Wave of Violence Against Trans Women in Bogor Sparks Outcry Over New LGBTQ Regulation

Ten assaults on trans women in Bogor between March and July 2026, including a filmed urine attack, have been documented by Pelangi Nusantara, prompting activists to link the surge to a 2025 presidential regulation labeling LGBTQ culture a non-military threat.

Between March 30 and July 15, 2026, ten separate attacks on transgender women were reported in Bogor, with Pelangi Nusantara counting 45 victim-survivors who endured punches, kicks, stone-throwing, firecrackers, and even being stripped naked. Video evidence shows groups of up to 20 men committing the assaults and sharing the clips on social media, a pattern highlighted by Amnesty International Indonesia, which also noted victims' reluctance to involve police.

Rights activist Echa Wao'de described the climate of fear for working-class trans women, linking it to a presidential regulation issued in October 2025 that classifies "LGBTQ culture" as a non-military threat alongside terrorism and drug abuse. The decree follows a long-standing trend of politicising LGBTQ issues since a 2016 moral panic, exemplified by former defence minister Ryamizard Ryacudu’s comparison of the community to a nuclear threat.

Coordinating Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra asserted the regulation targets ideas, not individuals, and that any perpetrators should be prosecuted under existing law. No suspects have been identified or detained, and police have not responded to inquiries. Scholars warn that labeling the community as a security risk, combined with vigilante mobilisation and weak law enforcement, could further escalate violence.