Jakarta – A lawmaker from the House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, Tubagus Hasanuddin, said the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission's (KPI) policy to ban TV stations from airing programs that showed male performers who dressed and acted like women should be supported.
"Any TV program showing a man who dresses like a woman should not be broadcast," said Tubagus after a work meeting at the House complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Monday.
On Feb.23, the KPI issued a circular banning Indonesian TV stations from airing programs showing male performers dressing or behaving like women. It was not the first time the commission has made such bans.
Comedian Kabul "Tessy" Basuki, 68, who became famous for his transgender persona Tessy, has claimed that an earlier ban had led to him losing his job in the country's TV industry, kompas.com reported.
The commission's policy to prohibit "feminine men" in TV shows has drawn criticism amid growing concern about the widespread influence of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the country. The ban and general atmosphere recently has triggered much paranoid sentiment toward the nation's so-called LGBT community.
"You don't know how I feel as the father of a child who is now in puberty. I'm really worried about it," said Tubagus. "For me, what the KPI has done is right."
Hartoyo, director of Suara Kita, an NGO focusing on the promotion and protection of LGBT rights, said recently that the government officials should be more careful in making comments. They should refrain from speaking on issues about which they knew little.
"They [LGBT people] are accused of tarnishing Indonesia's image. However, we can't eliminate them as they are also part of our society. It is the responsibility of President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's administration [to resolve tensions triggered by the issue]," Hartoyo said on Feb. 22. (vps/ebf)