Sumatera Utara is governed by federal Indonesia law. Learn more
    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
    Ambiguous
    Donating Blood
    Ambiguous
    Conversion Therapy
    ✖ Not banned
    Age of Consent
    ✔ Equal
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Public Opinion

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History

Homosexual activity in Sumatera Utara

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Homosexual activity in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Same-sex marriage in Sumatera Utara

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Same-sex marriage in Sumatera Utara is banned.

Current status
Banned under federal Indonesia law
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
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Censorship of LGBT issues in Sumatera Utara

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Censorship of LGBT issues in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Right to change legal gender in Sumatera Utara

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Right to change legal gender in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Gender-affirming care in Sumatera Utara

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Gender-affirming care in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Sumatera Utara

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Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Sumatera Utara 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 Sumatera Utara

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LGBT discrimination in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Until Oct 8, 2015
No protections
LGBT Indonesians face discrimination on the work place.
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LGBT employment discrimination in Sumatera Utara

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LGBT employment discrimination in Sumatera Utara 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.
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LGBT housing discrimination in Sumatera Utara

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LGBT housing discrimination in Sumatera Utara is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Same-sex adoption in Sumatera Utara

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Same-sex adoption in Sumatera Utara 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 Sumatera Utara

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Intersex infant surgery in Sumatera Utara is unknown.

Current status
Unknown

Serving openly in military in Sumatera Utara

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Serving openly in military in Sumatera Utara is ambiguous.

Current status
Ambiguous under federal Indonesia law
Under the ST/398/2009 telegram letter of the Indonesian Military, it is illegal for gays and lesbians to have same-sex acts with the same gender. The Indonesian Military aggressively hunts, cracks down, imprison, and dishonorably discharges LGBTQIA+ identifying members of the Indonesian Military. Numerous people inside the Military were imprisoned if vigilantes caught Military members having private, consensual, gay sex.

The former Commander of the National Armed Forces of Indonesia, Andika Perkasa stated there are no laws banning LGBT people to serve in Indonesian Military. However, he realized that the Indonesian military doesn’t allow “indecent sexual acts” to happen in the military. LGBT people can serve only if they were to abstain from having intercourse with the same-sex.

Blood donations by MSMs in Sumatera Utara

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Blood donations by MSMs in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Conversion therapy in Sumatera Utara

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Conversion therapy in Sumatera Utara 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.
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Equal age of consent in Sumatera Utara

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Equal age of consent in Sumatera Utara is equal.

Current status
Since Oct 15, 2019
Equal
Equal except for the region of Aceh (Homosexuality is illegal there)
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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.