A young protester raises a poster, “Today still discriminatory?” with the love rainbow sign during the Women’s March rally in March 2023 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
(London) – Harassment and attacks against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) university students in Indonesia escalated during the June 2026 Pride Month celebrations, Human Rights Watch said today. At least 10 public universities have recently adopted discriminatory regulations and are curbing student media coverage and social media discussions around gender and sexual diversity, undermining freedom of expression.
The administrators of these universities should take immediate steps to protect academic freedom and freedom of expression. The government should review and revise laws and policies that facilitate attacks on LGBT people.
“Indonesian authorities are looking the other way during an upsurge of attacks on LGBT university students and others,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Indonesia’s universities are contributing to the problem by discriminating against students on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.”
In response to Pride Month celebrations, the conservative Indonesian Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) declared that “sexual deviation” should carry criminal penalties heavier than adultery, and prepared a draft law to criminalize anyone campaigning for the rights of LGBT people.
President Prabowo Subianto in October 2025 had signed a decree concerning Indonesia’s national defense policy, which stated that national security threats also come from “non-military factors” including “the spread of LGBT culture.” The decree, which was only made public in early July, called on parents to monitor their children with “this lifestyle.”
Human Rights Watch has documented discriminatory regulations as well as arrests, and criminal t
