The BBC reported on June 19, 2010:
In the corner, instead of a urinal, there is a female toilet, hidden by a modest wall designed to discourage peeping toms.
But among the women is a man - or certainly a person who looks like a man, judging by the way he is dressed and from his demeanour.
Alter Hofan says he is a man, but doctors say he was born a woman.
Alter is charged with falsifying his identity papers.
He was reported to police by his mother-in-law, who says he changed his gender on his birth certificate in order to marry her daughter.
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A few miles away from Alter's Jakarta cell, Hartoyo is also fighting for his right to be accepted.
A devout Muslim and a gay activist, he has suffered for his sexual orientation.
Three years ago he was living with his boyfriend in Aceh, one of Indonesia's most devoutly Islamic provinces, when a dozen people raided his house and turned the couple over to the police.
Hartoyo thought the police would protect them. Instead, the police assaulted them.
He cannot contain his emotion as he recalls what happened that night.
"I get so angry when I remember what happened," he says. "The police urinated on my head and beat the two of us up. I am still traumatised by that experience."
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Reader's Comments
is a great pity we have to share our planet with these kind of people who seem to have a very negative attitude in life!
we dont have radical islamic like in indonesia. by the way we malaysian feel sad with that situation in our neighbour country
till this day, Im still ashamed & wonder when will Indonesia move forward, when even the goverment & officials fail to stay neutral.
*SIGH*
i just hope that one day, they are let free and live life normally
i hope there are equal rights for everyone
irregardless of their sexuality
why they see homosexuality as a form of disease or crime?
Please be nice to us at least
and worse the disintegration within the economic status made it worse.
i am one out of few openly gay living in Indonesia.
Within my community and society, it is widely normal and acceptable. i have never had a really bad experience for acceptance apart from weird gaze from strangers.
however, i have to say more are coming against the radical movement of islam within those with middle and above income standard. they have much more independent and liberal thinking even if they are a great muslim devotee.
it's not just in regards to the case of homosexuality. Recently, there's a celebrity porn videos leaked. and the radical islamic movement have made it such a huge deal that it is now "this" closed for the forum to be closed by the government.
let's face it, we are heading towards changes.
but how big the change is?
i have no freaking idea.
instead, i will insist on having my wedding party celebrated here in Jakarta or Bali no matter what.
but most of them who are judge and discriminated came from the lower economy situation, thus not being able to afford even to just live away from their parents.
Lucky for me, i am blessed with all the ability to do so, but refuse to leave the country as i have all my life here.
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