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Affectionate gay students should be banned from university campuses, Indonesian minister says
ABC Radio Australia - January 27, 2016
The LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning) association called itself the Support Group and Research Centre on Sexuality Studies and planned to offer counselling services.
Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir heard about the service and announced that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people corrupted the nation's morals.
Indonesia's young gay and lesbian students have it tough: there are few openly gay Indonesian role models, and public discussion of subjects like safe sex or coming out are unheard of in the country. So the emergence of the support group for students at the University of Indonesia was a big step forward.
There were reports that Mr Nasir had said he wanted all gay students banned from campus. Mr Nasir said that this was not correct, clarifying his position with a tweet from his ministerial account.
"My prohibition against the LGBT community entering campuses is if they show inappropriate behaviour such as having sex, or public displays of affection on campus," Mr Nasir said. "This was what I meant that will cause damage to the morality of the nation."
LGBTIQ university support group goes to ground
The scandal is running hot and after 10 days of non-stop terrorism coverage, Indonesia's television networks embraced the opportunity to talk about something else.
Sociologist Musni Umar joined the debate and said that human rights were being used as a "cover up" by the LGBTIQ community.
"[They are saying] how it's their human rights, but human rights shouldn't oppose the basic values built by our founding fathers and the Government," Mr Umar said.
"I don't think the danger to our nation only comes from terrorism and drugs – of course they're dangerous – but this LGBT also causes damage to the mentality of the people. When people are not attracted to the opposite sex and instead are only attracted to people of the same sex it means that Armageddon is here."
Erlinda, the spokesperson for Indonesia's Child Protection Commission, said that people should not look at "this LGBT as a lifestyle" but instead "see that it's connected to other things like drugs that could then lead to committing crimes".
The University of Indonesia has distanced itself from the LGBTIQ support group, which has gone to ground. The ABC contacted one of the group's young organisers, but she said she and her friends were too depressed to speak publicly about the controversy.
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