Indonesia is experiencing significant democratic backsliding, threatening the freedoms and rights of women and of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and more (LGBT+) communities.
Civil society organisations, which have long been central to advancing democracy and human rights (Hidayat 2024), are facing increasing restrictions under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. Since assuming office in October 2024, Prabowo’s leadership has reflected conservative priorities. In his cabinet, women hold only 5 out of 53 ministerial positions and 8 out of 56 deputy ministerial roles, highlighting continued gender inequality (Isthiqonita 2024). While Law No. 2 of 2011 mandates that political parties should ensure at least 30 per cent representation of women (Presiden Republik Indonesia 2011), this requirement does not extend to cabinet appointments, which remain at the president’s discretion.
Islamic conservatism further amplifies this rollback. Since 2001, local regulations inspired by Sharia principles (Bush 2008), such as mandatory jilbab (a cloth that covers a woman’s head, neck, and chest) regulations, have proliferated in many districts. These laws compel millions of women and girls to wear jilbab or hijab in addition to a long skirt and a long-sleeved shirt, under threat of penalties, including expulsion from schools or jobs, and jail terms of up to three months (Human Rights Watch 2021, 2024; Harsono 2023). LGBT+ groups face particularly harsh conditions, as hostile rhetoric from state officials and religious leaders has forced many organisations to operate covertly. The Criminal Code Law No. 1 of 2023, particularly Article 414, prohibits ‘obscene acts’ committed in public, by force, or through published content classified as pornography. However, the term cabul (obscenity) remains vague and open to broad interpretation, raising concerns that it could be applied in ways that disproportionately impact LGBT+ individuals.
Landscape of anti-rollback actors
For this brief, we surveyed the work of 16 organisations. They typically operate at both national and sub-national levels, with smaller units working within local districts and communities. They are mostly issue-based, offering space for allies to join their activities and mobilise support. Most organisations are engaged in advocacy to secure formal rights for vulnerable groups, pushing for legal reforms to protect women and LGBT+ individuals. Some also provide services or focus on research. A critical theme for many of these groups is exercising existing rights, particularly in the face of weakening democratic mechanisms. Additionally, organisations work to effect norm change, primarily through civic engagement and public discourse to transform societal attitudes.
Funding for these organisations remains opaque, potentially as a strategy to protect them from state scrutiny. Where funding information is available, it largely reflects reliance on international sources, such as multilateral bodies, foreign governments, and grant-making agencies. However, securing such funding has become increasingly difficult, particularly for LGBT+ groups and feminist media publications (Soetjipto 2018). The challenge for LGBT+ groups became even more pronounced in 2016 when former Vice-President Jusuf Kalla called for a halt to United Nations funding for LGBT+ programmes (Halim, Jong and Ramadhani 2016).
Counter-rollback strategies
The identified organisations employ various strategies to counter the rollback of gender equality and LGBT+ rights in a challenging socio-political environment. One key approach is discursive framing, which activists use to navigate the negative connotation of the term ‘LGBT’ in Indonesia. LGBT is often framed as contrary to state ideology, Pancasila, and Indonesian society, as well as being associated with Western identity, reinforcing the discursive binary of Western/pro-LGBT and Indonesia/anti-LGBT (Ewing 2020; Wijaya 2020). Local activists have therefore strategically popularised the term ‘SOGIE’ (sexual orientation, gender identity and expression) as a strategic response to counter the misleading information about gender and sexuality issues, promoting it through workshops and public forums (Wijaya 2019, 2020).
Survival strategies are critical, particularly for LGBT+ groups who often link their advocacy to public health issues like HIV/AIDS prevention. During the Covid-19 pandemic, which deepened stigma and redirected HIV/AIDS funding to public health care, organisations continued to advocate for ending AIDS by 2030 (Kamin 2024). This enabled them to secure support and sustain visibility despite political and social challenges.
Documentation and media platforms have proven effective in shifting public discourse. Feminist groups were key in building a solid narrative about ‘femicide’ in Indonesia after years of documenting gender-based violence, which led to its official recognition in national discussions (Sidibé 2024). Additionally, digital platforms like Dear Catcallers Indonesia have successfully highlighted street harassment, raising public awareness of the issue (Dear Catcallers Indonesia 2022). Feminist media platforms like Konde.co and Magdalene have reshaped public discourse by challenging patriarchal narratives and amplifying women’s voices in a traditionally male-dominated media landscape.
Public mobilisation also yields tangible results. The first Pride event, Bangga di Bali (Proud in Bali) in Indonesia, was initiated by grass-roots communities Pelangi Nusantara and QLC Bali in 2023 (Jansen et al. 2024). The event was held in a closed-door setting to create a safe space for queer individuals, due to concerns over potential backlash (Azwar 2023). Organisations have also engaged in legal advocacy. One notable success was the Sexual Violence Crime Law passed in 2022, which strengthened protections for survivors of sexual violence after extensive lobbying by civil society and women’s rights activists (United Nations Indonesia 2022). Campaigns to amend discriminatory laws, such as the recent changes to the Criminal Code, have also resulted in widespread mobilisation to reject the anti-feminist amendments (Dear Catcallers Indonesia 2022).
These efforts have led to movement wins such as the successful passage of key legislation and the ongoing success of events like the Women’s March Jakarta, which has been held annually since 2017. These victories reflect the effectiveness and resilience of women’s rights and LGBT+ rights groups in Indonesia despite persistent challenges.
Gaps and areas for future research/work
To strengthen movements against anti-gender rollback in Indonesia, feminist and LGBT+ organisations need more coordinated efforts and collaboration. Gaps remain in bridging urban–rural divides, and accessing funding and training to document rollback. Learnings from strategies in similar South and Southeast Asian contexts could enhance these efforts.
Credits
This Country Brief was written by Chandni Ganesh. It was supported by the project Rapid Scoping Review – The Nature of Feminist and LGBT+ Movements in a Range of Selected Countries, funded by UK International Development from the UK government. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of IDS or the UK government’s official policies.
This is an Open Access brief distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited and any modifications or adaptations are indicated.
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