Jakarta Gay Community

Indonesia may be a predominantly Muslim country, but Jakarta's gay community enjoys a surprising degree of openness and freedom. This is partially because the government position of homosexuality is that it doesn't exist. The issue therefore isn't addressed and no formal restrictions are stated within the law. So while homosexuality is generally shunned within traditional Muslim and Christian families in Indonesia, Jakarta's social scene is an entirely different matter.

Not to be confused with the city's marginalized lady boy class, members of Jakarta's mainstream gay community socialize at ultra-trendy parties and clubs. Gay icons are frequently embraced by local media as messengers of new fads and cutting-edge fashion. And like in other cosmopolitan cities, a great number of Jakarta's top designers, artists, media executives, hairdressers, socialites, TB hosts and actors are openly gay. Their influence even extends to colloquial banter, as Jakarta street slang can be traced in part to gay jargon. Bahasa Gaul - the crass lingua franca of the city' s teenage mall rats - for instance, borrows many words from the contemporary gay vocabulary. Everyday terms for gays include g and binan, and the more derogatory hombreng, sekong and sakinah. But the most common is simply 'gay'.

Jakarta's cruising scene is full on. Glitzy shopping malls are prime hunting ground for young gay men, particularly Plaza Indonesia in central Jakarta. In the city's Senen district, a certain cinema has earned renown as a unique gay cruising spot:When the lights go gout and the file begins, members of the audience begin to mingle anonymously...

A handful of up-market clubs host gay and lesbian nights, one of which even features an elaborate cabaret show with dozens of performers gloriously done up in drag. And Jakarta is home to Q Fest, the largest gay film festival in Southeast Asia, now held openly each year at some of the city's top multiplex theaters. Yet gay chat rooms on the internet are as popular as ever, and remain the Jakarta queer community's most active meeting place. Perhaps a sign that despite all the open patying, gay lifestyle sadly isn't yet fully accepted.