), 415–427. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201125.035CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Na’im, A., & Syaputra, H. (2011). Kewarganegaraan Suku Bangsa Agama dan Bahasa Sehari-hari Penduduk Indonesia. Badan Pusat Statistik. www.bps.go.id/id/publication/2012/05/23/55eca38b7fe0830834605b35/kewarganegaraan-suku-bangsa-agama-dan-bahasa-sehari-hari-penduduk-indonesiaGoogle Scholar
Nurissyarifah, , & Alfinuha, S. (2022). Diriku Berharga: Pelatihan Mindfullness untuk Meningkatkan Self-Esteem Remaja Homoseksual. Jurnal Psikologi, 18(1), 48–55.Google Scholar
Offord, B., & Cantrell, L. (2000). Homosexual rights as human rights in Indonesia and Australia. Journal of Homosexuality, 40(3–4), 233–252. https://doi.org/10.1300/J082v40n03_12CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Platt, M., Davies, S. G., & Bennett, L. R. (2018). Contestations of gender, sexuality and morality in contemporary Indonesia. Asian Studies Review, 42(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10357823.2017.1409698CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pousther, J., & Kent, N. (2020, June 25). The Global Divide on Homosexuality Persists. www.Pewresearch.Org/Global/2020/06/25/Global-Divide-on-Homosexuality-Persists/.Google Scholar
Rodríguez, D. G., & Murtagh, B. (2022). Situating anti-LGBT moral panics in Indonesia: Homophobia, criminalisation, acceptance, and religiosity. Indonesia and the Malay World, 50(146), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2022.2038871CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Septarini, N. W., Chih, H. J., Hendriks, J., Maycock, B., & Burns, S. (2024). Prevalence of stigma and discrimination amongst men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (Waria) in Bali, Indonesia. Journal of Homosexuality, 71(6), 1419–1441. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2174470CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Septarini, N. W., Hendriks, J., Maycock, B., & Burns, S. (2021). Psychological distress and happiness of men who have sex with men and transgender people during the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic: Is there a need for public health policy intervention? Frontiers in Public Health, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.647548CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Setyawan, J., & Muhiddin, S. (2023). Antara Penolakan dan Penerimaan: Eksplorasi Sikap dan Persepsi Orang Muda terhadap LGBT+ di Indonesia. Gadjah Mada Journal of Psychology (GamaJoP), 9(1), 123. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamajop.57192CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sugianto, A. (2013). Etnolinguistik teori dan praktik. Pendidikan Anak Usia DIni. http://eprints.umpo.ac.id/6274/Google Scholar
Totenhagen, C. J., Randall, A. K., León, G. A., & Carroll, M. (2023). Dyadic coping inventory – sexual minority stress: A scale validation with lesbian, gay, and bi + men and women in same- and different-gender couples. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, advance online publication. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000643CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tumanan, P. (2020). The history of LGBTQ discourses in Indonesia. InterViews: An Interdisciplinary Journal in Social Sciences, 7(1), 73. https://doi.org/10.36061/iv.7.1.20.73.80Google Scholar
Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 1 Tahun 1974 Tentang Perkawinan, UU Negara Republik Indonesia 1 (1974). http://luk.staff.ugm.ac.id/atur/UU1–1974Perkawinan.pdfGoogle Scholar
Verdianto, K. K., Ferdyanti, A., Liem, C., Nabila, K., & Pramono, S. F. (2023). Analisis Kesetaraan Hak Warga Negara Kaum LGBT di Indonesia. Jurnal Hukum Dan HAM Wara Sains, 2(05), 358–366. https://doi.org/10.58812/jhhws.v2i05.311CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Veronese, V., Wirtz, A. L., Thu, K. H., Naing, S., Baral, S. D., Stoové, M., et al. (2019). “We are not gays … don’t tell me those things”: Engaging “hidden” men who have sex with men and transgender women in HIV prevention in Myanmar. BMC Public Health, 19(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-6351-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wijanarko, B. (2016). Menristek Sebut LGBT Tak Dibolehkan Masuk Kampus. Cnnindonesia.Com. www.cnnindonesia.com/nasional/20160123211552-20-106213/menristek-sebut-lgbt-tak-dibolehkan-masuk-kampusGoogle Scholar
Wijaya, H. Y. (2022). Digital homophobia: Technological assemblages of anti-LGBT sentiment and surveillance in Indonesia. Indonesia and the Malay World, 50(146), 52–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639811.2022.2010357CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, I. D. (1999). Reog Ponorogo: Spirituality, sexuality, and power in a Javanese performance tradition. Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific, (2). http://intersections.anu.edu.au/issue2/Warok.htmlGoogle Scholar
Winardy, G. C. B., & Septiana, E. (2023). LGBTQ related intervention in Indonesia: A literature review. Psychological Research on Urban Society, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.7454/proust.v6i1.1120Google Scholar
Yulius, H., Tang, S., & Offord, B. (2018). The globalization of LGBT identity and same-sex marriage as a catalyst of neo-institutional values: Singapore and Indonesia in focus. In Winter, B., Forest, M., & Sénac, R. (eds.), Global Perspectives on Same-Sex Marriage. Global Peer Politics (pp. 171–196). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62764-9_9CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×