Safety concerns prompt cancellation of LGBTQ event in Indonesia
Organizers of an LGBTQ and intersex event that was to have begun on Monday in Indonesia said safety concerns prompted them to cancel it.
Reuters reported activists from across Southeast Asia were to have attended the ASEAN Queer Advocacy Week in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.
The ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, which is based in the Philippines, and Arus Pelangi, an Indonesian LGBTQ and intersex rights group, were among the groups that organized the event. “The organizers have been monitoring the situation very closely, including the wave of ‘anti-LGBT’ sentiments in social media,” said the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus in a statement. “The decision was made to ensure the safety and security of both the participants and the organizer.” “We affirm our call for ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and government stakeholders to create spaces for dialogue with marginalized groups, including those discriminated against on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics,” notes the statement. “Our joint vision of an inclusive ASEAN region is premised on the existence of safe spaces for civil society and for rights-holders to learn about the institution, to discuss issues that matter to them, and to collectively exercise our right to freely express our views on how ASEAN advanced, or not, the human rights of our community.” The statement says “threats to the very existence of our lives and dignity are part of the everyday realities of LGBTQIA+ persons.” “Online hate, direct attacks against human rights defenders, and reprisals to our exercise of civil and political rights, are issues we confront and must be dealt with by governments.
