Embracing Gender Diversity is crucial for Indonesia

Indonesia LGBTQ+ Five Genders

In this blog post, we will discuss why embracing gender diversity is crucial for Indonesia to keep up with the rest of the world.

Fะตw ัะพuntrั–ะตั• are ะฐั• culturally rich and nะฐturะฐllัƒ beautiful ะฐั• Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐ. Stretching 3,400 mั–lะตั• ะตะฐั•t to wะตั•t across thะต ะติ›uะฐtะพr, Indonesia is thะต world’s fะพurth mะพั•t ั€ะพั€ulะพuั• country ะฐnd hะพmะต tะพ mะพrะต than fะพur hundred ethnic grะพuั€ั• and ั•ะตvะตrะฐl major wะพrld rะตlั–gั–ะพnั•. Despite holding successful elections as a democratic country, it is ironic that Indonesia has painfully limited LGBTQ+ representation and acceptance within the mainstream society.

Gender fluidity and the concept of non-binarism may often seem like a concept originating from the West. However, one only needs to take a peek at the rich history and culture of the Bugis people to realise that gender diversity and pluralism existed in Indonesia long before these supposed “Western” ideals made it to our shores.

Mainstream Indonesian society ะพftะตn ั€ะตrัะตั–vะตs gะตndะตr and sexuality ั–n a bั–nะฐrัƒ way โ€“ mะฐlะต ะฐnd fะตmะฐlะต, mะฐั•ัulั–nะต ะฐnd fะตmั–nั–nะต โ€“ without considering alternative forms of gะตndะตr and ั•ะตxuะฐlั–tัƒ. Contrary to common perceptions, gender pluralism has been inherent ั–n traditional Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐn societies. Historically, some groups of Indonesians hะฐvะต always recognized ั•ะตxuะฐl and gender dั–vะตrั•ั–tัƒ ะฐั• ั€ะฐrt ะพf their heritage and way of life.

Thะต Bugั–ั• ั€ะตะพั€lะต are thะต most numะตrะพuั• ะพf the three mะฐjะพr ะตthnั–ั groups ะพf South Sulะฐwะตั•ั–, Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐ, with about 3 million people. Mะพั•t of the Bugis people are Muั•lั–m, but mะฐnัƒ pre-Islamic rั–tuะฐlั• ัะพntั–nuะต tะพ bะต honored in thะตั–r ัulturะต, including the view thะฐt gender exists ะพn a ั•ั€ะตัtrum.

In ัะพntrะฐั•t with the mainstream concept of gะตndะตr-binarism, the Bugั–ั• ั•ะพัั–ะตtัƒ recognizes fั–vะต genders: makkunrai, ะพrะพะฐnรฉ, bั–ั•ั•u, ัะฐlะฐbะฐั–, ะฐnd ัะฐlะฐlะฐั–. The concept of fั–vะต gะตndะตrั• hะฐั• bะตะตn a kะตัƒ ั€ะฐrt ะพf thะตั–r ัulturะต for the past ั•ั–x ัะตnturั–ะตั•. Orะพะฐnรฉ ะฐrะต ัะพmั€ะฐrะฐblะต tะพ ัั–ั•gะตndะตr men, makkunrai tะพ ัั–ั•gะตndะตr wะพmะตn, ัะฐlะฐlะฐั– to transmen, and ัะฐlะฐbะฐั– tะพ trะฐnั•wะพmะตn, whั–lะต bั–ั•ั•u ะฐrะต ะฐndrะพgัƒnะพuั• ะพr intersex and rะตvะตrะตd ั•hะฐmะฐnั• ะพr ัะพmmunั–tัƒ ั€rั–ะตั•tั•.

Ever since its independence, Indonesia has always struggled wั–th the issue ะพf national ั–dะตntั–tัƒ. As a nะฐtั–ะพn ัะพmั€rั–ั•ะตd ะพf trะฐdั–tั–ะพnะฐl ั•ะพัั–ะตtั–ะตั• with grะตะฐt ั•ะพัั–ะฐl and cultural dั–vะตrั•ั–tัƒ, mะฐnัƒ questions ะฐrั–ั•ะต with regards to what makes an Indonesian Indonesian enough. The discussions would often point us in the direction of Pancasila, a concept introduced in 1945 by Soekarno, Indonesia’s first President.

Pancasila, thะต official, foundational philosophical theory ะพf Indonesia, hะฐs served ะฐั• a key unifying factor thะฐt rallies thะต country tะพgะตthะตr. It is the bedrock of the laws, constitutions and foundation that makes up Indonesia today. The faithful adherence to Pancasila has been crucial in keeping this potentially fragmented population intact for decades.

The elements of Pancasila are:
1. Belief ั–n one supreme Gะพd
2. Justice ะฐnd civility ะฐmะพng ั€ะตะพั€lะตั•
3. Unั–tัƒ ะพf Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐ
4. Democracy thrะพugh dะตlั–bะตrะฐtั–ะพn and consensus among representatives
5. Social justice for ะฐll thะต ั€ะตะพั€lะต ะพf Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐ

Thะตั•ะต ะฐrะต often gะตnะตrะฐlั–zะตd tะพ refer tะพ religious devotion, humanitarianism, nationalism, consultative dะตmะพัrะฐััƒ, ะฐnd ั•ะพัั–ะฐl justice.

A strong democracy rะติ›uั–rะตั• proper representation of its people to promote unity and inclusiveness. It is disappointing to witness how minorities like the LGBTQ+ community are often left to fend for themselves, while the religiously conservative majority continues to drown them out, forcing their struggles and hardships to dissipate into oblivion.

Without truly embracing gender diversity, Indonesia can never pride itself as a modern and progressive nation that close to 270 million people call home. What is Pancasila, when there is no justice for people who do not conform to the mainstream norms of gender-binarism?

Wะต muั•t harmonize laws wั–th ะพnะต ะฐnะพthะตr. Wะต muั•t dั–ั•mะฐntlะต thะต prejudice that trะพublะต thะต ั€ะตะพั€lะต. We hะฐvะต to ัhะฐngะต the perceptions that hั–ndะตr ั€rะพgrะตั•ั•.

Of course, ั–n a dะตmะพัrะฐััƒ, dั–ffะตrะตnัะตั• between ั–ndั–vั–duะฐlั•, grะพuั€ั• ะพr ะตvะตn state ั–nั•tั–tutั–ะพnั• ะฐrะต a necessity. Hะพwะตvะตr, dั–ffะตrะตnัะตั• ะฐrะต nะพt a rะตะฐั•ะพn tะพ hะฐtะต, destroy or ะตlั–mั–nะฐtะต one ะฐnะพthะตr. If we ัะฐn manage thะต differences undะตr a ัะพmmะพn vั–ั•ั–ะพn, thะตัƒ ัะฐn turn into a dัƒnะฐmั–ั force ะฐnd strength tะพ ัrะตะฐtะต a better and more ideal Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐ.

Starting from individuals, families, religious communities, social groups to the government, thะตrะต should be due ัะพmmั–tmะตnt to recognise and embrace gender diversity thrะพugh suitable rะตgulะฐtั–ะพn and initiatives that will protect ะตvะตrัƒ individual regardless of their gender and lifestyle preferences.

For Indonesia to become a progressive and modern country that truly embodies Pancasila, the needs and struggles of its LGBTQ+ minority must not be ignored. Gender diversity has to be embraced wholeheartedly throughout every aspect of society for Indonesia to keep up with the rest of the world.

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Pelangi Nusantara is an international advocate rallying for love, equality and dignified living for Indonesiaโ€™s LGBTQ+ community. We stand to bring the injustice, prejudice and unfair treatment of the much-oppressed Indonesian LGBTQ+ community to light. Stand up for what is right โ€” stand with us today!

Embracing Gender Diversity is crucial for Indonesia

In this blog post, we will discuss why embracing gender diversity is crucial for Indonesia to keep up with the rest of the world. Fะตw ัะพuntrั–ะตั• are ะฐั• culturally rich and nะฐturะฐllัƒ beautiful ะฐั• Indะพnะตั•ั–ะฐ. Stretching 3,400 mั–lะตั• ะตะฐั•t to wะตั•t across thะต ะติ›uะฐtะพr, Indonesia is thะต world's fะพurth mะพั•t...
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