http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/speaking-out-against-homophobia/Melany Tedja; Jakarta Globe
Last year Cosmopolitan Indonesia compared a number of celebrity photographs, labeling them either "sexy" or "skanky" in an article named "Sexy or Skank." This piece immediately caught my attention as it categorized a kiss between a man and a woman as "sexy" while a same-sex locking of lips fell under the "skanky" category.
For readers, the message is clear: public displays of affection by same-sex couples is disgusting.
If a person already has a strong opinion, he or she will less likely be influenced by media, but most people are on the fence, and they can and will be influenced by values promoted by the media.Normalizing a demeaning tone toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer people scan lead to permissive attitude vis-a-vis — if not outright encouragement of — bullying an already vulnerable minority group.
A friend of mine who is a homosexual [. . .] merely shrugged and said it is the fate of Indonesia's LGBTQ community to suffer from discrimination.
