Anger in Indonesia after trans woman Instagram influencer placed in male jail cell

Activists and the trans community in Indonesia have denounced a decision by law enforcement officials to place a transgender woman in a men's detention facility, saying their lack of sensitivity highlights the general views about LGBT people in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

The 21-year-old Instagram influencer and model, known as Millen Cyrus, was arrested along with a male friend for alleged drug abuse during a raid on a hotel in Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Sunday. An investigation is under way.

"[Millen was] placed in a cell according to the sex written on her citizens identity card, and it says male," Tanjung Priok Port police chief Ahrie Sonta was quoted as saying by local news portal Detik.

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Reza Rahandi, the drugs unit chief at the police station, told Detik the detention cell was only occupied by Millen and one male detainee, and they believed she would be safe there as she was "often summoned by us for questioning".

In an interview with the news portal on Tuesday, Millen said she would like to be moved to another cell. "I hope there is a way for me ... not to be put into the men's cell," she said.

The move was swiftly met with condemnation from the transgender community and the country's Human Rights Commission, as this is not the first time authorities have mistreated trans women who have been detained.

"I have contacted the National Police Law Division, who has promised to forward our request to Tanjung Priok police chief to move [Millen] to a women's cell," tweeted Beka Ulung Hapsara, a commissioner at the Human Rights Commission.

Millen Cyrus. Photo: Instagram alt=Millen Cyrus. Photo: Instagram

The request was granted on Wednesday and Millen is now detained in a special cell, alone. Charges against her have yet to be formally announced.

Nevertheless, activists believe authorities should reconsider their definitions of gender to prevent similar cases in the future.

"Our country justifies a man as somebody with a penis, and a woman as somebody with a vagina, even though in many cases those with a penis identify as a woman and vice versa. The state should accommodate those [gender non-conformers]," said Anggun Pradesha, a Jakarta-based trans rights activist.

"When a trans woman is enmeshed in a legal proceeding, I personally think that she should be detained in a women's cell, and I believe that the other women in the cell wouldn't be opposed to this. Placing Millen in a men's detention cell is a big mistake and a sign of insensitivity from the police to gender diversity."

Being detained alongside men could also put trans women at risk of sexual abuse and harassment, said Mariana Amiruddin, a commissioner at the country's National Commission on Violence Against Women.

"Indonesia lacks women's prisons, and in some cases, female detainees are placed in the same cells with male detainees. Trans women detainees or prisoners need to be placed in different cells than men to prevent sexual harassment and bullying," Mariana said.

Anggun said trans women also faced humiliation from authorities while in detention. "A number of my trans women friends have been imprisoned and they were not only placed in men's cells but the police also shaved their heads, that is scary."

Shaving the hair of male detainees is a common practice in Indonesia, but this has also been done to trans women to "revive their masculinity". Other harsh treatment includes being stripped and being ordered to do military-style exercises such as squat jumps or push ups.

"In 2018, 12 trans women in Aceh were arrested, for no reasons whatsoever, by the police. Their heads were later shaved and they were forced to strip naked. Some of these women have undertaken hormonal transition so their breasts were already developed," said Naila Rizqi Zakiah, advocacy officer at Jakarta Feminist, a women's rights activism group.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but it is generally frowned upon. In recent years, there has been increased pressure on the LGBT community, with authorities carrying out raids on spa and apartment buildings to bust so-called "gay parties".

In September, police raided one of these parties in south Jakarta, which was attended by 56 people, and arrested nine men who were allegedly the organisers of the event. The case is still ongoing and awaiting trial.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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