[Kabar-indonesia] 4 of 6: Because Lesbians are Human Too [+Transsexuals]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

3 Tempo Magazine Independence Day Reports (4 of 6): 

- Because Lesbians are Human Too 

- Trapped! [Transsexuals remain at a 
  crossroad. Society still looks at 
  gender instead of talents.]

- Uncivilized and Unfriendly Treatment 
  [This country is not friendly to its millions 
  of physically handicapped people. Public 
  facilities do not accommodate their interests.]

Tempo Magazine
No. 50/VI
August 15-21, 2006 

Cover Story 

Because Lesbians are Human Too 

Lesbians in Indonesia suffer dismissals from their jobs, while some are even 
institutionalized in mental hospitals. Many choose to hide their feelings. 

HANI bowed and kissed her mother's feet. She cried, her maternal instinct had 
sensed something that has been different for a while. Especially observing 
her daughter's 'masculine' appearance, while visiting friends and calls for Hani 
are always women. That day, four years ago, it all became clear: her daughter 
is a lesbian. Her mother was shocked and upset, but accepted the reality. 

Hani is now relieved. During her college days, she would lock her feelings 
tightly within. She denied it, and even flirted with the male students. It was 
fruitless. She felt that she could not love a man. Dark memories of the men in 
her childhood in Malang, East Java, would resurface including her hot-tempered 
and abusive father, and many more. 

"I do not hold a grudge against men, but I empathized on how women are always 
victimized," Hani said. Therefore, after college, she chose to join a 
non-government organization (NGO) that focuses on female problems. There, she 
revealed her sexual orientation. Nobody treated her differently. 

Hani is a figure who, in the Great Indonesian Language Dictionary, issued by 
Balai Pustaka, is described as "a woman who loves her own gender." There is no 
precise data on the number of lesbians in Indonesia, but they are among us. 
Regardless of age, profession, or social strata, lesbians are commonly called 
the 'L Group', or in everyday slang, 'lines.' They often chose the 
'underground' lines, or quietly became lesbians. Hani is one of the 'lucky ones' for being 
accepted by her family and professional colleagues. 

She is different from Jenny, (a pseudonym) who was fired from a 
telecommunication kiosk she was working at because she was found out as a lesbian. The 
20-year-old girl is now having a hard time earning a living because the news was 
quickly spread. Or Noi, 31, who is frightened. She chose silence because, "My 
family is all haj. How can they accept me?" she complained. 

Experience showed that many women who confessed their lesbianism are often 
exposed to abuse. The Coalition of Indonesian Women often received reports that 
many lesbians are disowned by their family, raped, or forcefully married, and 
there are even some who are sent to mental hospitals. "They are considered as 
useless garbage," said Masruchah, the chairwoman of the women organization. 

This kind of behavior is regretted by Dodo, Chairman of the Rainbow Line 
Campaign and Advocates Division. This is the organization that placed itself as a 
group to represent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual/transgender rights. 
"What are the relations between sexual orientation and job achievements?" 
asked Dodo. Nevertheless, he said, lesbians are human, too. They too, need to make 
a living. 

The fight against discrimination is carried out by the Rainbow Line. With 
around 100 members, Rainbow Line developed a number of programs. Among which are 
discussions and education to its members, and campaigns to the public in order 
for the greater community to acknowledge the rights of a homosexual. 

Not all 'lines' are willing to attach themselves to organizations such as the 
Rainbow Line, Swara Srikandi, Colorful Job Network, or Indonesian Lesbian 
Union. A lot are simply looking for a tolerant community. A house at Paseban 
area, Central Jakarta, is always packed at weekends. That is where the lesbians 
hang out. Among them are lecturers, women activists, and university students. 
There are 68-year-olds to 19-year-olds. 

Indecent accusations are generally referring to the freestyle living of the 
homosexuals, particularly in sexual matters. There are those who perceive sex 
as recreation: simply for pleasure. There are those who want more. For Hani, 
for instance, lesbianism is simply not about a lifestyle, but about legal and 
political matters as well. That is why-with the Rainbow Line-she designed a 
number of programs to dispute all forms of discrimination. "Being a lesbian is 
more than simply about sex," she said. 
 
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Tempo Magazine
No. 50/VI
August 15-21, 2006 

Cover Story 

Trapped! 

Transsexuals remain at a crossroad. Society 
still looks at gender instead of talents. 

THE long-concealed secret was finally revealed. About seven years ago, Meggie 
Megawati, 29, migrated to Jakarta. The transsexual woman from Surabaya, East 
Java, lived in an area of Mampang, South Jakarta. She passed her days in an 
area that is known to be quite religious by following a number of social 
activities, among which are gatherings and neighborhood ladies' Qur'an recitals. 

The appearance of the 'shemale,' whose real name was Egi Sugiharto, is very 
feminine. Her face is soft; she does not have an Adam's apple, with dulcet 
speech. Her figure is lean with amply curved hips. Her identification card also 
shows 'female' in its gender option. It seems that the remnants of her manhood 
had been integrated. Perhaps only her baritone voice remained. 

Meggie changed her gender around six years ago at Yanhee International 
Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. She had breast implants at a clinic in Singapore. The 
total cost spent on surgeries was around Rp130 million. "If I total the cost 
of the surgeries, it ought to have been enough to buy a BTN house," said the 
woman born in Surabaya, June 24, 1977, laughing. 

In her neighborhood, Meggie was known as an actual woman. Her neighbors had 
not known that she was a shemale; until one day in 2004, when the secret was 
finally revealed. It started with a Transsexual Princess contest she 
participated in. Meggie was chosen as the winner. Her face and name were displayed in a 
number of broadcasts. Her neighborhood, particularly the ladies of the recitals 
and gatherings, were shocked. Her house telephone and cellular phone were 
constantly ringing, questioning whether it was really her who was on television 
and in the newspapers. "I confirmed it, and they were all flabbergasted," she 
said, reminiscing. 

Meggie had a moment of worry about the reaction of the ladies in her 
neighborhood. Her anxiety rose when she went to a Qur'an recital. What would happen? 
It turned out that there was no change in the attitudes of her recital 
colleagues. They were simply shocked and disbelieving of the fact that she was a 
transsexual. Meggie was relieved after they eventually accepted her explanations. 

For Meggie, it was a confirmation of her conviction in the lifestyle she had 
chosen since her teenage years, although it did not mean the path she had 
chosen was free of obstacles. She had been subject to unfair treatment since 
childhood. Her graceful manner had often been mocked by her peers. She experienced 
that throughout her teenage years. 

According to Meggie, the most painful experience was when she was in a 
Transsexual Princess contest in 2005. A number of people supporting a certain 
religion raided the contest. They protested and said words that, according to 
Meggie, were very condescending. They claimed that the contest was immoral and 
humiliated the nation. "I was disappointed because they had repressed our freedom 
of creativity," she said. 

In reality, other than being a common gathering, the contest was a tool in 
the fight for acknowledgement of their existence. According to Meggie, through 
the contest, she wanted to implore her peers to not sell themselves on 
roadsides, thus refuting the constant identification of transsexuals as prostitutes or 
singing beggars. At the moment, Meggie, who works as a consultant in a 
foreign nutrition company, will employ 18 transsexuals in several businesses she is 
about to open: hair salon and beauty clinic, boutiques, and a 
telecommunication kiosk. 

Meggie's steps were motivated by the difficulties transsexuals face finding 
work in normal jobs. According to her, a lot of her peers actually have equal 
education and skills, or even higher than common people. "I have friends with 
degrees as well," she said. 

One of the transsexuals with a bachelor's degree is Shuniyya Ruhama 
Habiballah, alumni of the Department of Sociology, who mastered in social and political 
studies at Gajah Mada University, Yogyakarta. She chose to be a transsexual 
woman since her teenage years. She said that she was vulnerable while facing 
the confusion within her. "I am a person with a female soul trapped in a man's 
body," said the 24-year-old, describing her confusion. 

Shuniyya realized that the path she had chosen was risky. According to her, 
the pros and cons of the existence of a transsexual would often surface when 
interacting in society. She was opposed by a number of followers of Islam when 
she started to wear veil in high school until today. She was said to have 
disgraced Islam. 

One day, she was approached by a number of people, men and women. They 
expressed spiteful words which, according to Shuniyya, were contemptuous insults. 
She was called a sacrilege to her destiny and said to be following her lust. 
They hollered: "Take off your veil! You are affronting Muslim women!" Two of them 
then approached and tried to pull off Shuniyya's veil. 

Another episode that cut through Shuniyya's heart occurred when she was about 
to participate in a mass prayer. With her commitment as a transsexual woman, 
she was not comfortable to follow the prayer in the men's line. She then 
prepared to enter the women's line. But her friends fiercely rebuffed her. They had 
the opinion of: "His prayer would be disqualified if there is a physical 
contact." 

Shuniyya would not give up. She keeps moving on with her faith. She then 
wrote a book as a tool in her fight. Her latest book, Jangan Lepas Jilbabku (Don't 
Remove My Veil), tells the true story of a transsexual. Through the book, she 
wanted to open the eyes of people who are still closed-minded, to show that 
not all transsexuals are contemptible. 

Shuniyya also proved that transsexuals have the same potential as common 
people. Aside from being a writer, she is also a volunteer in social work, aiding 
street urchins, and became a speaker in a number of discussion forums. At 
present, a public organization has asked her to join them. "They look at my 
talents, not my genitals," she said. 

There it goes. These are just a small number of stories on discrimination 
experienced by transsexual women. There are still a vast amount of poignant tales 
experienced by transsexuals at the corners of every city in Indonesia. 

Transsexual women are people with women's souls trapped in men's bodies. 
Their existence is not new in Indonesia. A number of literatures describe that 
transsexuals have had a long history in the Motherland. Take South Sulawesi, for 
instance. Prior to the arrival of Islam, there was a group of people known as 
Bissu, or locally known as Calabai, in existence. They are physical men with 
feminine behavior, including in their daily appearance. 

The Bissu were not common transsexuals. In the pre-Islam period, Bissu were 
the councilors for the Bugis kings. Before dispatching their armies for war, 
the king would first consult the Bissu. In appearance, they would always appear 
elegant and courteous. 

There are also transsexual players in the East Javanese art of ludruk. The 
existence of transsexuals in a group of ludruk players is due to cultural 
reasons. In ludruk, born in a village of strict adherents of Islam, no women were 
allowed as its players. The role of women was then replaced by transsexuals. 
Thus the existence of transsexuals' as ludruk players came about and continues 
today. 

Plainly, both Meggie and Shuniyya are hoping that the community and 
government would give a chance and equal public room for their kind. 
 
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Tempo Magazine
No. 50/VI
August 15-21, 2006 
  
Cover Story 

Uncivilized and Unfriendly Treatment 

This country is not friendly to its millions of physically handicapped 
people. Public facilities do not accommodate their interests. 

THE lively evening suddenly took a sad turn for Suhendra. He was pained when 
he heard a bunch of the neighbors' kids calling his only son "Dumb, dumb!" and 
laughing heartily. 

His son Rian, 9, is indeed unable to speak like other children his age. 
However, Suhendra realized he did not have to be angry at the kids. What he did was 
simply ask them to be considerate. "Don't call him dumb," he implored. "He's 
got a name." 

Having stayed barely a month in the 6-square-meter room he leases, Suhendra 
hoped to move to a new neighborhood that can accept his son's physical 
limitation. Obviously that was hoping for too much. Often, he even sees adults insult 
his son. 

Being a newspaper and magazine vendor by the side of Jalan Margonda Raya, 
Depok, obviously Suhendra earns a small income, which explains why he has never 
taken Rian to the doctor to find out what disables his son. 

It is probably because Rian has never heard anything, since his ears do not 
function normally. He does not know whether the defect is inborn or due to 
other factors. 

"I'm confused," he said. "If I call him, sometimes he turns his head." What 
he knows for sure is that his son can be very angry and sad when he is aware 
that his playmates are ridiculing him like they did that evening. "Sometimes he 
cries." 

The story of Rian is one of numerous similar sad stories. Along with physical 
limitations, poverty exacerbates the situation. In the street junctions, on 
public buses or in railway carriages, there are scores of physically 
handicapped people who find life hard. They are forced to beg because there are not 
enough opportunities to earn a decent living. 

Of course none of them expect to lead that kind of life. Nobody wants to be 
born with defective legs, poor eyesight, and even total blindness or with other 
handicaps. Some others suffer due to war atrocities, accidents, effects of an 
illness, natural disasters, or malicious deeds by other people. 

The World Health Organization records that there is no country in the world 
without physically disabled or handicapped people. In advanced countries their 
numbers are slightly lower, but normally on the average the physically 
handicapped people comprise 10 percent of the total population. 

Meaning that with a population of 220 million, there are approximately 22 
million handicapped people in Indonesia. This is an inevitable part of life. 
Rejection of them does not only deny life as ordained by the Creator, but it might 
also lead to an extremely painful situation for the physically handicapped. 

Therefore, people in civilized nations always strive to regulate life by 
taking into consideration these unfortunate groups. The roads are provided with 
large sidewalks, thus facilitating those who walk with a walking stick or ride 
in a wheelchair. 

Buildings are also designed with public facilities for the sake of those with 
physical disabilities. There are special elevators for the blind, comfortable 
toilets for those unable to stand, and so on. In other fields such as 
education and employment, their existence is recognized. The question is, how does 
this country treat them? 

By simply taking a look around us, we can quickly conclude that many things 
have to be tidied up. From the viewpoint of policies, there are already various 
kinds of laws specially made to accommodate the physically handicapped, such 
as Law No. 4/1997 on the Physically Handicapped. This law specifically 
provides for the need for equality of opportunities and treatment in education and 
employment. 

An article of the law states that in every 100 employees, the company must 
employ a physically handicapped person who meets the required qualifications. 
According to the records of the Indonesian Association of Physically Handicapped 
People, at least 41 companies have fulfilled the requirements. The rest seem 
to remain allergic to them, including the government itself, always setting 
the conditions of "physically and spiritually healthy" in recruitment of new 
civil servants. 

Another thing which we hardly see in the field is Transportation Minister 
Decree No. 71/1999 on Access of the Physically Handicapped and the Sick to 
Transportation Means and Infrastructure. True, it is a very noble act by somebody 
who is willing to help a blind person cross the street, but far more important 
is to design a facility whereby the handicapped are able to safely cross the 
street all by themselves without having to wait for somebody to guide them. This 
is still non-existent. Chaotic public transportation is also unfriendly to 
them. 

The effort to create equality is also the spirit of the Jakarta Governor's 
Decree No. 66/1981 concerning the Provision of Means and Facilities for the 
Physically Handicapped at Public Buildings, Shopping and Office Centers, and 
Apartments. All must provide facilities which contribute to the mobility of the 
handicapped. 

Nonetheless, even at the State Palace, such facilities were not available 
until Abdurrahman Wahid became president. He himself had almost lost his ability 
to see, and the First Lady, Shinta Nuriyah, sits in a wheelchair due to a 
traffic accident. 

Shinta Nuriyah herself is now actively engaged in the disabilities study 
center established last month at the University of Indonesia School of Social and 
Political Sciences (FISIP). This campus is now tidying things up to give the 
handicapped easy access to its environment. "There's no need for excess," said 
Gumilar R. Somantri, the sociology dean of the school, about the treatment 
which should be given to the handicapped. 

Such is also the case with education. The best way is for the handicapped to 
be integrated in public schools with the support of facilities easily 
accessible to them. "The quota system and such things should be avoided," said 
Gumilar. It is this principle which he applied when last year his campus decided to 
accept master and doctoral students who are confined to a wheelchair. 

"If they are capable, go ahead," said Adang Surachman, assistant to the 
Rector of Academic Affairs of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). However, 
the ITB does not award privileges or quotas to the handicapped who wish to 
study there, since such a measure reflects a double standard. Assistance is given 
in proper limits. 

Adang admits, however, that facilities for those hard of hearing are not 
available yet. There are also difficulties if there are blind students. "We have 
to provide literature in Braille," he said. "Visualization on the blackboard is 
also a problem." It is these limitations which make the campus admit only the 
students with disabilities other than blindness or deafness. "On average, 
there are only five persons each year." 

Special treatment is indeed not to be expected. Cucu Saidah, 31, is one of 
the people who oppose excessively special treatment. This activist of the 
Bandung Independent Living Center, an organization of the handicapped encouraging 
independent living, is of the view that excessive special treatment amounts to 
discrimination. 

For Cucu, whose legs are defective since birth, physical handicap can happen 
from two things. First, from the malfunctioning body of the handicapped and 
second, from their social environment. "People might be incapacitated because of 
their environment," she said. Maybe, an incomplete physique is no problem if 
the person concerned is able to compete and be independent. Nevertheless, they 
need a society that recognizes their existence in an equal manner. A society 
that is not defective. 
 
-End 4 of 6-

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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