There are no gays in the village: youth perspectives of LGBTQIA+ people in Java, Indonesia

Abstract

This paper examines perspectives of 53 young people (14–25) from nine villages in Java. As part of a broader project investigating violence, hatefulness, tolerance, inclusion, and peace, participants shared their opinions about LGBTQIA + people, issues, and needs, in their village context. As stigmatising and rejecting views of LGBTQIA + communities are common in Indonesian society, it is important to gather the views of those who represent Indonesia’s future. This can highlight areas requiring support and identify pathways to change. The findings in this small study showed that participants held broadly critical and exclusionary perspectives towards LBGTQIA + people. Common themes included erasure of LGBTQIA + as an identity and adherence to religiously framed notions of homosexuality (specifically) as haram and sexual and gender diversity as a sickness. While the findings largely reflected the marginalisation of this minority group, there were glimmers of opportunity that provide hope for greater inclusion and acceptance. Further, while participants viewed themselves as tolerant and inclusive towards people of different ethnicities and religions, inclusion of LGBTQIA + people was seen as unacceptable. Thus, measurement of LGBTQIA + inclusion may offer a useful proxy for assessing societal tolerance and acceptance of diversity.