Jakarta Globe, Dyah Ayu Pitaloka, May 17, 2015
In this file photo, transgender people demonstrate in Central Jakarta for an end to the discrimination and violence they face. (Antara Photo/Ismar Patrizki) |
Malang,
East Java. An event planned to commemorate anti-homophobia day in Malang, East
Java, was canceled after the organizers claimed to have received threats.
The event,
themed “Celebrate Our Gender,” was initially scheduled for Sunday in
conjunction with International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, or
Idahot.
Niken, one
of the organizers of the event, said that she and a colleague started to
receive threatening phone calls and text messages on Friday from people
claiming to represent universities and several religious organizations in the
city.
“Some
people called and texted us to ask if we were going to gather people and invite
the LGBT community,” Niken told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. “Some questioned
our permit while others opposed the celebration outright.”
One caller
threatened to “forcefully dissolve” the event should organizers press forward
with the celebration.
Niken and
her team decided to report the threats to the police and obtain a permit, which
they initially had not planned on applying for “because the event was going to
be held indoors.”
“We
expected no more than 20 people to attend,” Niken added.
Police suggested
that they cancel “Celebrate Our Gender” due to security reasons.
“The
content of the discussion is debatable, it doesn’t fall into the category of an
academic seminar,” local police official Teguh Priyo Wasono said on Sunday,
without actually addressing the police’s responsibility for ensuring the
security of law-abiding residents or going after those making the threats.
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