TheGWLINA:TheStoryofANetwork

TheHistoryandDevelopmentsofTheNetworkofGay,
TransgenderandMenwhohavesexwithmeninIndonesia

Table of contents

Acronyms and Abbreviations .......................................................................................................iii

Executive Summary.............................................................................................4
Methodology and Acknowledgements..............................................................6
I. A Glimpse: Indonesia & Homosexuality.........................................................7
II. Jaringan Gay, Waria dan Lelaki yang berhubungan seks dengan Lelaki
lain di Indonesia/ The Network of Gay, TG and MSM in Indonesia (GWLINA)
.............................................................................................................................10
How the Network Began ............................................................................................................... 10
Organisational Structure & Membership ............................................................................... 12
Activities .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Partnership ......................................................................................................................................... 14
Achievements & Challenges ......................................................................................................... 15
IV. Lessons Learned...........................................................................................18
Annexes..............................................................................................................19
Annex I. List of Staff and Regional Coordinators ................................................................ 19
Annex II. Timeline of MSM and TG Movement in Indonesia ......................................... 20
Annex III. GWLINA Strategic Action Plan 20122015..................................................... 23
Annex IV. Global Fund Round 10 ISEANHIVOS ................................................................. 24
Annex V. The GWLINAs Vision and Mission ...................................................................... 25

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

ii

Acronyms and Abbreviations

AFAO
AIDS
AusAID
CBO
CSO
Fatwa
FHI
FPI
GN
GWLINA
HCPI
HIV
HIVOS
IAC
IBBS
ICAAP
IPPI
ISEAN
LGBTIQ
MSM
MUI
NAC
NGOs
NTB
NTT
PLHIV
PNGOC
SR
STI
TB
TG
UNAIDS
VCT
Waria

The Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
The Australian Governments overseas aid program
Community Based Organisation
Civil Society Organisation
Fatwa is legal pronouncement in Islam. A fatwa is usually made to
clarify a question where Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) is unclear
Family Health International
Front Pembela Islam/ Islamic Defender Front
GAYa Nusantara
Jaringan Gay, Waria, LSL lain di Indonesia/ Gay, Transgender, other
MSM Network in Indonesia
HIV Cooperation Program for Indonesia
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Humanist Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries
Indonesia AIDS Coalition
Integrated BiologicalBehavioural Surveillance
International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific
National network of women living with HIV
The Insular Southeast Asia Network on MSM, TG and HIV
Lesbian/ Gay/ Bisexual/ Transgender/ Intersex/ Queer
Men who have sex with other men
Majelis Ulama Indonesia/ Indonesian Ulama Council
National AIDS Commission
NonGovernmental Organisations
Nusa Tenggara Barat/ West Nusa Tenggara
Nusa Tenggara Timur/ East Nusa Tenggara
People Living with HIV
Philippines NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare
SubRecipient
Sexually Transmitted Infection
Tuberculosis
Transgender
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Voluntary Counselling and Testing
Indonesian word for transgendered people. Waria derives from the
words wanita (woman) and pria (man)

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

iii

Executive Summary

Established in 2007, the GWLINA is a network of gay, waria1, and men who have
sex with other men (MSM) in Indonesia. Despite being such a new network, the
GWLINA has achieved significant achievements. By documenting these
achievements, along with the challenges that the network has faced, we hope to
share their story so that other networks/ groups in the region can also benefit
from their lessons learned.

The GWLINA was established to strengthen the capacity of gay, MSM and waria
organisations and improve the outcomes of HIV/ AIDS prevention programs for
gay, MSM and waria in Indonesia. The establishment of the network is
considered a key event in the national gay, MSM and waria movement, as it was
the first time that the gay and waria groups who do not always get along
worked together to achieve the outcomes of the national HIV/ AIDS program.

At the time of their establishment, very little programming existed specifically
for gay men, MSM and waria. Not enough resources were allocated for this
population group. In the five years since its establishment, the GWLINA has
been working very hard to reverse this situation.

The network realises that creating an enabling environment is key in ensuring
successful program implementation. As a member of the National AIDS
Commission (NAC), the network gained the respect and attention of the
Government. For the first time ever, gay, MSM and waria groups in the country
have a voice in the national coordination for HIV response. The GWLINA also
developed a national strategic action plan that complements the existing 2010
2014 AIDS National Strategy and Action Plan, providing clear guidance for the
development and implementation of HIV and AIDS response program targeting
gay, MSM and waria. With other civil society groups, the network launched a
joint advocacy campaign on the rights of people living with HIV (PLHIV).

The existence of a national network also helps to channel funding towards gay,
waria and MSM programs in the country. This has resulted in more and more
programs are being implemented specifically for the population group. Since
October 2010, the network became subrecipient (SR) for ISEANHIVOS Round
10 multicountry grant, one of very few multicountry grants approved by The
Global Fund. Rather than being donor driven/reliant, the grant provides the
network with independence, and the opportunity to strengthen its role in the
national HIV response and the national gay, MSM and waria movement.

Along with these achievements, the network is still faced with challenges the
biggest being the human rights violations experienced by gay, MSM and waria
and the increasing HIV prevalence among MSM2. The network realises the

1 waria: transgendered people. waria derives from the words wanita (woman) and pria (man)
2 IBBS 2011 found a significant increase of HIV prevalence among MSM

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

urgency to address both challenges, and has identified relevant strategies in

their 20122015 strategic action plan3.

The road ahead is still very long for the GWLINA. One day, the network hopes to
see sexual diversity acknowledged and respected in Indonesia, with no further
HIV infection among gay men, MSM and waria. This is a big dream that the
network will continue to fight for. The GWLINA will continue being the voice of
their constituents, building the capacity of the communities and advocating for
their rights. As a senior MSM activist in Indonesia said, You cannot stop the
ground from swelling. You cannot hold back the power of the community. For
the GWLINA, the ground is just beginning to swell.

3 Annex III: GWLINA 20122015 Strategic Action Plan

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

Methodology and Acknowledgements

This documentation provides an inside look at the history of the GWLINA since
its establishment, detailing its development processes and achievements. In
addition to the networks founding history and lessons learned, the report
examines key issues faced by gay, MSM and waria in Indonesia.

Data and information used in this document was collected through desk review
of key documents, including GWLINA annual report and activity reports, report
from the latest Integrated Biological Behavioural Surveillance (IBBS) in
Indonesia, and various media articles. In addition the author conducted
interviews with key stakeholders in the national HIV/ AIDS response in
Indonesia.

Thank you to those who have contributed to this document: Dr. Dede Oetomo,
Dr. Nafsiah Mboi, Agoes Soetianto, Repelita Tambunan, Oldri Sherli Mukuan,
Pardamean Aldo, Slamet Raharjo, Sumedi Rian Hutagalung, Ienes Angela, Lenny
Sugiharto, and David Traynor.

Thank you also to Tono Permana Muhammad and everyone in the GWLINA
secretariat for all their assistance in developing this document.

This document was developed with the support from The Australian Federation
of AIDS Organisations (AFAO) and Alliance Technical Support Hub for South East
Asia and the Pacific, in close collaboration with the GWLINA.

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

I. A Glimpse: Indonesia & Homosexuality

Indonesia is home to over 17,000 islands and over 200 million people4. It is the
fourth most populous country in the world5 and one of the most culturally
diverse countries, with a great variety of local cultures and hundreds of local
languages and dialects.

The Government acknowledges 5 religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism,
Buddhism, and Hinduism, with 90% of the population coming from the Moslem
group. The dominant religion, Islam, has a
preserved prejudice on same sex behaviours.


Gay rights are human
rights.
Majelis Ulama Indonesia or Indonesian Ulama

Council (MUI), the countrys highest Islamic body
has stated on many occasions that homosexuality
is wrong and deviates from Islamic teachings. The MUI believes that if gay people
and waria are not willing to cure themselves medically and religiously, they
should accept their fate to be ridiculed and harassed6. In mid 2010, MUI
announced their plan to issue a fatwa7 to clearly declare that homosexuality is
indeed haram or sinful8.

Like many developing countries, Indonesia does not have a clear separation
between the state and religious affairs. As a result, religious values have become
the dominant factor that influences peoples perceptions on various issues,
including homosexuality.

Living in such a conservative community, gay men, women and waria in
Indonesia are subjected to constant humiliation and abuse. It is difficult for gay
men to come out to their families and they often lead a double life being
married to a woman while secretly having sex with other men to avoid being
shunned by their families and community.

It may be harder for waria, who openly live as women. In TV comedies, waria are
almost always the brunt of jokes. It is not uncommon to hear waria being
physically abused, not only by members of the community but often by law
enforcement personnel who are supposed to protect all citizens equally.

In an interview in May 2011, Dede Oetomo a senior gay activist and a leading
sociologist in Indonesia explained that homosexuality is actually part of
Indonesias history and diversity but, unfortunately, it is not recognized anymore

4 National population census, 2010

5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_language

6 http://asiancorrespondent.com/77405/obamastransgenderexnannynowanoutcaston

streetsofjakarta/
7 Fatwa is legal pronouncement in Islam. A fatwa is usually made to clarify a question where
Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) is unclear (source: http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatwa)
8 http://www.republika.co.id/berita/duniaislam/islamnusantara/10/05/06/114441mui
pendapathomoseksdibolehkanadalahsalah
The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

by society because of modernization. The rise in homophobia is a recent

phenomenon.9

Following the fall of Soeharto in 1998, Indonesia
entered a reformation period, called so due to a
more open and liberal political and social
environment in the country. This included more
freedom in cultural expression in the arts, as
evident in the first manandman kissing in front
of a camera in the 2003 movie Arisan! Even
though the film became one of the most
controversial films ever produced in Indonesia,
the two actors Tora Sudiro and Surya Saputra
won the best actor and best supporting actor on
the Festival Film Indonesia (FFI) 200410. The films
sequel, Arisan! 2, which also features a love story
between two gay men, was released in late 2011.

Unfortunately, along with this new
freedom of speech emerged fundamental
The local fundamental religious
religious groups who have taken it upon
groups use helmets to beat up gay men
themselves to fix and prevent what they
and warias in hangout places. Those
perceive as moral degradation of Moslems
who fight back actually find themselves
in the country. Many gay and waria
behind prison for assault, while the
activists mentioned that since the
people who attack us remain free.
emergence of these groups, violence

against gay men, MSM and waria has
GWLINA member
increased dramatically.

It is common for these groups to perform daily raids and physically abuse gay
men, MSM and waria. Gay, MSM and waria groups and organisations, especially
in small cities, regularly receive threat letters from these groups. Reporting to
the police has proven to be useless, as the police only request payment for their
protection11.

In mid2012, there were 2 incidents that clearly demonstrates how much the
authorities fear these fundamental religious groups. First was the cancellation of
Irshad Manjis speaking event to discuss her book Allah, Liberty and Love in
Gajah Mada University, in Jogjakarta12. Second was the heavily publicised
cancellation of Lady Gagas concert in Jakarta13. In both incidents, the authorities
choose to bow down to the demands of the extremist groups, for fear of the riot
that they may cause.

9 http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/indonesia/gaycommunitylookstomediatospread

messageofacceptance/441573
10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arisan!
11 Source: interview with local gay group from Solo, Central Java
12 http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/mobcausescancellationofanotherirshadmanji
event/516886
13 http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/05/28/extremistswinladygagasaga.html
The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network


The lack of legal protection and other sociocultural barriers continue to be
major challenges in the implementation of HIV prevention programs for gay
men, MSM and waria. Condom promotion remains a major challenge, as it is
difficult to reach all MSM some are married, and although they have sex with
other men, these men chose not to be identified as gay or MSM. Constant raids
and threats from fundamentalist groups also present difficulties for local gay,
MSM and waria organisations/ groups to implement HIV prevention, care,
support and treatment programs.14

Picture 1 FPI forcing their way to a local gay and waria event in Solo, Sept 2006

The most recent Integrated BiologicalBehavioural Surveillance (IBBS) 2011,
carried out by the Ministry of Health, saw a marked difference from the findings
of the 2007 IBBS. In particular, HIV prevalence among MSM has increased almost
threefold from 5.3 % in 2007 to 12.4% in 2011. There has been a slight
decrease in HIV prevalence among waria, from 24.3% in 2007 to 23.2% in 2011.
For both MSM and waria, however, there has been an increase in syphilis
prevalence (from 4% to 13% for MSM and 27% to 28% for waria).

Despite these challenges, improvements have been made. Compared to findings
from IBBS 2007, the IBBS 2011 found increased condom use among MSM and
waria, from 28% to 32% (MSM) and 37% to 41% (waria).

In general, there is an obvious increase in attention given to gay, waria and MSM
issues from the Government compared to the 1980s when the Government
seemed to be in denial of the very existence of gay men and women in the
country. Funding for HIV/ AIDS programs targeting gay, MSM and waria has also
increased. However, the majority of funding still comes from foreign donors.

14 http://www.satudunia.net/content/gessangmencobabertahandalamtekanan

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

II. Jaringan Gay, Waria dan Lelaki yang berhubungan seks

dengan Lelaki lain di Indonesia/ The Network of Gay, TG and
MSM in Indonesia (GWLINA)

How the Network Began

In 2005, most of the resources available in the HIV/ AIDS field were for harm
reduction services targeting injecting drug users, the key population with the
most rapid increase of HIV prevalence at the time. Very little information was
available about the needs of the gay, waria and MSM populations.

Realising the need to collect more evidence to attract more attention to issues
faced by the gay, MSM and waria communities, in October 2005 AFAO supported
and Burnet Indonesia conducted a needs assessment in 13 provinces: North
Sumatera, West Sumatera, Riau (mainland),
Riau Islands, DKI Jakarta, West Java, Central
Back then (in 2005), we (the
Java, Special Region of Yogyakarta, East
community) knew that we urgently Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), North
need to scale up HIV response
Sulawesi and South Sulawesi. These
programs for gay, MSM and waria
provinces had the highest concentration of
community, but we didnt have the
gay, MSM and waria population in the
necessary evidence.
country15.


Tono Permana Muhamad
Findings from the assessment confirmed
the urgent need to scale up HIV and STI
prevention, care, support and treatment programs and services for gay, MSM and
waria. Only very few programs and services were available at the time, and the
coverage was low. Most of the NonGovernmental Organisations (NGOs) lacked
the capacity to implement programs and deliver services effectively.

Another key finding from the assessment was the urgent need to establish a
national network to facilitate efforts to improve the outcomes of the HIV/ AIDS
response program for gay men, MSM and waria in Indonesia.

A lengthy development process driven entirely by the community followed the
assessment. Tono Permana Muhamad, who was working at Burnet Indonesia and
was responsible for the assessment, continued discussing with Dede Oetomo,
Sardjono Sigit (Sigit), and Poedjiati Tan (Puji) from Gaya Nusantara on how the
network can be established. They realised that they needed to discuss the
networks establishment with other gay and waria activists, and found the
perfect opportunity to do so during the National HIV/AIDS Congress in Surabaya,
East Java in February 2007. Representatives of gay, MSM and waria

15 Report on Joint Project on Mapping and Needs Assessment for Strengthening NGOs serving

MSM (Oct 2005Feb 2006), AFAO & Burnet Indonesia (Tono Permana Muhamad and Muhammad
Tohir, March 2006)
The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

10

organisations who attended the congress were invited to discuss the network. It
was the first time that gay, MSM and waria worked together as one group.

Much like the finding from the assessment conducted in 2005, the meeting
decided that not only was a national network needed, but that it should be
established immediately. They agreed that the main task of the network was to
facilitate coordination, communication and resource mobilization for programs
targeting gay, MSM and waria.

The GWLINA was declared a network on February 4th 2007. At the time,
membership of the network only consisted of an egroup. The 4 key people:
Dede, Tono, Sigit, and Puji maintained the momentum by moderating discussions
in the egroup. Tono and Dede were particularly instrumental in mobilising the
resources needed for the network to grow.

Picture 2 Declaration of GWLINA as a national network during

National AIDS Meeting in Surabaya, 2007

The GWLINA held its first National Meeting on

I hope one day the government October 2009, where Tono Permana
Muhammad was elected as the networks first
would recognize our rights to
national coordinator.
use the words gay, waria and

MSM in our legal registration.
There isnt any law against it,
Not long after the GWLINA National Meeting,
but they still wouldnt accept
the GWLINA National Secretariat was
our application.
established. At the time, NAC provided office

space for a number of national networks of key
GWLINA Board Member
population groups, including the GWLINA. The
office was located in the same building as NAC,
to facilitate easy access for coordination and communication. Office equipment
was provided by UNAIDS. NAC and AFAO provided funding support for
operational costs. At the time, the national secretariat had only 3 staff members:
1 national coordinator, 1 treasurer, and 1 secretary.

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

11


In early 2010, the network began the legal registration process. According to
Indonesian law, all NGOs and communitybased organisations (CBOs) and
groups must be registered in the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. This was
where the GWLINA met with difficulties. The networks name (Gay, Waria and
MSM) was considered too sensitive. A special meeting was held in May 2010,
where the network decided to change their name to Gaya Warna Lentera for
legal registration purposes. The network is currently waiting to receive the letter
from the Ministry of Law and Human Rights formally acknowledging their
existence as a legal entity.

Organisational Structure & Membership

The GWLINA is an organisationbased network, with a total of 68 CBOs and
NGOs in 25 provinces listed as its members. Any organisations or groups of gay/
MSM/ waria that implement HIV/ AIDS
programs in Indonesia can join GWLINA. Once every 6 months the board
Members are not required to pay any
meets, thats when we resolve
membership fees or sign any agreements/ all our conflicts however long
contracts.
it takes us in that meeting

room.

The national meeting is the highest decision
GWLINA Board Member
making level of the network, and is usually held
once every three years. The meeting elects
board members, advisory board members, and national coordinator who will
serve for the next 3 years. The meeting also reviews the networks achievements
and challenges, and agrees on a strategic action plan for the next 3 years. Special
meetings are held if there are pressing matters that need to be resolved
immediately. The last national meeting was held in February 2012.

The board of directors meets once every 6

months, during which a needs assessment is
The GWLINA provides a
conducted by HCPI16 to identify the networks
platform for information
technical assistance needs. Board members are
exchange, capacity building,
expected to resolve any conflicts (usually with
and assistance for program
each other) during the board meeting.
implementation at local level


The overall coordination and communication of
GWLINA Network Member
the network is overseen by the national
secretariat, which has grown from 3 to 12 staff
17
members . The national secretariat carries out a needs assessment for network
members once every 6 months, to identify current challenges and technical
assistance needs. Findings from this assessment also feed into designing the
networks capacity building program.

16 HIV Cooperation Program for Indonesia

17 Complete list of GWLINA national secretariat staff and regional coordinators is attached as

Annex I

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

12

Being a national network in such a large country as Indonesia, communication

and coordination is a major challenge, particularly in remote parts of the
country. To help address this issue, the country is divided into 3 regions:
Western (Sumatra & Kalimantan), Central (Java), and Eastern Indonesia (Bali,
NTB, NTT, and Sulawesi). A regional coordinator is assigned to each region,
acting as a liaison between the national secretariat and network members. The
regional coordinator submits a monthly report to the national secretariat.

Activities

For the past five years, GWLINAs activities

The GWLINA helps us to build
have focussed on building the internal capacity
our capacities, both as
of the network. To ensure equal opportunity
organisations and as
for different individuals, the national
individuals
secretariat would announce the training

program in the networks mailing list. Those
GWLINA Network Member
interested in participating submit an abstract.
The national secretariat then screens the
applications to prevent the same people from participating repeatedly in the
training programs, providing opportunities for others to build their capacities.

Improving the outcomes of HIV program implementation for gay men, MSM and
waria is one of the GWLINAs main focuses. The network developed the national
strategy and action plan for gay, waria, and MSM 20102014, which
complements the 20102014 AIDS National Strategy and Action Plan and
provides clear guidance for policy makers and stakeholders in developing and
implementing HIV and AIDS response programs for gay, MSM and waria groups.
Tono Permana Muhamad presented the action plan in the first plenary session
(in ICAAP18) to raise gay, waria and MSM issues ICAAP 10 in Busan, South Korea.

The GWLINA formally becomes a member of the National AIDS Commission
(NAC) in February 2012. This means that, for the first time, the gay, waria and
MSM population group is recognized nationally and sits in equal positions as
other NAC members, which comprises of ministries and government agencies.
This is a huge achievement for a country as conservative as Indonesia. As a
member of NAC, the network actively participates in consultation and
coordination meetings to discuss national HIV response programs, particularly
those targeting gay, waria and MSM groups.

Another effort to improve the outcomes of national HIV response programs is a
program initiated in 10 provinces19 to recruit a program officer at the local AIDS
Commission to coordinate the implementation of HIV response programs for
gay, waria, and MSM at the provincial/ district level. The GWLINA helped to
facilitate the selection of these program officers in the initial 10 cities in the 10

18 International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific

19 North Sumatera, Riau, Riau Islands, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Java, DKI Jakarta,
East Java, Bali, and South Sulawesi

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

13

provinces. The program has been scaled up to 37 districts/ cities in the 10

provinces, and there are plans to expand the programs to more provinces.

The increase in HIV prevalence among MSM, as
found in the recent IBBS, have prompted the
Reaching young Gay, MSM
network to put an even greater emphasis on HIV
and Waria is important to
prevention programs for gay, waria and MSM. An
raise their awareness on
example of this is the GWLMuda (Young GWL)
responsible behaviour
towards personal health
group that was established in January 2012 to

effectively target young gay, waria and MSM. The
NAC
group developed brondong manis, a webbased
information centre designed to equip young gay,
waria, and MSM with adequate information on sexual and reproductive health
and rights, assertive communication and negotiation, drugs, and linkages to
health services. The website (www.brondongmanis.com) also serves as a dating
portal for young gay, MSM and waria.

The network also carries out advocacy campaigns with other civil society
organisations, such as the joint campaign on PLHIVs rights to health
(www.odhaberhaksehat.org) with Indonesia AIDS Coalition (IAC) and the
national network of women living with HIV (IPPI). ODHA berhak sehat is a
virtual discussion room to discuss HIV and AIDS issues in general, and the issue
of treatment for PLHIV in particular. The network also joined Aliansi Satu Visi
(One Vision Alliance) and the Lesbian/ Gay/ Bisexual/ Transgender/ Intersex/
Queer (LGBTIQ) Forum in advocating and raising awareness on sexual diversity.

As of October 2011, the network became the subrecipient (SR) for Global Fund
Round 10 ISEANHIVOS20 multicountry grant. The grant is intended to address
critical gaps in supporting and scaling up activities that reduce HIV/ AIDS among
MSM and TGs. The grant has 4 subrecipients (SRs): GWLINA (Indonesia), PT
Foundation (Malaysia), PNGOC21 (Philippines), and Fundasaun Timor HanI
(Timor Leste).

Activities22 in the grant are aimed at building the capacity of the community to
engage with the Government in order to increase the scope and effectiveness of
service delivery, develop appropriate policies, and create an enabling
environment to address stigma and discrimination.

Partnership

As with other civil society organisations, the networks relationship with its
partners relies on the relationship between the donors and the networks key
people such as Tono Permana Muhamad and Dede Oetomo. This presents a great
challenge in ensuring the sustainability of these partnerships when the key

20 ISEAN: Insular Southeast Asia Network on MSM, TG and HIV (ISEAN), HIVOS: the Humanist

Institute for Cooperation with Developing Countries

21 Philippines NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare
22 List of GWLINA service delivery areas (SDAs) for the grant is attached as Annex II.
The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

14

people are no longer with the GWLINA. The network hopes that, as it grows and
capacity building programs are carried out regularly, this challenge can be
addressed.

Donors that have played a key role in the
The GWLINA is fantastic to
networks establishment and development
work with. It has been very
include HCPI (AusAID), FHI23 (USAID), Burnett
interesting to see how much
Indonesia, AFAO, NAC, and UNAIDS Country they have grown (as a network)
over the past few years
Office Indonesia. These donors have provided

funding and the technical assistance needed for
Partner (Donor)
the development of the network.

In their relationship with the donors, the network has become more and more
confident in articulating its needs to donor agencies, knowing that it has the best
understanding of what the network needs while remaining humble in accepting
feedback and recommendations.

While the network is lucky that the NAC
actively engages civil society in the national
What I like about GWLINA is that
HIV and AIDS response, stronger
they dont hesitate in raising issues
that are not really their issue, such partnership with other government
agencies is needed to ensure that their
as reproductive health rights of
programs are friendly for the gay, MSM and
PLHIV mothers.

waria communities, and ultimately to
Partner (CSO)
improve the outcomes of HIV and AIDS
interventions targeting gay, MSM and waria.

The network realises that in order to be more successful in its advocacy efforts,
partnership with other civil society networks and groups must be expanded. The
networks new strategic action plan has identified new strategic partners that
will strengthen its advocacy strategies.

Achievements & Challenges

Perhaps the biggest achievement for the GWLINA As a national network, GWL
is that it has united the voices of gay, waria and
INA is a force to be reckoned
MSM communities in Indonesia. The network
with

maintains this unity by not tolerating stigma and

Partner (Donor)
discrimination within the network. In this sense,
the network truly becomes a family for its
members.

The GWLINA has succeeded in gaining the respect and attention of government
agencies, NAC in particular, to gay, waria and MSM issues, ensuring that the
issues are represented in national HIV response coordination meetings.

23 Family Health International

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

15

Funding availability for programs targeting gay, waria and MSM has increased
significantly since the network was established. The Round 10 Global Fund
multicountry ISEANHIVOS grant provides additional resources needed to
improve coverage of programs targeting gay, MSM and waria in the
implementation of the HIV and AIDS National Strategy and Action Plan 2010
2014. The grant will also strengthen the gay, MSM and waria communities
representation in policy making as well as in supporting the development and
delivery of national HIV and AIDS prevention campaigns. The grant allows the
network more independence from becoming a donordriven network, as well
as strengthening its position in the national HIV and AIDS political landscape.

Though the national coordinator Tono
Permana Muhamad agreed that increased

Now that we have GWLINA,
funding means more pressure, he believes that
donor agencies know where to
it has also provided the network with the
go when they want to do a
muchneeded assistance to improve its
program targeting gay, waria
performance as a national network. As a result,
and MSM
some network members feel that since the

network was established, overall program
Board Member
management for gay, waria and MSM groups
has become more focused, and that the
network provides easier access for funding allocations.

Despite funding increase, most gay, waria and MSM organisations still have low
financial management capacity. Many programs are still project based, which
means that sustainability remains a major issue. Due to limited capacity, it is
difficult for these organisations to lobby the Government (province/ district
level) for increased budget allocation for gay, waria and MSM programs. One of
the networks strategies to address this is through mentoring and peer training
(network members provide capacity building training program for each other).

The GWLINA realises that its journey as a network is only beginning. Despite
various achievements, there are areas of improvement before the network can
achieve its vision of gay, MSM and waria communities with strong capacities to
carry out rightsbased health interventions for the

prevention, care, support and treatment for HIV/
Being a member of GWL
AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections
INA makes us small
(STIs).
organisations feel stronger


Major improvements are still needed for HIV
GWLINA Network
prevention efforts targeting gay men, MSM and
Member
waria, as HIV infection rates continues to increase.
At the same time, homophobia and transphobia remains a major issue.
Harassment and abuse continues to happen to gay men, MSM and waria in the
country. For the past five years, the networks activities have focused mainly on
capacity building for the network. While this will continue to be an important
area of the networks action plan, more focus will be given to scaling up HIV
prevention efforts and advocacy campaigns on the fulfilment of human rights for

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

16

the gay, MSM and waria communities. These are only some of the strategies that
the network has identified in its new strategic action plan for 2012201524.

Picture 3 GWLINA Members, Board Members, National Secretariat at the networks
National Meeting in Feb 2012

Trust the community. However weak they

seem at the beginning, however reluctant they
are, we need to continue to invest in the
community.

Dede Oetomo, Senior MSM Activist

24 See Annex III for details

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

17

IV. Lessons Learned

A network should be established based on the needs of the community. It is

crucial to conduct a needs assessment before any further action is taken. The
GWLINA was established based on findings from a needs assessment that
identified an urgent need for a national network of gay, MSM and waria.

As the GWLINA has experienced, having a national network is very beneficial
in gaining advocacy leverage to raise more attention on issues faced by gay,
waria and MSM, and ensuring that the issues are represented in the national
HIV response and funding allocation for programs targeting gay, MSM and
waria continue to increase.
The GWLINA does not tolerate stigma and discrimination within the
network, and ensures that the network is a safe place for its members. This is
very important to maintain a sense of ownership and belonging for its
members.
Since the very beginning, the GWLINA realised the importance of having a
strong sense of community ownership, and has always ensured that the
community owns the process in all its activities. This is crucial in ensuring
the sustainability of the network.
In partnership with other organisations including donors, the GWLINA
understands that it has the best understanding of the gay, MSM and waria
community needs are, while also remaining humble in accepting feedback
and recommendations from others.
Internally, board members of the GWLINA have found it very beneficial to
have regular meetings once every 6 months. However long it takes, all
conflicts must be solved, to avoid the conflicts from breaking up the group.
As a national network, the GWLINA learned that it is important to be
engaged in the national HIV response but also to avoid getting caught up in
the politics in order to maintain the networks strategic direction.
Strong partnership with NAC has significantly increased the involvement of
gay, waria and MSM groups in the national HIV response coordination. Being
involved in decisionmaking process is a major achievement for the group, as
it were only involved as program beneficiaries in the past.
Capacity building of local organisations must be made a priority, as it is the
only way to strengthen advocacy efforts at the local level and ensure a more
successful implementation of HIV response programs.

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

18

Annexes

Annex I. List of Staff and Regional Coordinators

No. Position

Name

National Secretariat Staff

Coordinator for National Secretariat (Executive

Director)

Tono Permana Muhammad

National Program Manager

Ardhian Harimurti Prabowo

Finance Manager

Natalia Santa Monica

Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator

Adi Nugroho

Research & Education Coordinator

Pipiet Ariawan Laksmono

Project Coordinator

Iman Abdurrachman

Administration Staff

Ferry Norila

Monitoring and Evaluation Staff

T. Surya Mihari

Finance Staff

Widya Astuti

10

IT Staff

Setyo Budi Deni Widodo

11

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and

Waria Specific

Ienes Angela

12

Young GWL Program Coordinator (Volunteer)

Setia Perdana

Regional Coordinators

Sumatera and Kalimantan Regions

Meilandi Panca Wardhana

Program Assistant for Sumatera And Kalimantan

Region

Nazarrudin

Java Region

Mochamad Slamet

Program Assistant for Java Region

Sri Lestari

Eastern Indonesia Region

Andi Akbar Halim

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

19

Annex II. Timeline of MSM and TG Movement in Indonesia

1968

1969

1970s

1980s1990s

1981

1982

The term wadam (wanita adam, literally translated to adam woman

or transgender) was created25. In 1980, the term is replaced with waria,
following protests from religious leaders, as Adam is the name of a
prophet in Islam.

HIWAD (Himpunan Wadam Djakarta or Djakarta Wadam Association),
the first waria organisation, was established, facilitated by then
governor Ali Sadikin.

During the 1970s, an entertainer named Mami Myrna, a waria, would
socialize information on waria to the general public during her singing/
dancing routines.

HIV/AIDS programs for waria were mostly carried out by IAKMI
(Ikatan Ahli Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia/ Indonesia Public Health
Expert Association). At the time, waria was only included as program
beneficiaries, not involved in program planning and monitoring. There
were also no programs that were managed by the community.

Dede Oetomo, founder of the countrys first gay group, Lambda
Indonesia and GAYa NUSANTARA, became the first gay man to come
out publicly in Indonesia.

In the summer of 1980, upon returning home from his study in the
United States, Dede came across an article in Tempo magazine about
the marriage of an Indonesian lesbian couple in Jakarta. Impressed with
what he read, Dede sent a readers letter (surat pembaca) to the
magazine, supporting and praising the marriage, and asking all gay and
lesbian in Indonesia to come together and create an organisation. In his
letter, he included his full name and address. He received hundreds of
mails in response, which Tempo magazine forwarded to him. The
correspondence continues, and early gay activists began meeting to
discuss how they can raise gay issues further.

On March 1st 1982, Lambda Indonesia, the first open gay organisation
in Indonesia and Asia, was established. This has been considered by
many to be a key milestone in the national Lesbian/ Gay/ Bisexual/
Transgender/ Intersexed/ Queer (LGBTIQ) movement, as it was the
first organisation established by gay activists to organise the gay
movement and fight for the fulfilment of human rights for the gay and
lesbian community26. Soon after the secretariat office was established
in Solo, Central Java, branch offices were established in Jogjakarta,
Surabaya, Jakarta and other cities.

By 1986, the leadership had dwindled to just one person in Semarang,
who refused to hand the organisations documents and stamp to a new
group of leaders. A Lambda Indonesia chapter continued to meet

25 http://www.gayanusantara.or.id/

26 http://hukum.kompasiana.com/2012/02/23/peringatanharisolidaritaslgbtiqnasional/

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

20

1982

1985

1987

19921993

Dec. 1993

1998

monthly in Surabaya until the end of 1986.

The Indonesian Gay Society (IGS) would later declare March 1st as
National Gay and Lesbian Solidarity Day.

In August 1982, Lambda Indonesia began
publishing a newsletter called Buletin G:
Gaya Hidup Ceria (G Bulletin: Happy Life
Style)27.

Throughout 19821984, 8 newsletters
were published. The newsletter consisted
of articles, inspirational/ informational
letters (usually from abroad), short stories,
poems, and dating contacts.

Publication of the newsletter stopped in
1984.

Persaudaraan Gay Yogyakarta (PGY)/ Jogjakarta Gay Fellowship was
established. PGY would later be known as Indonesian Gay Society (IGS)
in 1988.

Kelompok Kerja Lesbian dan Gay Nusantara (KKLGN)/ Nationwide Gay
and Lesbian Working Group was established in Surabaya, East Java on
August 1st 1987 to continue what Lambda Indonesia has started. The
name was later shortened to GAYa NUSANTARA (GN).

Continuing the newsletter published by Lambda Indonesia28, GN
published a selftitled monthly bulletin in magazine format, providing
information for LGBTIQ and raising issues such as sexual diversity,
HIV/ AIDS, criminalisation of homosexuality, human rights, etc. Later,
the monthly bulletin will be published in book series instead of
magazine format.

Gay organisations were established in Jakarta, Pekanbaru (Riau),
Bandung (West Java), Malang (East Java), Denpasar (Bali) and
Makassar.

The first Lesbian and Gay Indonesia Congress (Kongres Lesbian & Gay
Indonesia/ KLGI) was held in Kaliurang, Jogjakarta. Organised by IGS,
the event was attended by 40 people. This was the first national
congress organised by and for the gay community in the country. The
congress would be held for two more times, in 1995 and in 1997.

Yayasan Srikandi Sejati (Srikandi Sejati Foundation) was established. It
was the first waria organisation that provides services for waria, which
include outreach, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT), HIV testing
(in collaboration with community health centres/ Puskesmas), and
referral to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and Tuberculosis (TB)
treatment.

27 http://gayanusantara.or.id/download.html

28 http://www.insideindonesia.org/weeklyarticles46marjun1996/gayidentities3009947

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

21

2001
2004

2006

2007

2008

2012

National Meeting on Male Health (the word sexual was not even
mentioned) was held, organised by Aksi Stop AIDS (ASA).

Indonesia National Congress on Male Sexual Health (Seksualitas dan
Kesehatan Seksual Lakilaki). The meeting invited key stakeholders in
the national HIV response. It was during this meeting that the idea of a
national MSM network was first discussed.

Male Sexual Health and HIV in Asia and the Pacific International
Consultation: Risk and Responsibilities was held in New Delhi, India
on September 2006. The meeting was organised by UNAIDS, inviting all
UNAIDS Country Coordinators and civil society representatives. It was
the first regional meeting to focus on MSM and HIV.

During the National Congress on HIV/ AIDS in Surabaya, East Java,
GWLINA was established. GWLINA is the first national Gay, Waria,
and MSM network in Indonesia.

The First National Congress for Waria was held. The meeting agreed to
establish a national waria communication forum, called Forum
Komunikasi Waria Indonesia (FKWI). This forum has not yet made any
progress.

Dede Oetomo and Mami Yuli (Yulianus
Rettoblaut)
nominated
themselves
as
commissioner for the national human rights
commission (Komnasham).

Mami Yuli made it through to the 2nd stage, while
Dede Oetomo is now on the last short list of 30
candidates, having made it through to the final
stage of the selection process.

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

22

Annex III. GWLINA Strategic Action Plan 20122015

The networks plan of action for 20122015 will focus on 5 (five) strategies, as
follows:

1. Program involvement, ownership and contextual
Strengthening institutional capacity of network members, through
training programs and needs assessment for network members.
Training programs include: leadership and institutional
strengthening, gender and sexuality, gender and sexuality based social
analysis, economic empowerment (fund raising for network
members), proposal and abstract writing.

2. Structural intervention to create enabling social environment for
program targeting gay, waria and MSM
Strengthening partnership with stakeholders, training on structural
intervention (gay, waria, MSM issues to be included in the prevention
of sexual transmission program carried out by NAC), capacity building
for network members on paralegal and advocacy, and advocate for
increased involvement of gay, waria and MSM in policy making
activities.

3. Prevention of HIV infection among gay, waria and MSM
Raise awareness on sexual and reproductive health and rights,
through outreach activities carried out by network members,
partnership with media, networking with other organisations to
advocate on the issue. Network members will also monitor the
provision of condoms and lubricants among its constituents.

4. Increase availability of high quality, friendly and affordable sexual
health service for gay, waria and MSM
Activities in this strategy include mapping of existing services for gay,
MSM and waria, and create condom and lubricant outlets for gay, MSM
and waria in health service facilities. Together with NAC, the network
will continue to sensitize health workers on health related issues for
gay, MSM and waria, and develop health service guidelines for gay,
MSM and waria.

5. Improve HIV care and treatment for positive prevention
Ensure the provision of a comprehensive set of services for PLHIV,
including homebased care, shelter, selfsupport groups, nutrition
support, skills building training, and entertainment activities. The
network will also advocate for a more readily available access to
Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) throughout the country.





The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

23

Annex IV. Global Fund Round 10 ISEANHIVOS

GOAL: To reduce (a) the vulnerability and risks of men who have sex with other
men (MSM) and transgender (TG) to HIV infection and (b) the impact of HIV and
AIDS on their lives in Insular Southeast Asia.

OBJECTIVE 1: To improve the delivery of HIV related services for MSM and TG in
Insular Southeast Asia
Leadership and strengthening of community organisations and systems
SDA 1.1
(management, accountability and leadership)*
Building innovative community networks, linkages, collaboration and
SDA 1.2.
coordination*
Developing innovative behaviour change communication community
SDA 1.3
outreach

OBJECTIVE 2: To improve enabling environment and strategic advocacy regarding
MSM, TG, and HIV related issues in Insular Southeast Asia
Monitoring of community and government interventions on MSM and
SDA 2.1
TG*
SDA 2.2
Advocacy and social mobilisation*
SDA 2.3
Sensitizing healthcare providers, policy makers and law enforcement
agencies on MSM and TG sexual health issues*

OBJECTIVE 3: To improve the production and utilization of strategic information on
MSM, TG and HIV to strengthen the national responses in Insular Southeast Asia
SDA 3.1
Developing and disseminating strategic information, including socio
cultural barriers limiting access to services; and identify emerging trends
of vulnerability of MSM and TG.
SDA 3.2
Strengthening UNGASS29 reporting on MSM, TG and HIV in four countries

OBJECTIVE 4: To promote the strategic use of Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) and media to effectively scale up the HIV response among MSM
and TG in Insular Southeast Asia.
SDA 4.1
Establishing processes and infrastructure to increase the capacity and
expertise of SRs to optimize their use of ICT and media in contributing to
their response to HIV and sexual health needs of MSM and TG
SDA 4.2
Developing and implementing sustainable, regionwide ICTbased
Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) interventions and campaigns
for MSM & TG*



*GWLINA Specific SDAs

29 United Nations General Assembly Special Session

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

24

Annex V. The GWLINAs Vision and Mission

Vision:

A gay, MSM and waria communities with strong capacities to carry out rights
based health interventions for the prevention, care, support and treatment for
HIV/ AIDS and other STIs, with special regards to sexual and reproductive health
rights and welfare.

Mission:

Capacity building for gay, waria and MSM organisations and community
groups to carry out prevention, care, support and treatment of HIV/ AIDS and
other STIs.

Develop and maintain good communication and collaboration between gay,
waria and MSM organisations as well as with other institutions to advocate
the sexual and reproductive rights for gay, waria, and MSM.

Coordinate advocacy work for the fulfilment of sexual and reproductive
health and welfare, including ensuring the provision of optimum STI and
HIV/ AIDS care and treatment for gay, waria and MSM.

The GWL-INA: The Story of A Network

25