In Indonesia, People Are Turning To Exorcisms To ‘Cure’ Members Of The LGBT+ Community
In Indonesia, for the past three years, people have increasingly been turning to exorcisms to “cure” members of the LGBT+ community. And in some cities, like Padang and West Sumatra, these exorcisms are government-sponsored.
Between the months of November and December in 2019, Padang police arrested 18 same-sex couples and made them undergo conversion exorcisms.
“We have an exorcism expert here who specialises in the LGBT community,” Lucky Abdul Hayyi, a member of a civil society organisation that assisted the government in this operation.
“Gay men are usually possessed by female demons. We also have a program that will allow transgender people to be trained by the military.”
What’s even more disturbing is the fact that some Indonesian members of the LGBT+ community request exorcisms of their own accord.
According to ‘Vice’, Ailsa, a Jakarta-based exorcism therapist, said that every week, one or two “patients” commit themselves to her centre to “fix” their sexual orientation.
But, as Ailsa says, “Demons aren’t the cause of every issue. It’s not always mystical.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Germany Set To Ban Conversion Therapy
Utah Becomes The 19th State To Ban LGBT+ Conversion Therapy
American Medical Association Backs Conversion Therapy Ban
New York City Council To Repeal Its Ban On Conversion Therapy
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