Indonesia’s Transgender Community Is Facing Growing Repression

In a series of hate crimes targeting transgender women in Indonesia, over 15 individuals were brutally attacked, stripped naked, and physically assaulted in Bogor, West Java. The incident, which was recorded and shared on social media, sparked outrage and further discriminated against the LGBTQ+ community. The Indonesian government's October 2025 decree listing "the promotion of LGBTQ+ culture" as a threat to national security has raised concerns among civil society organizations, particularly pro-democracy and queer rights groups.

The decree, which also cites terrorism, radicalism, and drug addiction as threats, has been criticized for its use of securitization to justify anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination. Indonesia lacks explicit anti-LGBTQ+ laws, but indirect discrimination persists due to conservative Muslim forces. Transgender individuals can only change their legal gender after undergoing sex reassignment surgery and receiving judicial approval, while same-sex sexual activity is criminalized under moral laws.

The westernmost province of Aceh, governed by syariah law, imposes harsh penalties for homosexual acts. According to a social anthropology researcher, the government's moral panic around queer people since 2016 has intensified over the past decade, driven by economic turmoil and shrinking civil spaces. The Broadcasting Bill, which bans LGBTQ+ content on television and radio, has contributed to the amplification of anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes, making it increasingly difficult for journalists to report on LGBTQ+ stories.