Although same-sex marriage has been widely accepted in
the US and several other Western countries, it seems the impact has not
really been felt in Indonesia. The time is now to leverage the issue,
however, most organizations advocating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
and Queer (LGBTQ) rights are still struggling under multidimensional
burdens.
The groups face
various external pressures due to their nature. They are perceived as
undermining socio-cultural and religious values, and at the same time they
also have to deal with their internal management so as to be able to be
organizationally sustainable given the fact that not many sources want to help
develop these organizations. This article aims to point out the importance
of strategic communication and intercultural approach to leverage
acceptance of LGBTQ persons and organizations, and how essential it is to
practice non-profit management in administering the organizations to
efficiently and effectively achieve their respective core missions.
Advocating
LGBTQ rights is not merely to make people agree with the idea, however, it
essentially means generating acceptance from members of society. Seeking
agreement is different from searching for acceptance. People can disagree
with each other because of the competing thoughts about LGBTQ persons and
their nature, however searching for acceptance can be shared through
spreading cultural values mirroring the rights and existence of LGBTQ in
the narrative of society from a multidimensional historical lens. How those
who have different sexual preferences from the majority in the past had
important roles in society as it is implied in ludruk, a traditional theater
from East Java, the legitimacy of bissu as one of the opinion leaders in
South Sulawesi, and so forth.
Clarifying
misleading information regarding same-sex relations from scripture is also
part of the non-violent strategy to leverage rights. A common understanding
is that God punished the people of Luth for practicing homosexuality.
However, taking a look at that chapter might also reveal an understanding
that He punished them for disrespecting Luth’s guests. It does not make
sense to accept disrespectful behavior, but loving others regardless of
their sexual identity is way beyond deserving punishment as scripture
teaches that everyone is equal and can serve God according to their
preemptive conditions.
At a strategic
level, it is also beneficial to have some gay representation in the
political arena or at least having those who have close relations with the
community in the circle of power.
They presumably
could speak for their rights and enact them in policies. If many gays in
Washington, DC and New York can influence policymakers in the US, then
there should be the possibility of emulating this in Indonesia.
The challenge
would be the existing awareness among political leaders of the “equality
concept” and gays themselves who are willing to open publicly and
articulate their rights. This might sound a bit debatable, but it doesn’t
necessarily imply putting pressure on every gay to come out. Though, it
does suggest that everyone should support the movement regardless of their
stage of discreetness.
Management is
another aspect that needs to get attention at the movement. In non-profit
entities, the nature of management is definitely different from their
private sector counterparts. Management refers to advocacy management and
organizational management. The former is tied to how the organization
strategically articulates its missions using a well-structured
communication plan, and the latter relates to how it can manage the
organizational sustainability itself.
There is
insufficient information to identify for sure how many LGBTQ organizations
and people there are in the country, not surprisingly when activities
campaigning for change remain sporadic. It is important to figure these out
so integrated and synergic advocacy networks can effectively be performed.
It doesn’t mean
that the organizations compete with each other or have to be under a single
coordination umbrella; it emphasizes how the existing entities can
communicate with each other and determine what aspects of the public’s
perception of LGBTQ people and organizations needs to be changed. Gaining
awareness independently is still important, however it should move on to
increase acceptance and fight for equal rights nationally.
On the internal
side, the LGBTQ organizations should also embrace the school of thought of
sustainable non-profit organizations. Leadership, human resources and
financial sustainability are some of the issues that need to be addressed.
Leadership will be trouble in the long run if the existing LGBTQ
organizations still rely on one person as an icon. The practice of a one
man/woman show needs to be replaced with preparing a future leader who is
able to leverage the issue and to build networks utilizing a
multidimensional approach.
Human
resources, another common problem that hampers non-profit organizations,
are still far behind what is expected to professionally deliver the
services. The power of volunteers, for instance, can be more effective if
it also exercises volunteer management with clear job descriptions and
targets to achieve. To hire a professional, the organizations need to have
adequate financial resources and this relates to the current landscape of
financial sources supporting the issue.
To be
sustainable an organization needs to practice the idea of social
entrepreneurship to achieve its mission. The positive stereotype of LGBTQ
persons is that they have the inclination to utilize their entrepreneurship
talent which can be emulated in organizational practice. Along with that,
it is helpful to say to donor agencies that organizational development has
the same level of importance as advocacy activities.
I am not trying
to simplify the complexity of struggling for equality in an Islamic
society; this article briefly portrays the phenomenon from an angle that
has not really received attention from activists yet. It promotes shifting
gear in the advocacy strategy from seeking awareness to gaining acceptance
by exercising strategic communication and an intercultural approach to
develop integrated and synergized nationwide advocacy. It endorses gays at
the widest range of discreetness and social structure being actively
involved in the political arena or involving the issue in the policymaking
process.
LGBTQ
organizations also have to practice good-governance as non-profit entities
in order to be able to become sustainable groups. Practicing this it is
assumed will increase the probability of achieving the organization’s
mission efficiently, effectively and equitably. ●
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