Dede Oetomo

Dede Oetomo, of Surabaya, east Java, is creating the first national forum of gays and lesbians in Indonesia.

Given the prejudice and many barriers that homosexuals of both genders experience even in relatively open societies, imagine the repression and social stigma of being gay in Indonesia, a very traditional and conservative society. In the face of this terribly difficult environment, Dede is setting out to establish an organization that will serve as a rallying point for gays and lesbians from which to provide mutual support and fight for recognition.

The organization focuses on creating support services. It provides a meeting place in which gays and lesbians may communicate with one another, discuss problems they face, and obtain counseling if they desire it. Such mutual support is imperative in helping homosexuals overcome the feelings and rejection that society directs toward them, and will help many gain the ability to deal not only with society but with hostile families and friends as well.

Dede sees this initial effort as a testing ground and the seed for a larger national network. It will also train its members and encourage them to establish similar centers across the archipelago. Later it will help the centers work together to seek public recognition and acceptance of gay lifestyles.

Between two and, more likely, eighteen million Indonesians are probably homosexuals. Anthropological studies have shown that homosexuality has deep roots in traditional Indonesian society. Nonetheless, these millions of people are rejected by society. In urban educated circles the best reaction someone who acknowledges his or her homosexual preference is likely to get is "Go and see a psychiatrist or psychologist for treatment." The assumption is that the individual is seriously ill and must be cured. Facing rejection by their families and the society at large, gays and lesbians tend not to tell anybody about their lifestyle, and discreetly try to find a homosexual community and
find support from those with similar preferences. Unfortunately, this process of identifying other groups of homosexuals can often be a dangerous one, as violence and abuse are common on the streets and in bars where the most visible gays meet. This situation undermines the homosexual's confidence and self-esteem and often leads to a loss of identity. Dede wants to help these lost individuals accept themselves.

In 1987, Dede set up a forum in Surabaya, called Kelompok Kerja Gaya dan Lesbian Nusantara, where members meet every month. The forum offers a safe meeting place for the homosexual community, a chance to seek (and give) advice and moral support, and receive counseling. As a result, the forum members accept themselves and regain their self-confidence. Dede realizes, however, that not all homosexuals have the courage to come to the meetings. Although the forum in Surabaya has many members, very few are willing to speak openly. To reach others, Dede publishes periodicals that contain useful addresses, short stories and articles, and information about the forum, safe sex, and other educational materials. The bulletin is currently circulated to people from all parts of the Indonesian archipelago, including Jakarta, various places in east Java, Aceh, and even the remote province of Irian Jaya. He hopes it will help him and some of those who have been with him in the initial Surabaya group to set up forums in other cities. Another forum is already set up in Yogyakarta. The fear and threat felt by homosexuals will not abate until society changes its view of homosexuality. Toward that end, Dede writes articles and lectures on homosexuality and how it should be regarded. Due to the urgency of the AIDS crisis, Dede is also trying hard to reach a larger audience, including those from rural areas and economically deprived urban locales.

Dede was born in 1953 to an upper-middle-class family in Pasuruan, east Java. He is the first of four children. He realized that he was gay when he was in junior high school. But it was not until he received his master's degree at Cornell University, in the United States in 1978, that he dared to be openly gay. He made the decision after he read gay publications and contacted the support group on campus. It is this experience that led him to set up the forum. When he returned to Indonesia in 1982 to do field research, he took his first step to address the unacknowledged problem at home by founding the small gay group Lambda. Although it collapsed when Dede returned to Cornell to complete his doctorate in sociolinguistics, this early experiment gave him valuable experience in grappling with the special difficulties of organizing this fearful group living in the shadows. Now Dede hopes to spread this successful forum model throughout Indonesia.