GAYa Nusantara

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GAYa Nusantara is an Indonesian organization that works for LGBTQ rights. It does research, publishes materials, educates people, and advocates for change. It was founded on August 1, 1987 by Dede Oetomo after Lambda Indonesia ended in 1986, to keep the movement going. The name highlights the word “Gay” because it started focusing on gay people, but it later included a broader range of LGBT individuals. After more than twenty years of activity, the group was legally recognized by the government on June 27, 2012. They published a zine beginning around November 1987; at their peak they printed about 1,000 copies. The print version stopped in 2005 and resumed online in 2014. On June 7, 2016, they planned an event about HIV/AIDS prevention and testing for the gay community as part of the Gua Berani (“I am brave”) campaign, but the event was canceled because authorities did not grant permits, viewing it as an LGBT gathering. In 2022, GAYa Nusantara criticized Mahfud MD for calling for the criminalization of homosexuality in Indonesia as a violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The group also criticized Ahmad Riza Patria for claiming Citayam Fashion Week is an LGBTQ movement and for spreading homophobia.