LGBT hunt in universities

The recent denouncement of a university support group that offers counselling to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students has sparked discussions in Indonesia.

Universitas Indonesia (UI) has been in the news recently after its denouncement of the Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies (SGRC) that counselled LGBT students on campus.

Technology, Research and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir of Indonesia commented on the issue and strongly asserted that LGBT students should be barred from campuses for what was seen as corrupting to the morality of the university.

Some members of the public and students have also criticised the organisation and accused the university for allowing the LGBT community to grow.

However, the depictions and possible misrepresentation of the community in the media have raised concerns amongst other journalists and activists such as the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Indonesia, who organised workshops and urged journalists to have the power to de-stigmatise discussions surrounding the LGBT community.