Indonesia will enter a new era in the fight for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people following a recent US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriages, an NGO focusing on LGBT rights has said.
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | National | Mon, June 29 2015, 5:34 PM
Indonesia will enter a new era in the fight for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people following a recent US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriages, an NGO focusing on LGBT rights has said.
“I feel like it’s a victory for me and my fellow peace-loving friends. I feel like I’m being protected by the international community. […] The ruling is a green light for countries’ struggle to uphold the rights of LGBT people to marry,” Suara Kita director Hartoyo said on Monday.
He was speaking in response to a US ruling issued on Friday with a narrow vote margin, which will put an end to same-sex marriage bans in the 14 US states that still maintain them.
Echoing support voiced by gay rights advocates in Australia, India, the Philippines and many other countries, Hartoyo believed that the ruling would also impact the attitude and policy toward LGBT people at home.
He said that as the center of the world’s political and social affairs, the US would support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBT people in other countries through systematic global regulation.
“They might use the United Nations [UN] as a channel to do that, or to make a convention to protect the LGBTs like the Yogyakarta Principles back then,” he said.
The activist referred to the international principles on the application of international human rights laws in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity, signed in 2006.
Hartoyo also predicted that the US would integrate LGBT issues into the policy of its cooperation with other countries, including on financial aid and scholarships, where sexuality and gender issues were predicted to be prioritized in the near future.
Indonesia, which still faced problems concerning LGBT rights through its policies and reported acts of discrimination, would face a huge wave of change, he said, although he admitted that it would face resistance from some groups.
“There will be resistance, violence. I could be killed, my organization might be terrorized. But then groups that use violence wouldn’t attract sympathy from the people. […] It would prompt people, even those who oppose the LGBT preference, to say that it isn’t right to hurt people,” he said. (fsu/ebf)(++++)
