Kapanlagi.com - Disclaimer: This interview includes several sources from different professions, such as sociologists, psychologists, sexologists, and LGBT practitioners.
Reporter: Adi Abbas Nugroho, Dadan Eka Permana, Nuzulur Rakhmah, Sahal Fadhli, Fikri Alfi Rosyadi.
The phenomenon of coming out as LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) has become a hot topic among netizens lately. Especially in the midst of the social media boom, some public figures have started to openly express their support for this matter.
Of course, this is not without controversy. Many netizens sneer or even condemn public figures who openly support the LGBT community. The latest example is Ragil Mahardika and his gay husband who now live in Germany. Following their appearance on Deddy Corbuzier's podcast, Ragil became the target of netizens' criticism.
The LGBT phenomenon has not only been highlighted by netizens, but also by several experts. One of them is Zoya Amirin, who works as a Clinical Sexologist or Clinical Psychologist. According to her, the LGBT phenomenon has been around since ancient times, but with the development of social media, it has become more widely discussed nowadays.
"In my opinion, with the existence of social media like this, everyone can express themselves. Does that mean that suddenly more people become LGBT?"
According to me, it has been like this since the past, back then there was no media, now people are brave," he said when met by KapanLagi.com team.
©KapanLagi.com
Not only condemned, LGBT is also feared by most netizens. Rumors such as 'contagious disease' are one of the reasons why they are shunned. Responding to this issue, it turns out that Zoya believes that this phenomenon cannot be separated from the patriarchal culture that still holds strong.
"Because of patriarchal culture too, if it's patriarchal, 'You're not manly enough if you like men,' but if women are used to it, they like to hold hands and no one suspects anything. Gay doesn't mean effeminate or transvestite, now there are many gays who are manly, handsome," she said.
"In this patriarchal world, we often feel scared, afraid of being raped, afraid of being tortured because we are physically weaker (as women) in this world. But why are many men more afraid of homosexuality? Actually, they are afraid of being raped, because men are not born into this world to be afraid, we have to be stronger because men can oppress, we women must be prepared not to be raped, not in dark places," Zoya added.
Despite that, apart from LGBT still being a specter in Indonesia, more and more people are open on social media about their status and sexual orientation. Ragil Mahardika, Chika Kinsky, and Yumi Kwandy are some of them.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Ragil Mahardika's name suddenly went viral after frequently uploading content on TikTok social media. His funny and candid style seemed to be a magnet for his followers.
But did KLovers know that before TikTok content existed, Ragil himself had already revealed his sexual orientation through Facebook social media. To KapanLagi.com, he told the story of how he started playing on social media and admitting to being gay.
"Actually, I already had another platform from the beginning. I have been open on Facebook since the Facebook era in 2014. I came out to my family, they already knew in 2014. So since then, I don't hide it, I always post where, what I'm doing, who I'm with," said Ragil Mahardika, when interviewed exclusively via telephone media.
"Then I moved to Instagram, I'm active there too. In 2018, I also started YouTube. I have a YouTube channel, even though it doesn't have a lot of viewers, but I have a community on YouTube. On YouTube, I also talk about my daily life and activities," he explained.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Ragil Mahardika explained that he went through a fairly long process when he realized that his sexual orientation was different. This happened when he was under 17 years old and had not yet entered puberty.
"From a young age, I already knew that I would be different because I saw that the people around me were all different from me. During puberty, I also felt that there was something different. Like I said, girls like boys and boys like girls, but I prefer to look at boys," explained Ragil.
"During puberty, at the age of 12-13, I already felt different. But the understanding only came when I was in high school or college because my thinking was more mature, I could accept the information that we got from friends, and at that time the internet was already available, we could go to the internet cafes and use Google," he continued.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
In the midst of searching for his identity, Ragil Mahardika often felt frustrated. In fact, he had even thought of committing suicide because he could not fully accept his sexual orientation as a gay man.
"In the past, during my search for my identity, I almost committed suicide. I felt that everyone in my position, from people's comments or from those who confided in me on Instagram, were in the same position. Even my LGBT friends were in that position. Those who are now great transgender people who have appeared on TV were also in that process because the process of self-maturation begins when we are teenagers," he said.
"I was also in that process, and it took quite a long time. During puberty, before I left for Germany, the search for my identity, my process of maturing, and everything related to work abroad, there was a process where I felt, 'Am I alone? Does what I want really exist in this world? Why did God make me have these feelings?' I don't blame anyone, so if someone says, 'Oh, you're blaming God,' no. I believe in my God, but in my position, I always think, 'Why do I have these feelings? Why can't they just disappear and I can go back to being normal?' But no matter how much I try to force it, it doesn't work," he continued.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Ragil's appearance on social media TikTok always steals attention. Moreover, he also appears as he is with his clumsy style. On Instagram, Ragil has 187 thousand followers, while on TikTok, his videos are followed by 3.8 million people.
Not once or twice, Ragil created a dance trend on TikTok. His video went viral and was watched by millions of people until it became a meme. According to Ragil himself, he did not expect to go viral on TikTok because when he first created the account, he was looking for activities during the pandemic.
"In 2020 I created TikTok because there was a pandemic in Germany. At first, I just followed the viral dance trend, then I entered the daily life theme. Well, my daily life is just like on TikTok. Finally, I showed all kinds of activities and my daily life that made me have a strong personal branding, including with my partner and my life in Germany," he explained.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Because his name became famous through his effeminate image, Ragil Mahardika has often become the subject of ridicule by netizens. However, even so, he never felt bothered and felt that it was his true identity.
"If there are videos that lead to that (LGBT) I am usually tagged ‘Wow, it's Ragil, his child, his sibling or Kak Ragil's sibling’. For example, if our friends post videos that lead to the LGBT world or if there are TikTok dances with clumsy male dancers, they will always be associated with Ragil," he explained.
"The formation of Ragil on TikTok is not at all artificial," continued the man who often appears fashionable.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Viral and widely discussed, Ragil Mahardika often receives both positive and negative feedback from netizens. However, Ragil himself does not care about it and considers it a consequence of his decision to come out as a gay person.
"If we do it in a small circle, for example only with family or friends, not everyone will agree with what we do. What's more, if we do it on a larger scale, meaning that I expose my daily life or tell people about my life, there will be consequences if many people out there don't like it," said Ragil.
"So, I have been active on social media since 2014 and I am strong enough to ignore any hate speech from people out there. But I think positively. Even though they criticize, they watch the video and read the comments, and at least they start to touch on taboo topics or things that are not talked about in Indonesia. So, I win in that sense," he added.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Although he anticipated that his appearance would generate controversy, Ragil Mahardika did not deny that he was surprised by the number of hateful comments. Fortunately, he never took it too seriously and instead responded with jokes.
"If you ask me if I'm stressed, no, I'm not. But I was surprised to see so many hateful comments. But, because I already knew the risks of being on social media, I found it funny," said Ragil calmly.
"Because I think the people who hate me don't know what my life is like. People only see from the outside. Sometimes people misunderstand that being gay means we suddenly like guys, no. There are many processes behind it and that's what I always tell in my videos, starting from YouTube to TikTok now. So, haters can eventually become delayed fans if we always provide them with the true information they want to know," he continued.
© instagram.com/ragilmahardika
Being attacked by haters from left and right didn't make Ragil Mahardika collapse. Offering content that is less common in Indonesia, Ragil understands why netizens throw a lot of negative words at him.
"So, it's like when our transgender friends were initially criticized, but as time went by, they were increasingly admired. We don't need to mention their names, but they are increasingly appearing on TV and the like because people are getting more used to that world. Because the more they are presented with their humor, behavior, and life, people get used to it," explained Ragil.
"I hope that more and more people will dare to speak up, dare to be open, dare to show those habits, and people will get used to it day by day. It doesn't mean that they have to accept it, but at least they respect people's choices of how they live their lives," he added.
Ragil also mentioned that now the haters who criticize him are starting to decrease thanks to the content besides LGBT that is presented on social media. He also said that many admire his talent in cooking and even gardening.
©KapanLagi.com
Raised in a strong tradition of Javanese culture apparently made Ragil Mahardika feel difficult when he had to confess to his family. Moreover, he was once kicked out and removed from the Family Card because he decided to marry a man who is now his husband.
According to Ragil, there is a different perspective on LGBT from the point of view of Indonesians and Germans. One of the reasons, according to him, is how family support towards someone who wants to admit that they are different.
"If we are in a family that is quite capable, at least accepting or respecting their child will make the process faster. For example, a teenager in Indonesia and a teenager in Germany, for example, the acceptance process in Germany will be faster because the environment supports it. The environment is aware that there is an LGBT world and the environment provides a good support system for the child, regardless of their orientation, as long as they are a good child and a good student," he said.
"If in Indonesia, the process of accepting oneself is much more difficult because the environment itself has no support system, especially the family environment, even though the family environment is very important in the process of a child's maturation. So don't be surprised if children from the LGBT world prefer to go out and find their own way out there because their environment does not support them anymore. And I am in a family whose environment is like that. So the process of coming in was also quite long for me until finally I could become what I am now," said Ragil Mahardika.
©KapanLagi.com
The names Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy suddenly went viral on social media because they openly admitted to being a lesbian couple. Chika herself was previously known as the former girlfriend of famous actor Adipati Dolken. She was once married to a man and had a 5-year-old child. However, their marriage ended in 2018 after the beautiful DJ filed for divorce.
Unlike Chika, Yumi Kwandy works as a model. Her name skyrocketed after participating in Indonesia's Next Top Model competition and successfully entering the top five. Unlike Chika, Yumi has openly admitted that she is a lesbian and has never dated or married a man.
Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy went viral on social media after openly sharing their love story. According to their respective Instagram accounts, Chika has 157 thousand followers while Yumi has 127 thousand followers.
The love story of Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy went viral after they spent a lot of time together and shared intimate moments on Instagram. Interestingly, instead of receiving criticism, they received a lot of positive responses on Instagram.
©KapanLagi.com/Budy Santoso
Just like Ragil Mahardika, Chika Kinsky, and Yumi Kwandy have appeared on Deddy Corbuzier's podcast. Before the podcast aired, the couple, who were deeply in love, admitted that they were ready to receive criticism and insults from netizens in their home country.
But the opposite happened, Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy actually received more support than criticism. Of course, this surprised them.
"I was surprised. Because at first, I thought 'I'm done, I'm definitely going to be criticized'. Honestly, in Indonesia, no one knew, and suddenly, oh my God, finally someone came out," said Chika Kinsky, when interviewed exclusively by KapanLagi.com.
©KapanLagi.com/Budy Santoso
What's even more interesting is that after the podcast aired, Chika and Yumi actually received support from fans in the form of fanbase accounts. It didn't stop there, they also often received gifts of food and items from fans.
"There are so many. Yumsky's fans are crazy. They're active on YouTube, gossiping about us and everything else," said Chika.
"They're like our front line. We're fans of them, they're fans of us," Yumi added.
"Finally, a lot of people made fanbases and everything, we were really surprised. Then, like, a lot of people sent us food and items almost every day, we were surprised," Chika explained.
©KapanLagi.com/Budy Santoso
Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy received different responses when they appeared on Deddy Corbuzier's podcast. Unlike Ragil Mahardika and her husband, they received a lot of support from netizens. So, what do they think about this?
"I don't really know. It depends on people. For example, if you like chocolate or strawberry, because somehow we are intersections in some people's eyes. It's just up to them. Some people, like me, are more attracted to women, while others are more attracted to men," said Yumi Kwandy.
"But in my opinion, when guys watch Blue Films, they always look at the girl. While girls can also look at other girls. Guys are rarely shot in the video. So, indirectly, everyone is used to seeing girls but not used to seeing guys," she explained.
©KapanLagi.com/Budy Santoso
Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy's decision to go public has certainly sparked various reactions from the public. If fans support them, what about their closest people?
"My friends don't criticize me, because my friends and best friends already know that I am sexual. Yumi also came out first. It's okay. As for family matters, that's just how it is," said Chika Kinsky.
Agreeing with Chika, Yumi herself is not too concerned about the responses from her closest people. Moreover, she has openly admitted to her family and, on the whole, has received positive responses.
©KapanLagi.com/Budy Santoso
Before their names became well-known, Chika Kinsky and Yumi Kwandy often posted content of their affection, both on Instagram and their Youtube channel, Yumski's Diary. After receiving a lot of positive responses, they finally decided to create a podcast on one of the platforms that focuses on 40 percent of its topics on LGBT issues.
"LGBT is quite diverse, from various groups, and we want to highlight LGBT individuals who have achieved something, not just those who sell their LGBT identity. Because so far when someone says they are part of the LGBT community, people immediately have negative reactions. So we want to try to show the positive side of LGBT people who work hard, achieve things, and have their own talents," explained Yumi.
Agreeing with her partner, Chika also revealed that the podcast they are currently developing with Yumi will not only focus on LGBT issues. They will also invite some guests who are considered viral and successful.
"For example, if Fuji is currently trending, we would invite them. But we won't focus too much on LGBT issues. However, we will educate people about LGBT issues, not just to attract them. We want to show that LGBT people are not just negative stereotypes, but also have positive aspects," said Chika.
credit: Kapanlagi.com/Budy Santoso
Chika and Yumi explained that the podcast they are currently making is not aimed at attracting people to become part of the LGBT community. Instead, they want to change people's views on LGBT, which have often been perceived negatively.
"Success doesn't have to mean being rich or anything like that. Some people educate through their way of thinking, some through their motivation, and so on," explained Yumi.
"So what's important is that the person is positive and brings positivity with them. That's the story we want to highlight. Not all positive LGBT people are in entertainment, so we want our platform to share more about successful people, including LGBT individuals. Now, the LGBTQ community has a platform," she concluded.
©KapanLagi.com
The name of celebrity influencer Una Dembler was once a hot topic when she was linked to Rachel Vennya and Salim Nauderer's relationship. At that time, Salim was rumored to have been in a romantic relationship with Una Dembler.
Born with the name Arjuna Dembler, this beautiful woman has now decided to become a trans woman. Initially, there was disagreement from her family, especially her mother. However, slowly but surely, Una began to receive a lot of support from those closest to her.
"My dad's mind was already open because he had worked abroad. And he felt that I was always a girl since I was in my mother's womb. When I told him, he agreed because it was my life choice. Then I had to tell my mom. When I told her, she couldn't accept it because she was worried about what the family would say. Eventually, my dad helped me. Over time, she agreed. After that, I was allowed to leave home and live on my own," said Una Dembler, when interviewed by the KapanLagi.com team.
©KapanLagi.com/Bayu Herdianto
As a transgender woman, Una Dembler strives in every way to find her true identity. Initially, she only took hormone medication, but now Una has undergone breast surgery.
Nevertheless, there is an intention and principle held firmly by Una Dembler until now. She admits that she does not want to change or undergo gender reassignment surgery ever. What is the reason?
"Because I have committed to my parents not to have bottom surgery (penis). Because no one knows, maybe there will be guidance and all sorts of things. I haven't thought about that change yet, but I am comfortable like this," she explained.
"I will not have bottom surgery ever, that is my life principle. I promised my mom, dad, and the guy who accepted me. Because I want to be a woman but don't want to change. The appearance of a woman, male genitalia, ID card is also male," she continued.
As is known, some phenomenal transgender people in Indonesia openly admit to having undergone gender reassignment surgery. Lucinta Luna and the late Dorce Gamalama are among them, while those who have decided not to undergo gender reassignment surgery besides Una are Millendaru and Denna Rahman.
©KapanLagi.com/Bayu Herdianto
With a beautiful appearance and a soothing charm, many people assume that Una Dembler is a genuine woman. This fact does not surprise Una. In fact, she often openly admits that she is a trans woman when meeting a man.
"They are shocked, thinking I am a woman. I tell them that I am a trans woman. I always admit it when meeting a guy. So I let them know, some say 'Oh really, I didn't realize it'. But there is also rejection, it's part of life," she said.
Not stopping there, Una also has a desire to marry a man someday. However, of course, she will not do it in Indonesia.
"I want to marry a man, I don't know when, but definitely outside of Indonesia. I already have a dream, I have planned it, just pray that it can come true," Una continued.
©KapanLagi.com/Bayu Herdianto
Being open and honest to the public makes Una Dembler aware that what she does will generate pros and cons. Although she has the support of her family, how does she respond to haters and negative comments that appear on her social media?
"I just respond to it, they don't understand. I focus on what my parents taught me to do good. The point is, I am still human," Una said firmly.
"In my opinion, it is not a disease. This is my opinion, but everyone can have their own opinion. I have felt like this (a woman) since I was a child, since elementary school I have felt like a woman. I consider it being honest with myself. It's actually not good to lie and not be yourself. But if people have different opinions, that's their right," she concluded.
©KapanLagi.com
An artist will have difficulty getting a job in the entertainment world without the help or involvement of their artist management or manager. He is Tata Liem, someone who is known to have launched names like Bella Sophie to Ozy Syahputra. Even to this day, Tata is still trying to launch talented artists through his management.
Although he is actually a manager who spends a lot of time behind the stage or screen, Tata is often in the spotlight. One reason is because of his different appearance. Openly, Tata often dresses up beautifully like a woman at various public events.
Around mid-2017, Tata made a big decision in his life. The 43-year-old man chose to discard his feminine side and become a normal man. Even at one event, Tata pledged to Deddy Corbuzier that he would never go back to being a woman again.
"I said that before because of ego, maybe if I was younger I was still confident, brave. I can also become mature because of age, I know what is good and what is right, it's better to regret that one mistake that happened before," said Tata Liem, when met at Kopi Brug, Tebet, South Jakarta, on Tuesday (29/3).
©KapanLagi.com/Bambang E Ros
The proliferation of public figures who openly support or identify as LGBT certainly garners various pros and cons from netizens. Tatalim Nasution, also known as Tata Liem, is one of those who deeply regrets this.
Having experienced rumors of dating someone of the same gender, Tata Liem admits feeling ashamed and depressed during that time. According to him, it is very different from the social media phenomenon of today's era.
"It's really unfortunate that nowadays things are getting more and more wild and vulgar, because no matter what, our country Indonesia is not Thailand. We are not like other Asian countries that are still bold enough to do it openly, but I think if it can be toned down, let's not be too much like that, let's not show it off," he said.
©KapanLagi.com/Budy Santoso
Returning to the main topic, Tata Liem also connects the LGBT phenomenon with religion. In his personal opinion, anything that is not allowed by religion should not be violated by society.
"LGBT exists, it has existed since the times of Sodom and Gomorrah. It existed during the time of Prophet Luth. Anything that has been prohibited by religion, we shouldn't complain about it and we shouldn't justify it because it's not allowed. I'm not unsupportive, it's okay because it's an individual choice, but at least our society or entertainment industry should learn from history," he firmly stated.
"There's no need to promote or publish it if that's what it is, just feel ashamed for ourselves. I'm not a hypocrite, as I get older, I feel more and more ashamed. Hopefully, the future generations won't be too vulgar. It's actually scary if things are too much promoted for this, learn from history," he concluded.
What do KLovers think about the LGBT phenomenon and pros and cons in Indonesia? What do you think differentiates netizens' reactions to the openness of Chika and Yumi and Ragil Mahardika? Don't forget to write in the comments section and read other articles below.
(kpl/abs/rhm/tmd)
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