16 Jan 2018

Indonesia Air Force Twitter says LGBT not welcome

A heated debate on twitter was sparked when the Indonesian Air Force saying LGBT was a mental disorder, and LGBT candidates would not be accepted.

A series of tweets from the Indonesian Air Force has sparked debate on whether LGBT are forbidden from entering the country’s air force.

"There is (a) mental health test in the selection process. LGBT is included as a mental disorder. If there are still many candidate soldiers who are mentally healthy, then why should unhealthy ones be accepted?" the account tweeted in Indonesian on Tuesday according to the Straits Times.

After a number of disagreements and protests from Twitter users, there was another message:

"This is a sensitive issue, but the TNI must be firm," it said, referring to the Indonesian military.

"TNI soldiers must be physically and mentally healthy… Same-sex intercourse is a sin, right? I am really sorry, but even animals never miss their target (in mating)," it tweeted.

While not illegal in Indonesia, LGBT have become increasingly marginalised by the conservative society.

Indonesia