Homosexuality
    Varies by Region
    Gay Marriage
    ✖ Banned
    Censorship
    ✖ State-enforced
    Changing Gender
    ✖ Legal, but requires surgery
    Gender-Affirming Care
    ✖ Restricted
    Non-Binary Gender Recognition
    ✖ Not legally recognized
    Discrimination
    ✖ Illegal in some contexts
    Employment Discrimination
    ✖ No protections
    Housing Discrimination
    Unknown
    Adoption
    Ambiguous
    Intersex Infant Surgery
    Unknown
    Military
    ✖ Illegal
    Donating Blood
    Ambiguous
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
💬 Join Equaldex's LGBTQ+ Discord to discuss LGBT rights and chat!

Public opinion polls in particular regions of Indonesia have found that homophobic beliefs persist.

Indonesia Surveys

Survey

of Indonesians believed they should be allowed to change their legal gender.

Survey

of Indonesians believed that Transgender people should be protected from employment discrimination

Perception of LGBTQ+ People

Survey results from 7 LGBTQ+ Equaldex users who lived in or visited Indonesia.

Overall

Overall

Perceived Safety*

Feel safe being open
Absence of verbal harassment
Absence of threats and violence
*Survey results represent personal perceptions of safety and may not be indicative of current actual conditions.

Equal Treatment

Treatment by peers
Treatment by family
Treatment at work
Treatment at school
Treatment by general public
Treatment by businesses
Treatment by law enforcement
Treatment by religious groups

Visibility & Representation

Inclusion in education
Representation in entertainment
Representation in news
Political support
Out public figures

Culture

Pride/events
Nightlife
Dating life
Interest groups and clubs

Services

Health and wellness
Gender-affirming care
Support and social services
Advocacy and legal

History

Homosexual activity in Indonesia

?

Homosexual activity in Indonesia is varies by region.

Current status
Since Jan 1, 2002
Varies by Region
Sex between consenting adults (18 years of age by the Law on Child Protection, No.
23/2002) of the same sex or gender is not criminalized in the Indonesian Penal Code.

Same-sex sexual activity in Indonesia is legal (not criminalized), with the exception of the Aceh province.
Report error  ·  Log

Illegal (imprisonment as punishment)

  1. Aceh 2015

Same-sex marriage in Indonesia

?

Same-sex marriage in Indonesia is banned.

Current status
Banned
There is no legal recognition of same-sex unions in Indonesia. Article 1 of the Law No. 1 of the Year 1974 on Marriage states unequivocally that marriage is "a physical and spiritual bond between a man and a woman as husband and wife, having the purpose of establishing a happy and lasting family founded on the Belief in God Almighty".[1] Moreover, Article 2 states that a marriage is only lawful if it is in accordance with the laws of the religions of the respective parties. Meanwhile, Indonesians who have entered into same-sex marriage abroad are not allowed to register their marriage in Indonesia due to Article 1 of the Marriage Act.[2] Additionally, Article 34(1) of the Law No. 23 of the Year 2006 on Civil Administration obliges all marriages to be reported to the local authorities within 60 days after marriage, and the explanation of Article 34(1) states that "marriage" can only be performed by a man and a woman
Report error  ·  Log

Censorship of LGBT issues in Indonesia

?

Censorship of LGBT issues in Indonesia is state-enforced.

Current status
State-enforced
Most of Indonesia doesn't have censorship towards the LGBT community , but in some certain places like the TV shows it does. Some popular LGBT Websites have also been banned. Nevertheless, LGBT movies are most times free to be broadcasted in Indonesian cinemas.
Report error  ·  Log

Right to change legal gender in Indonesia

?

Right to change legal gender in Indonesia is legal, but requires surgery.

Current status
Since 1973
Legal, but requires surgery
A court ruling in Indonesia in December 2009 stipulated that Indonesians who have undergone gender re-assignment surgery must be allowed to change their gender on identity documents.
Report error  ·  Log

Gender-affirming care in Indonesia

?

Gender-affirming care in Indonesia is restricted.

Current status
Since 1973
Restricted
In 1973, Indonesia legalized sterilization, which de facto meant legalizing sex reassignment surgery, however, medical records regarding transsexualism had to be obtained abroad.
Report error  ·  Log

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Indonesia

?

Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Indonesia is not legally recognized.

Current status
Not legally recognized
Indonesia does not legally recognize non-binary identities, despite genderless identities being part of its culture and history.

LGBT discrimination in Indonesia

?

LGBT discrimination in Indonesia is illegal in some contexts.

Current status
Since Oct 8, 2015
Illegal in some contexts
The Indonesian police authorities ruled an order since 2015 that it would process any hate speech related to sexual orientation or gender.
Report error  ·  Log
Until Oct 8, 2015
No protections
LGBT Indonesians face discrimination on the work place.
Report error  ·  Log

LGBT employment discrimination in Indonesia

?

LGBT employment discrimination in Indonesia is no protections.

Current status
No protections
There is no anti-discrimination law on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Theoretically there is a guarantee of protection against discriminatory practices based on any
ground in the Constitution and the Human Rights Law (No. 39/1999). Similarly, the Labor Law
(No. 13/2003) prohibits discrimination in employment. However, this is little known in LGBT
communities, and has not been used in court in a case to challenge discrimination against LGBT
people.
Report error  ·  Log

LGBT housing discrimination in Indonesia

?

LGBT housing discrimination in Indonesia is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Same-sex adoption in Indonesia

?

Same-sex adoption in Indonesia is ambiguous.

Current status
Since Oct 2, 2007
Ambiguous
According to Government Regulation Number 54 of 2007 concerning the Implementation of Child Adoption, Article 16 stipulates as folllows:

(1) Adoption of children by single parents can only be carried out by Indonesian citizens after obtaining permission from the Minister.

The granting of permits as intended in paragraph (1) can be delegated to the head of a social agency in the province.

Under this technicality, a LGBT prospective parent may be able to adopt while single, no known case has been documented of minister approval.

Intersex infant surgery in Indonesia

?

Intersex infant surgery in Indonesia is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Serving openly in military in Indonesia

?

Serving openly in military in Indonesia is illegal.

Current status
Illegal
Under the ST/398/2009 telegram letter of the Indonesian Military, it is illegal for LGBTQIA+ identifying people to serve in the military, openly or secretly. The Indonesian Military aggressively hunts, cracks down, imprison, and dishonorably discharge LGBTQIA+ identifying members of the Indonesian Military. Back then, the Indonesian Psychological Association stated that LGBTQIA+ identity is a mental illness. Numerous people inside the Military were imprisoned if vigilantes caught Military members having private, consensual, gay sex.

We compiled and translated the tweets from the Indonesian Air Force’s Official Account responding to questions about recruiting LGBTQIA+ identifying people to the Indonesian Military. Here are all the tweets in chronological order:

1. When being asked if members of the LGBTQIA+ community can serve in the Indonesian Military, here are their response: (https://twitter.com/_TNIAU/status/950706476623933446)
Ooohhh, cannot (shocked face)

Upon selection there are psychological tests, LGBT is a mental disorder. If there are many recruits that are mentally healthy why must we accept the mentally deficient?

2. The twitter went viral and there were some criticisms, which they responded with: (https://twitter.com/_TNIAU/status/950723833606037505)
(The word “normal” means heterosexual)
Responding to many mentions that went in -> until right now there are still many Military recruits that have a normal sexual orientation.

Members of the Indonesian Military are governed by military norms including religious norms & laws, so (members) must be physically & mentally healthy

3. In response to the numerous tweets arguing that homosexuality is not a mental illness, they responded with: (https://twitter.com/_TNIAU/status/950733029894381569)
(“Airmin” is how they say Air Force Admin)
(“UI” is short for the University of Indonesia, the top University in Indonesia)
In response to the debate if LGBT is a mental disorder or not, "airmin" will give you a Link containing an opinion from one of the doctors of UI.
https://nasional.republika.co.id/berita/nasional/umum/16/03/23/o4hkwh365-guru-besar-ui-lgbt-penyakit-gangguan-jiwa

4. One person replied that it is an opinion of one person and does not equate the scientific burden of proof. They responded with: (https://twitter.com/_TNIAU/status/950737066127536128)
As an member of the Military who is pious to the Almighty God and as a Muslim the Al-Quran is enough to be a scientific proof, are there any higher knowledge and more credible than the Holy Bible? In the Holy Bible LGBT is not only prohibited but also “cursed”

5. The Indonesian Air Force responded to more replies with this final tweet: (https://twitter.com/_tniau/status/950738661905121281)
Same-sex relationships is a sin am I right? (smile emoji) I’m sorry yaa, even animals are never wrong in their (mating) targets

Blood donations by MSMs in Indonesia

?

Blood donations by MSMs in Indonesia is ambiguous.

Current status
Ambiguous
The Indonesian Red Cross said that LGBTQIA+ identifying people are not recommended to donate blood because of their "risky sexual activities" including anal sex that can get them infected with HIV.
Report error  ·  Log

Conversion therapy in Indonesia

?

Conversion therapy in Indonesia is not banned.

Current status
Not banned
No law or regulation prohibited or otherwise restricted so-called conversion therapy practices. According to activists, transgender individuals were at times subjected to “therapy” such as exorcism practices, religious camps, and other traumatic practices.
Report error  ·  Log

Equal age of consent in Indonesia

?

Equal age of consent in Indonesia is equal.

Current status
Since Oct 15, 2019
Equal
Equal except for the region of Aceh (Homosexuality is illegal there)
Report error  ·  Log
Jan 1, 1974–Oct 15, 2019
Unequal
The age of consent for males and females engaged in heterosexual activity is 19 and 16 in a marriage. For homosexual activity, the age of consent is 18.