You Think We Have It Hard

In Indonesia they had to hold their pageant in secret so they wouldn’t be attacked by the religious police.

Indonesia Miss Transgender Crowned in a Slap for Hard-Liners
NBC Out
By Associated Press
November 14, 2016

Transgender people and gay activists from across Indonesia have defied a wave of hatred against sexual minorities to crown a Miss Transgender at a national pageant held in absolute secrecy.

A handful of journalists were notified just a few hours in advance of the location of the event, held in the capital, Jakarta, to prevent any attempts by Islamic hard-liners to shut down the pageant. And because of the risk of discovery and violence, organizers asked those present not to post anything on social media during the contest.
[…]
Indonesia's conservatives want to push LGBT people back into the margins of society and deny them legal rights. It's an agenda that has capitalized on low levels of awareness in a society where open discussion of sexuality is often frowned upon. But it also clashes with the traditions of some cultures in ethnically diverse Indonesia that have for centuries allowed space for different genders and sexual identities.

"If the public knew in advance that there will be such an event, those who use religion as their mask could attack us. That's why we kept it secret until the last minute," said pageant organizer Nancy Iskandar.

"The radicals are very arrogant. I'm afraid that it could erupt into physical confrontation," Iskandar said. "We don't want them to step on us forever. What's in it for them anyway? We're not doing any harm."

And the police…

Indonesia's police often side with or look the other way when Islamic hard-liners attack or intimidate LGBT groups, religious minorities, women's rights groups and any cultural events they take exception to.

Will this how we become in a few years?

In states under Republican control will we have to hide for fear of being attacked? Will the police look the other way?