Waria, Islam and Regional Autonomy

Abstract

This paper based on reseach data collection on waria (transwoman) and religion from Gorontalo. Regional authonomy and desentralisation are the momentum for local government to implementation shariah by law. By using the Islamic discources and “Serambi Madinah” narrative, local government and Islamic organizations force the practice of sharia by law into daily life. Starting from controlling women’s bodies and sexuality in public has limit the interaction and relation with waria. Women slowly have a distance to waria. The customer of waria’s salon are gradually decrasing. Moreover, gender waria category is contested among the Muslim groups. Waria seems always in dilemma that make them potentially vulnerable to get violence and marginalization. Waria present starts to be limited in public, they cannot expreassing themselves as “Muslim women” in formal setting because their gender category isn’t exist.