Jokowi's son-in-law blasted for saying Indonesia's Medan is 'anti-LGBT'
The mayor of Medan has attracted criticism for describing the Indonesian city as "LGBT-free" and spewing a homophobic diatribe at men who spent New Year's Eve cosying up to each other.
Bobby Nasution, the son-in-law of President Joko Widodo, also said same-sex marriage was inappropriate in Indonesian culture.
"On my walk here from the mayor's office, I saw men being affectionate with each other. That is unacceptable. There's no LGBT in Medan, we are anti-LGBT," Bobby said on Monday in a video posted on Twitter.
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"No group in the multi-ethnic city backs same-sex relationships. So let us follow our own cultural values."
Bobby later told Tribunnews that the comments were made in jest, but that explanation cut no ice with the National Commission on Human Rights, which warned him that discrimination based on sex is against the constitution.
"No one should be discriminated against because of their race, religion, sexual orientation and other factors," the watchdog's chief Anis Hidayah was quoted as saying by Kompas TV.
Bobby's remarks also riled up criticism on Indonesian social media, as users accused him of "nepotism" and launching a campaign of discrimination against sexual minorities to garner votes ahead of next year's general election.
"In Indonesia, if you want to be a politician, you just have to be part of a family of well-known politicians or officials. No track record and achievements required," said a Twitter user.
Some questioned what he intends to do with people from the LGBT community and chided him for imposing his "arid" ideology on others.
"Public officials enter the private sphere. If you are anti-LGBT, does that mean you will expel our LGBT brothers and sisters in Medan?"
The mayor's supporters rallied behind him, saying "wrong behaviour must be corrected".
"Reject the existence of LGBT in the city of Medan and throughout Indonesia," said a netizen.
Homosexuality is not illegal in the world's most populous Muslim country, except in the ultraconservative Aceh province, but Indonesia has seen rising intolerance for the LGBT community in recent years.
Two soldiers were in November sentenced to a seven-month prison term and fired from the military for having gay sex.
Last year, Indonesia passed a controversial law banning sex outside marriage, drawing rebuke from rights groups who say the morality clauses in it could be used to target LGBT folks.
This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
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