Dian Rahma Fika Alnina, Jakarta – While the Indonesian government designated the spread of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) culture as a "non-military threat" under Presidential Regulation 111/2025, the government denied that it is aimed to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals.
Signed by President Prabowo Subianto on October 24, 2025, Coordinating Minister for Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra dismissed that the regulation legalizes discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
The minister claimed that all citizens, including LGBT individuals, have the right to legal protection and human rights.
"It should not be interpreted as if the government is welcoming people to persecute, commit acts of violence, or threaten LGBT individuals," Yusril said in a WhatsApp message on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
What does 'non-military threat' entails then?
According to him, the term "non-military threat" was used to categorize risks against national resilience. In the context of socio-cultural dimensions – under which the spread of LGBTQ culture is classified – "resilience" refers to values, ethics, character of the younger generation, families, digital space, and social cohesion.
According to Yusril, the government is working to prevent the widespread dissemination of LGBTQ culture, which it deems capable of altering the marital and familial values in Indonesia, which is based on religious norms.
"What the government perceives as a threat is the campaign, propaganda, and dissemination of LGBT behavior aimed at altering the values that align with the nation's culture and morality," he said.
Yusril believes that the government upholds the Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution. The LGBTQ culture, he said, is deemed inconsistent with the values of Pancasila and rejected by recognized religions in Indonesia.
Thus, the regulation serves as state intervention to counteract the spread of LGBT culture. "The approach taken remains within the legal corridor, respects the dignity of every citizen, and considers the social, cultural, and religious values that exist among Indonesian society," he said.
Rights groups scorn Presidential Regulation 1112025
Several human rights groups have criticized the policy, including Amnesty International Indonesia. The regulation, according to Amnesty, violates fundamental rights guaranteed by the country's Constitution and international law.
These rights include the right to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom from discrimination.
Indonesia's move to label the LGBTQ community as a national threat is tantamount to dehumanization, which is feared to incite public hatred.
Thus, the regulation disregards Indonesia's commitment to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) – which it had ratified – wherein the state is obligated to protect all citizens regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Amnesty Executive Director Usman Hamid underscored how this policy gives the green light for authorities or certain groups to persecute members of the LGBTQ community in the name of defending the state.
"Placing a sexual minority group in the same category as terrorism, separatism, and radicalism not only institutionalizes discrimination against marginalized groups, but also shows how low the quality of the political elite in our nation is," Usman said on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2113035/indonesia-denies-state-decreed-lgbtq-discrimination-whats-the-trut