Shannon Power – Another Indonesian city has set up a taskforce to monitor and police LGBTI people.
Depok – a satellite city about 24 miles (40 kilometers) south of the capital Jakarta – followed in the footsteps of provincial police in West Java to set up the taskforce. Depok Deputy Mayor Muhammad Idris made the announcement today.
The taskforce will be made up of social workers, police and civil society groups. They'll be tasked with 'anticipating the spread of LGBTI' and to 'coach' LGBTI people.
'We have created an integrated team to handle LGBT, we will collaborate with police and mass organizations to coach LGBT,' Idris told media.
Even though homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, the LGBTI community has faced an unprecedented crackdown on its very existence.
Idris told media that the taskforce won't criminalize LGBT people, but being LGBT was immoral according to Islam. 'Religion has agreed that LGBT acts are forbidden, so legally we will overcome this problem so that it will not spread,' he said.
The local government's decision comes only a few weeks after it hosted a seminar about how to prevent LGBTI people from living in the sub-district of Sawangan.
Last month in Depok two men were arrested for allegedly making a sex video together and then uploading it online. If convicted, they face up to 12 years in jail.
Criminalizing homosexuality
Proposed amendments to the Indonesian penal code (KUHP) that would criminalize homosexual acts and all sex outside of marriage have been postponed. The House of Representatives is likely to resume debate about the proposed revisions in about two to three months.
But it is likely that the laws to criminalize homosexuality will pass as most major political parties said they would to vote in favor of them. Many political parties are jostling to look strong on morality before the 2019 elections.
A petition protesting the proposed changes has already gained nearly 75,000 sigantures.
Source: https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/indonesian-city-sets-anti-lgbti-taskforce-stop-spread-lgbti/