The Indonesian Ulema Council is urging local television broadcasters to limit the number of shows promoting individuals with effeminate behavior.

The council argued that extensive public exposure of such behavior could trigger "gender identity disorder" among the younger generation.

Speaking to reporters in Jakarta on Friday, the council's head of information and communication department, Said Budairy, said that a one week survey by the council revealed that shows with effeminate figures were broadcasted during prime time in the holy month of Ramadan.

"During the period of breaking the fasting, the number of viewers increased by 35 percent, 12 percent during the early breakfast before dawn while the number of children viewers up by 22 percent," he said citing a survey by ACNielsen.