But Sinaga, who was sentenced to life earlier this month, is not the only one being punished for his crimes. According to the Indonesian National Commission on Human Rights, revulsion over the case has sparked a widespread homophobic backlash in his Muslim-majority Southeast Asian homeland. Local news coverage on the Sinaga case also smeared the LGBT community, with newspapers and TV stations obsessing over his sexual orientation. Tellingly, she also said her son had rejected her appeals for him to come home from the UK because he did not believe Indonesia was a good place for him.
Introducing nature at its most extreme yet also most alluring is the vibrant archipelago of Indonesia. The country presents a unique topography that climbs hot-headed volcanic peaks before falling sharply off the coast into vibrant aquatic worlds that surround some 17, other paradisiacal islands. Rainforests blanket the landscape from gay Sumatra to gay Borneo and every spot of land in between, nurturing immense biodiversity and indigenous life beside crashing waterfalls and lost kingdoms. Within its cities, Indonesia morphs into a tech-savvy yet largely conservative domain, in which bustling street markets sit side-by-side with futuristic skyscrapers, grand mosques and Hindu temples.
Same-sex sexual activity is prohibited explicitly in two provinces of Indonesia: Aceh, a conservative Muslim province which practices Shariah law, and South Sumatra, a Muslim-majority, but less conservative, province. Both provinces have introduced their criminalising laws since the turn of the twenty-first century. There are also some specific city and district level ordinances that criminalise certain areas within provinces, for example, Padang Panjang in West Sumatra. However, there is no national level law in Indonesia i.
It also includes those who identify beyond these commonly used sexualities and gender expressions. As a mostly Muslim country, Indonesia's culture is quite conservative. Although homosexuality is legal in most parts of the country, there is still political tension and revisions to the country's criminal code are currently being considered, which could potentially criminalise gay sex and same-sex relationships. If these laws were passed, many advocacy groups fear it would result in a huge setback to human rights and equality.