This incident was a painful reminder that prejudice and hatred against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people (LGBT) is still widespread in many parts of the world, and Indonesia is no exception. Indonesia’s LGBT community has gained visibility in the past decade, mostly due to the country’s transition to democracy, but it has also experienced more public disapproval as many LGBT people have stopped hiding and are now fighting for equality. Though they have made progress, they are still seen by many as “threatening,” “abnormal” or “sinful.”
To prevent this kind of prejudice and discrimination, the Yogyakarta-based Youth Interfaith Forum on Sexuality (YIFoS), a group of young men and women with different sexual orientations and religious backgrounds, has organized a youth camp in Yogyakarta to foster discussion about these issues.
At the “Young Queer Faith and Sexuality Camp,” which will run from Tuesday until Saturday, participants will share their experiences and analyze their problems while searching for common ground and nonviolent ways to challenge discrimination.
Yulia Dwi Andriyanti, a member of YIFoS and a camp coordinator, said the group decided to plan an event after realizing that spending a few hours discussing sexuality in school was not enough to combat discrimination.
“These topics are not only related to how we think about faith and sexuality differently, but also about how we react and respond in daily life as people who have multiple identities in society,” Yulia said. “YIFoS needed to facilitate a space where those identities could interact with one another.”
Yulia was inspired to organize a camp after participating in the Global Changemakers Asia Youth Summit last July in New Delhi.
“Sixty young people from Asia — young activists, social entrepreneurs, artists, filmmakers, performers — came together for one week to become changemakers in their societies,” she said.
“The summit also provided the opportunity for all participants to actually implement their action plans.”
Yulia’s idea to foster discussion among different youth faith groups and LGBT people triggered a wave of positive responses and attracted financial support, including from the British Council, which had organized the New Delhi youth summit, the Asian Women’s Resource Center, the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation, Yogyakarta-based businesses and private donors.
“During the five-day camp, participants will learn to understand themselves and others as individuals who have multiple identities in society, particularly when it comes to faith and sexuality,” Yulia said, adding that she wants show young people how to celebrate their differences.
After getting to know each other, talking and reflecting, participants will share their own plans to encourage tolerance through media, journalism, youth advocacy, social entrepreneurship, creative writing or art.
“This will be the starting point for all participants to celebrate diverse identities by initiating their own peace plans within their own societies and by being ready to inspire many other young people after the camp,” Yulia said.
YIFos member Khoirul Anam, who helped organize the camp, said about 50 participants were chosen, each representing issues involving faith and sexuality that they would like to address.
“The idea of combining discussions of interfaith understanding and sexuality in a camp environment is relatively new in Indonesia, so many young people wanted to join,” he said. “We kept receiving application forms after the submission deadline. We believe our camp attracted so many people because it will talk about something important and also sensitive.”
After generating so much interest, it was tough to narrow down the candidates.
“Considering the enthusiasm of so many young people all over Indonesia [for this project], we had a hard time selecting our participants,” he said. Ultimately, he added, the selection committee chose young people with a passion for meeting new people and learning new things.
Yulia said the camp was an important opportunity to educate the younger generation at a time when many LGBT teenagers in Indonesia continue to face prejudice from family and friends.
“Some of them are bullied because of the way they dress, for example,” she said. “In relation to their sexual orientation and gender identity, it is also challenging for them when it comes to faith and religion.”
Yulia said she looked forward to joining the discussions at the camp.
“I will meet many young people who will share their experiences in issues of faith and sexuality that may perhaps be similar to mine,” she said.
If the camp is successful, YIFoS will try to organize it on a regular basis.
“I hope we can do it annually to keep spreading the celebration of humanity and peace, particularly among young people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or faith,” Yulia said.
For more information, visit:www.global-changemakers.net/projects/youth-interfaith-forum-on-sexuality/www.yqfscamp.wordpress.com/Twitter @YQueerFSCamp
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