Indonesian LGBT activists protest in Jakarta 2018/ Bayu Fuller Wikimedia CC
Last month, a series of attacks on transgender women in Bogor sent a chill through a community for whom this kind of violence is increasingly normal. The recent attacks have coincided with the release of the full text of Presidential Regulation No. 111 of 2025 concerning the 2025-2029 General Policy for National Defence, classifying the spread of LGBTQI+ culture as a ‘non-military’ threat to the state, placing it within the same category as terrorism, separatism and radicalism.
A recent Human Rights Watch report quoted the chairperson of LGBTQI+ advocacy organisation, Arus Pelangi, Nono Sugiono, as saying, ‘Patterns of hate based on gender identity and sexual orientation are building year on year.’ So, what forms does this ‘pattern of hatred’ take, how is the LGBTQI+ community coping and ultimately, why do morality issues have such social currency in Indonesia?
In this week’s episode, Jemma chats with Dania Joedo, a musician and human rights activist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Dania works with a variety of NGOs such as Jakarta Legal Aid, Omah Munir, New Naratif, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, YAPPIKA ActionAid, and Indonesia Legal Aid Foundation. With her band, Tashoora, Dania makes music that aims to raise awareness about issues that are underrepresented today.
In 2026, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Clara Siagian from the University of College London, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT
