Indonesia’s Top Islamic Council Proposes Criminalizing LGBT People Under 'LGSP' Label

Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical body, the Ulema Council, has proposed replacing the acronym LGBT with LGSP (“Lesbian, Gay, Sodomy, and Obscenity”) as part of a newly drafted bill aimed at criminalizing homosexuality and related advocacy. The initiative was announced by Asrorun Niam Sholeh, head of the council’s Fatwa Commission, during a speech in Jakarta, as reported by the Washington Blade.

According to Sholeh, the council is preparing an academic paper and a draft “Anti-LGSP” law to be submitted to the Indonesian government and parliament. The cleric stated that the established term “LGBT” is a euphemism that obscures moral deviations, arguing that the new acronym is intended to restore the legal substance of the issue by framing such acts as prohibited under both religion and law. Earlier, during Independence Day celebrations, the council also issued a warning against the traditional practice of men cross-dressing during community festivities, calling it “haram” and linking it to a “covert campaign by the LGSP movement.”

The initiative marks another step in a growing campaign of pressure against the LGBT community in Indonesia. In October 2025, the country’s president, Prabowo Subianto, signed a defense policy decree through 2029 that classifies the spread of LGBT culture as a non-military threat to the state, alongside terrorism and radicalism. Furthermore, a new national criminal code came into effect in January 2026, penalizing sexual intercourse and cohabitation outside of marriage. While these provisions technically apply to all citizens, human rights groups fear they will be disproportionately used against same-sex couples, whose unions are not legally recognized.

Purba Widnyana, chairman of the Indonesian LGBT rights organization GAYa Nusantara, noted that the terminology shift signals a move away from discussions of identity and rights toward morality and criminality. According to him, growing stigmatization has already led to job losses for trans women, reduced access to healthcare services such as HIV testing, and forced LGBT organizations to limit their public activities due to fears of persecution and online attacks.