Despite a well-publicized call by President Joko Widodo of Indonesia for better police protection of all minorities, including the country's embattled LGBT population, news stories about the widespread use of exorcisms to "straighten" out people with same-sex attractions are disturbingly common. In November and December of last year, police in the Indonesian city of Padang arrested eighteen same-sex couples and forced them to participate in exorcisms. “We have an exorcism expert for LGBTs," said one source closely involved with the exorcism movement in Padang. "Gay men are usually possessed by female demons. We also have a program that will allow transgenders to train in the military.”
People who have undergone these exorcisms reported being slapped, massaged, and "bathed in holy salt water." In a recent story by Vice Magazine, a source identified only as "Syifa" reported that her parents had taken her to an Islamic exorcism centre due to their refusal to accept her being with another woman. Syifa described her personal experience of the half-hour exorcism as being "hilarious" saying “It was just so dumb to me, but I tried to appreciate what they were trying to do for me.” While her own experience seemed relatively benign, Syifa said she heard screams and people being whipped in other rooms. “I was lucky they didn’t do anything like that to me,” she said. Despite the efforts of her parents and the exorcists, she is currently in a committed relationship with another woman.
Long considered a taboo subject in Indonesia, public discussions of same-sex attraction or any other form of "unconventional" sexual behaviour continues to be condemned by the country's religious leaders. A 2017 survey conducted by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) revealed that 87.6 percent of a sample of 1,220 Indonesians perceived members of the LGBTQ community as a "significant threat" and verbal harassment remains common. While not technically illegal under Indonesian law, police routinely harass sexual minorities, including transsexuals and cross-dressers, under vaguely-worded "public indecency" laws. At the local level, provincial laws are often used to fine or imprison homosexuals and cross-dressers. In parts of the country where sharia laws are closely filed, including the state of Aceh, anyone caught having gay sex can be sentenced to receiving 100 lashes.
As for the rising use of exorcisms, Yuli Rustinawati, current head of Arus Pelangi (one of Indonesia’s few LGBTQ non-governmental organisations), warns that the normalisation of such conversion therapy can have dire consequences. “The moral doctrine used against the LGBTQ community leads to unbelievable violence towards them. Then the police join in and force them to undergo exorcisms,” Rustinawati told BBC Indonesia. Some members of the LGBTQ community even request exorcisms themselves in the hope of "curing" their same-sex feelings with no real success.
While most Indonesians are becoming more aware of gay issues due to foreign news agencies, movies, and television shows from other countries, this increased awareness shows no sign of improving hardline attitudes. For now, members of sexual minorities continue to be viewed as "misfits" who have no place in traditional society. Only time will tell whether this will change in future.
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