LGBTQ rights in Aceh

LGBTQ rights in Aceh
Aceh
Legal status	Illegal [1]
Penalty	100 strokes of the cane or 8 years imprisonment
Gender identity	Since 2009, only Indonesians who have undergone gender re-assignment surgery have been allowed to change their gender on identity documents, and a third gender option is not recognized [2]
Military	Not explicitly prohibited by Law (de jure), Illegal (de facto)
Family rights
Recognition of relationships	No recognition of same-sex couples
Adoption	Adoption by single LGBTQ people recognized, but adoptions by same sex couples are banned [3]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people in Aceh face severe challenges and prejudices not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. ^{[4] [5]}

Homosexuality is illegal under Islamic Sharia law and since 2014, at least six men have been publicly caned for having gay sex, including two men who received 77 lashes in 2021. ^{[6] [7]}

In 2015 two Muslim women were rehabilitated for hugging in public in Banda Aceh, with a police official telling reporters that they “suspected the women were lesbians.” ^[8]

Gender identity and expression

Although the Qanun Jinayat does not explicitly prohibit being transgender, transgender women have been targeted by the police several times.

In 2017, 7 transgender women in Banda Aceh were detained and chastised for "bad morals". ^[9]

In 2018, 12 transgender women in the North Aceh Regency were arrested under the command of Untung Sangaji. The group were stripped naked and forced to be "dressed into men", while the salon where they worked was closed. The action was condemned by the National Commission on Human Rights, with Commissioner for Education & Counseling at the commission, Beka Ulung Hapsara, stating that the actions were degrading to human dignity and contrary to regulations. ^[10]

References

1. Kwatra, Rashima (20 June 2017). "LGBTIQ Rights in Southeast Asia - Where We Stand and Pathway Forward". OutRight Action International. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
2. "Indonesian Mullahs Says Sex Change is Haram". The Jakarta Globe. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
3. "LGBT Rights in Indonesia". Equaldex. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
4. "Human Rights Watch Complaint on the Rights of LGBT people in Indonesia's Aceh Province". Human Rights Watch. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
5. "No place to hide for LGBT people in Indonesia's Aceh province". BBC News. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
6. "LGBT rights: Indonesia's Aceh flogs two men for having sex". BBC News. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
7. "Indonesia's Aceh province publicly canes two gay men". Reuters. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
8. "Indonesia: 'Suspected Lesbians' Detained | Human Rights Watch". 2 October 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
9. "Vigilantes Stalk Indonesian Transgender Women | Human Rights Watch". 18 December 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2025.
10. Lestari, Sri (31 January 2018). "Penangkapan 'waria' di Aceh Utara 'sebabkan hilangnya pekerjaan'" . Retrieved 29 May 2019.

See also

• LGBT rights in Indonesia
• LGBT rights in Malaysia
• LGBT rights in Asia
• LGBT rights by country or territory