Police in Bogor, Indonesia, say they arrested 75 people for attending what they called a “gay party” at a villa in the Puncak area on June 22.
According to Amnesty International, 74 of those arrested were men and one was a woman.
Teguh Kumura, head of the Bogor Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit, told the Jakarta Globe that a joint task force of Bogor and Megamendung police raided the villa after receiving public reports of “suspicious activity” at the gathering.
While the event was described as a “family gathering,” Kumura noted that all participants were male.
Police claim they recovered sex toys, four condoms, and a sword allegedly used in a dance performance. They are also investigating four individuals believed to have organized the event.
All 75 attendees were taken to Bogor Police Headquarters for questioning and subjected to health checks, including HIV tests. According to Dr. Fusia Meidiawaty, head of the Bogor Regency Health Office, 30 individuals tested positive for HIV or syphilis.
LGBTQ advocates note that laws criminalizing homosexuality force people into closet themselves for fear of prosecution, harming their physical, mental, and sexual health. A 2023 study by Georgetown University’s HIV Policy Lab found that men who have sex with men in countries with anti-LGBTQ laws were five times more likely to be living with HIV — and 12 times more likely in places where those laws are actively enforced.
While consensual same-sex relationships aren’t explicitly illegal in Indonesia, homosexuality remains taboo. Police frequently raid suspected LGBTQ gatherings, and right-wing politicians regularly attack queer visibility to score political points. Even the band Coldplay faced protests in 2023 from conservative Muslim groups accusing them of promoting “gay propaganda.”
LGBTQ Indonesians have also been subjected to forced conversion therapy, often disguised as exorcisms, in attempts to “cure” their identity. In Aceh province, where Sharia law is enforced, same-sex activity is explicitly outlawed, with violators publicly shamed and caned.
Outside Aceh, same-sex activity can still be punished under vague laws banning “lewd conduct,” extramarital sex, or under Indonesia’s 2008 Pornography Law. The law broadly defines pornography to include not just explicit materials, but also acts considered “indecent” or contrary to “morality” or “community ethics.”
If convicted under the Pornography Law, those arrested could face up to 15 years in prison.
Amnesty International, which condemned the Bogor raid, noted that police recently arrested nine people at an alleged “gay sex party” in South Jakarta on May 24, and 56 others at a similar event on February 1.
“This discriminatory raid on a private villa is a blatant violation of human rights and privacy, and highlights the hostile environment for LGBTI people in Indonesia,” said Wirya Adiwena, deputy director of Amnesty International Indonesia. “The gathering broke no laws and posed no threat.”
A New Orleans teenager was assaulted and robbed of his phone and sunglasses by a man who allegedly yelled homophobic slurs during the attack.
DeShan Joseph Jr., 18, was walking home past Louis Armstrong Park in the French Quarter around 6:30 p.m. on June 11 when the attack occurred, according to the New Orleans Police Department.
Joseph, who is gay, believes the man also tried to sexually assault him by attempting to pull down his pants, Kim Joseph, the victim’s mother, told The New Orleans Advocate.
Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer has signed an executive order protecting transgender individuals from having their medical or personal information shared with out-of-state authorities seeking to prosecute them for obtaining gender-affirming care.
Meyer signed the order last Friday at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, surrounded by LGBTQ advocates and activists.
The order prohibits Delaware state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state investigations targeting anyone who provides, receives, or assists others in obtaining legal gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy or puberty blockers. It also bars agencies from sharing medical records, billing data, or personal information about anyone involved in such care.
In a clear jab at LGBTQ Pride Month, U.S. Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) introduced a resolution last week to declare June as "Family Month" — a move right-wing outlet The Daily Wire hailed as an effort to "reclaim the first month of summer from LGBTQ ideology."
The American family is under relentless attack from a radical leftist agenda that seeks to erase truth, redefine marriage, and confuse our children," Miller told The Daily Wire.
"By recognizing June as Family Month, we reject the lie of 'Pride' and instead honor God's timeless and perfect design. If we truly want to restore our nation, we must stand united to protect and uphold the foundation upon which it was built — the family."
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