You may have read of the 141 men arrested in a gay sauna in Indonesia. The country does not criminalize homosexuality, but you'd never know it because police have been using other codes — such as anti-porn statues — to crack down on gay men.
The men detained are accused of participating in a gay sex party at a sauna in the capital city of Jakarta.
Jessica Stern, Exec. Dir. of OutRight Action International issued the following comment:
OutRight’s research, Creeping Criminalization, shows that regional regulations are departing from national laws and are heavily influenced by fundamentalist interpretations of Islam. These laws are targeting women’s dress codes, any women having relationships outside of marriage, and LGBTIQ people, criminalizing them on grounds of breaching public morality.What is happening in Indonesia is dangerous and scary. Officials are using their own personal biases on morality to oppress different groups and especially LGBTIQ people. In the past, the LGBTIQ community has experienced more tolerance in Indonesian society, but particularly over the past 18 months crackdowns have increased and the situation has become much worse for LGBTIQ people. LGBTIQ Indonesians are equal citizens and must not be singled out and oppressed simply for who they love or who they are.
The world is not post-gay ... not be a longshot.
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