TRANSGENDER PEOPLE IN INDONESIA

waria, transgender women or gender non-conforming individuals in Indonesia

There are a surprisingly high number of transgender people in Indonesia and they are surprisingly tolerated. They have traditionally been very public. They often work as entertainers or prostitutes. Some live with their boyfriends in middle class neighborhoods and are accepted as members of the community. Indonesia has a long history of tolerating transgender people. There is a record of a 14th century ruler — Hayam Wuruk — who liked to dress as a woman and have his ministers call him a woman’s name.

There is no comprehensive national data on how many transgender individuals in Indonesia. Some professionals and advocacy groups estimate that there are thousands of male-to-female transgender people in the country. Common terms include banci (a colloquial and sometimes derogatory term) and waria, a widely used term derived from wanita (female) and pria (male). [Source: International Encyclopedia of Sexuality, edited by Robert T. Francoeur, Ph.d., A.c.s and Raymond J. Noonan, PhD., Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004, online at the Kinsey Institute \^/]

Access to gender-affirming medical procedures is limited. Such procedures are expensive relative to average incomes and are generally accessible only to a small number of individuals, often those with higher earnings or public profiles. Legal recognition of gender change is possible in some cases but typically requires surgery and a court decision.

Life of Transgender People in Indonesia

banci is a Javanese word for a transgender man, here are some words related to derived from it

Transgender people are well represented in the beauty parlor business and are fixtures of television soap operas, village dance dramas and in throughout the entertainment industry. Some have even run for political office. Some have worked as prostitutes.

Most transgender people are happy in their roles. There is not a strong demand for sex change operations. Many frown upon the practice because it goes against Muslim teachings. Some transgender people where the hijab, the Indonesian Muslim woman’s head coving. But when they go to mosques they have to go as men.

Some transgender people have formed volleyball teams and groups to help transgender sex workers find other ways to make a living. In cities such as Surabaya, community organizations have been established to provide support, education, and vocational training. For example, local associations have offered training in fields such as cosmetology, performance arts, and entertainment, with the aim of improving economic opportunities and reducing reliance on informal or high-risk work. Some support groups also provide health education, including information on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Jill Forshee wrote: In Indonesia, individuals known as banci—men who adopt feminine dress and behavior—have long been part of social life. They have been found in both urban and rural areas. Historically, banci have occupied specific social roles, including matchmakers, artisans, performers, healers, and ritual specialists. In many communities, they have been regarded as representing a third gender. While they may be subject to teasing or ridicule, they have generally been tolerated and sometimes associated with particular skills or abilities. [Source:Jill Forshee, “Culture and Customs of Indonesia”, Greenwood Press, 2006]

Transgender Entertainers in Indonesia

Drag show at the Mixwell bar in Bali

Well-known transgender entertainers in Indonesia include Lucinta Luna, a popular and controversial celebrity and social media influencer, known for her frequent media appearances and music collaborations; Dinda Syarif, an openly transgender model and pageant contestant who has gained fame in the Indonesian modeling industry; Ade Juwita, a well-known comedian and entertainer known for appearances in national television shows; and Asha Smara Darra: An actress and costume designer recognized in the Indonesian film industry. Dorce Gamalama is regarded as Indonesia's first trans superstar. She was a pioneering singer, comedienne, and actress who died in 2022. She hosted the successful Dorce Show from 2005-2009. [Source: Indonesia at Melbourne]

Others make a splash on the local scene. Jill Forshee wrote: A certain banci named Willem worked at a small family warung in the eastern town of Melolo, Sumba. From behind a lace curtain, he played vintage tapes of Diana Ross and the Supremes as he cooked for customers. The curtain suddenly sweeping aside, Willem would make a dramatic entrance, then carry food to a table. Dressed in a ﬂoral sarong, a woman’s silk blouse, and a makeshift hat of plastic tropical fruit, he moved sinuously to the music. He eventually became recorded into an anthropologist’s notebook as “Willem, Vamp of Melolo.” [Source: Jill Forshee, “Culture and Customs of Indonesia”, Greenwood Press, 2006]

At the annual regional talent show, Willem stood on stage clad in a self-styled gown of locally woven, simulated “gold lamé ” commissioned from a village woman. Wearing a bouffant wig, he lip-synched “Baby Love” with emotional ﬂourish to a rapt audience and won his category of the event. Part of a society that included bancis, making use of traditional weaving skill, and ﬁnally producing a transgendered rendition of a global pop icon and coming out a winner, Willem had managed to follow social customs and proclaim a lifestyle.

Transgender People in the Beauty Salon Business in Indonesia

In Indonesia, beauty salons are among the limited sectors where transgender women have been able to find relatively consistent employment. Many work as hairdressers, makeup artists, and stylists, roles that draw on skills developed within community networks. [Source: Aisyah Llewellyn, Al Jazeera, December 23, 2020]

At the Anna Sui Salon, a salon in Medan, transgender workers have long formed the core of the staff. The business has employed several transgender hairdressers and makeup artists and served a steady stream of clients each day. The salon was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Customer demand declined sharply, reducing both income and staffing levels. The salon, which once supported multiple workers, was reduced to only one employee in addition to the owner.

Economic pressures have further exposed the vulnerability of those working in salons. Many small businesses have reduced staff, shifted to freelance arrangements, or closed entirely. Some transgender workers have turned to social media to attract clients or offer home-based services, though demand for such services has also fluctuated. The result has been increased financial instability within a community that already faces barriers to formal employment.

Community leaders have highlighted these challenges. Shinta Ratri, associated with the Al-Fatah Pesantren, has noted that many transgender individuals rely on informal work and have limited access to government assistance. In response, local initiatives have focused on providing basic support, vocational training, and alternative income strategies to help community members adapt.

Five Bugis Genders

"The Bugis have words for five genders," Sharyn Graham Davies, an anthropologist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, told the BBC "that map onto five ways of being in the world." Two are analogous to normal male and female and the remaining three are not easily comparable to Western ideas of gender: 1) makkunrai (“female women”), 2) oroani (“male men”), 3) calalai (“female men”), 4) calabai (“male women”) and 5) bissu (“transgender priests”). Bissu, calabai and the calalai, are authorized to enter the women’s parts of the dwellings and villages in addition to the men's. [Source: BBCm Wikipedia +]

Daniel Stables of the BBC wrote: Although their religious rituals and conception of gender are infused with pre-Islamic ideas, most Bugis are Muslims, many devoutly so. "There were complex interactions between Bugis values and Islamic teaching," explained Nasir. "This led to forms of Islamic-Bugis syncretism." [Source: Daniel Stables, BBC, April 13, 2021]

For example, as Davies explained, Bugis people often seek out bissu to bless a forthcoming hajj to Mecca. Many calalai and calabai struggle with their sexuality and sense of self, she also noted, believing that their lifestyle (which may include same-sex relations) is sinful according to Islamic belief, but also that they are the way they are because it was prescribed by Allah. For the same reason, they do not have a concept of being born in the wrong body; even though some calabai may undergo cosmetic procedures to make them look more feminine, they will not consider themselves to be women, as Davies discovered in her fieldwork.

Discrimination and Attacks on Transgender People in Indonesia

While waria have long been present in Javanese society, many face social stigma and limited access to formal employment. As a result, they are often concentrated in informal sectors such as beauty services, entertainment, or other forms of unsteady work. Some have engage in sex work to get by. This has contributed to stigma and negative perceptions within broader society. [Source: Jon Emont, New York Times, December 22, 2015]

Transgender individuals in Indonesia frequently report discrimination, including barriers to employment and exclusion from some religious spaces. Antonius Remigius Abi said that that social perceptions of transgender people as “abnormal” contribute to their exclusion from many forms of public employment, reinforcing their marginalization. Indonesian law does not explicitly prohibit transgender identity or criminalize it, but there are limited legal protections against discrimination. Some individuals have obtained legal recognition of gender change through court processes, though access remains restricted.

Human rights organizations indicate that they often face harassment. In some instances, authorities have applied public order or morality laws to detain or question transgender people. Some conservative Islamic groups have targeted transgender people. In Yogyakarta members of a group called the Front of the Protectors of Islam that have brutally attacked prostitutes and transgender people. Advocacy groups frequently identify transgender individuals as among the most vulnerable populations within Indonesia’s LGBTQ+ community.

Koran School for Transgender People in Yogyakarta

Al Fatah Pesantren, located in Yogyakarta near a large mosque, is described by its leadership as a rare Islamic school specifically serving transgender individuals. It was founded in 2008 by Shinta Ratri and other transgender women, following a major earthquake in the region. According to its founders, the school was created to provide a space where transgender Muslims could gather for worship and study Islam. [Source: Jon Emont, New York Times, December 22, 2015]

Al Fatah Pesantren provides religious instruction, communal prayer, and social support. Students, many of whom are older adults, include individuals who did not have access to formal religious education earlier in life, sometimes due to family rejection. The school also organizes outreach activities, including visits to universities and public events, to raise awareness about transgender issues and promote dialogue.

Support for Al Fatah has come from certain progressive and traditionalist Islamic figures and organizations, including Nahdlatul Ulama, which has facilitated connections with religious teachers and community networks. At the same time, more conservative groups and scholars have expressed differing views on transgender issues, reflecting ongoing debates within Indonesian Islam.

Overall, Al Fatah Pesantren functions both as a place of worship and as a community center, aiming to provide transgender Muslims with religious education, social support, and a platform for broader engagement with Indonesian society.

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources:“Encyclopedia of World Cultures Volume 5: East/Southeast Asia:” edited by Paul Hockings, 1993; “Culture and Customs of Indonesia” by Jill Forshee, Greenwood Press, 2006; National Geographic, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Encyclopedia.com, Library of Congress, Indonesia Tourism website (indonesia.travel), Indonesia government websites, Live Science, The Conversation, The New Yorker, Time, BBC, CNN, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Google AI, Wikipedia, The Guardian and various websites, books and other publications.

Last updated April 2026