The Indonesian parliament is set to discuss a proposed law to ban gay content from television—which would mean programs would require censorship screenings before being put to air.
The new law would forbid any kind of ‘LGBT behaviour’ to be broadcast and would affect news and documentaries as well as scripted content, .
There has been support for the ban across a number of political parties with Hanafi Rais of the National Mandate Party saying he was “sure there are still more creative ways to entertain people [rather than via LGBT characters]."
Supiadin Aries Saputra of the NasDem Party said: “We can’t allow LGBT behaviour on TV. It is against our culture.
“We have to ban it early before it becomes a lifestyle. It’s dangerous and can ruin the morality of the younger generation.”
Adhityo Rizaldi from the Golfer Party commented that the law reflected the beliefs of the Indonesian people.
“People disagree with the [promotion of the] LGBT community. We can’t ignore such input from the public,” he said.
The news comes amidst a recent crackdown on gay people in the country—last month the home of 12 ‘suspected lesbians’ was . The women were accused of sporting ‘tomboy clothing’ and neighbours accused them of ‘immoral activities'.
Indonesian authorities were also condemned globally this year for the of two men from Aceh province who were found guilty of having gay sex.
The decision to ban LGBT+ content from television could also have an impact on the Indonesian economy, with a finding that anti-LGBT+ discrimination is costing the country as much as $12 billion USD annually.
