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Indonesia Declares Homosexuality A Mental Disorder To Pave The Way For Criminalizing Gay Sex

New guidelines claim gays and bisexuals "have an identity crisis" and are susceptible to "emotional problems such as depression."

Indonesia's Health Ministry declared homosexuality a "mental disorder" this week, the first step toward what activists worry is all-out criminalization of same-sex relations.

On Friday, the ministry announced it was updating its guidelines to reflect a 2016 report from the Indonesia Psychiatrists Association that stated "gays and bisexuals were at risk of emotional problems such as depression owing to identity crises, while transsexuals are susceptible to mental diseases.”

A 2017 report from Health Ministry already claimed homosexuality "was against the ethos of the country."

Solo Imaji / Barcroft Images

JAKARTA, INDONESIA - MARCH 08: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists hold a rally to mark International Women's Day, on March 08, 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia. PHOTOGRAPH BY Solo Imaji / Barcroft ImagesLondon-T:+44 207 033 1031 E:hello@barcroftmedia.com -New York-T:+1 212 796 2458 E:hello@barcroftusa.com -New Delhi-T:+91 11 4053 2429 E:hello@barcroftindia.com www.barcroftimages.com (Photo credit should read Solo Imaji / Barcroft Images / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Homosexuality is legal in most of Indonesia, except for the Aceh province, which is governed by sharia law. But a bill before parliament would criminalize gay sex throughout the country, as well as sex outside of marriage, with a punishment of up to five years in prison.

“It applies to people of the same gender who have sex, which is basically a forbidden act," said Arsul Sani of the PPP Party, who helped draft the measure. “It’s considered the same as adultery, where men and women having sex outside marriage can be considered a crime.”

Supported by all of Indonesia's major political parties, the measure could pass as early as Valentine's Day, according to insiders. A similar effort was narrowly blocked by the Constitutional Court in December.

Indonesia was once considered the most moderate majority-Muslim nation, but the rise of radical Islamic factions has seen increased anti-LGBT harassment, arrests, and violence: Last May, two gay men were publicly flogged in Aceh, and gay saunas have been raided in Jakarta with dozens of men arrested.

CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images

TOPSHOT - An Indonesian man (C), one of two to be publicly caned for having sex, is caned in Banda Aceh on May 23, 2017. The pair, aged 20 and 23, were found guilty of having broken sharia rules in conservative Aceh province -- the only part of Indonesia that implements Islamic law -- and sentenced to 85 strokes of the cane each. / AFP PHOTO / CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN (Photo credit should read CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images)

But the new law also has support among Indonesia's Christian population: “The truth is the majority of religions in Indonesia hold the same values," Euis Sunarti of the Family Love Alliance told Reuters. "[The revisions] are representative of the majority and of all cultures in Indonesia.”

Prior to the bill's introduction, the government banned LGBT characters from television and removed gay hookup apps from Indonesia's Google Play store. Last yer, a police chief in West Java announced the formation of a task force to identify and persecute gay people.

"There is no room in Indonesia for the proliferation of the LGBT movement,” President Joko Widodo said in 2016. Last year a survey found that 90% of Indonesians felt "threatened" by LGBT people.

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