Indonesia bans use of ‘gay’ emojis on social media
Print Edition
In the latest crackdown on gay rights in Indonesia, the government has demanded all instant messaging apps remove same-sex emoticons or face a ban in the Muslim-majority country.
The emojis, which are used on apps Line and Whatsapp, as well as Facebook and Twitter, depict same-sex couples holding hands and the rainbow flag, commonly used to symbolize the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
“Such contents are not allowed in Indonesia based on our cultural law and the religious norms and the operators must respect that,” Ismail Cawidu, spokesman for the Communication and Information Ministry, said yesterday.
Of major concern are the colorful emojis and stickers that appeal to children, he said.
“Those things might be considered normal in some Western countries, while in Indonesia it’s practically impossible,” the official said.
The ministry has contacted all companies that use such content and failure to comply with the request to remove the emojis could lead to the apps being banned, he said.
Line Indonesia has already removed its gay emojis from online stores and said the company “regrets the incidents of some stickers which are considered sensitive by many people.”
While homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, the topic remains a controversial subject.
In January, the University of Indonesia told a support group that provides sex education and counseling for LGBT students that it did not have permission to hold meetings on campus.
Last year Aceh, the only province in Indonesia which implements sharia law, introduced caning as a punishment for gay sex.
Prominent gay rights activist Hartoyo said that the move to prohibit the emojis was symptomatic of a much wider crackdown on the rights of LGBT people.
“This is just the latest in a series of incidents that have happened recently,” he said.
“The government has let this ignorance go on for far too long and it has put our nation in danger.”
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