Indonesia’s government has demanded that instant messaging apps remove stickers featuring same-sex couples. This seems to be the latest high-profile attempt to discourage visible homosexuality in the socially conservative country.
The move comes after a social media backlash against the popular smartphone messaging app Line for having stickers, an elaborate type of emoticon, with gay themes in its online store.
The Information and Communication Ministry spokesman Ismail Cawidu said that social media and messaging platforms should drop stickers expressing support for the LGBT community.
Social media must respect the culture and local wisdom of the country where they have large numbers of usersIsmail Cawidu, Spokesperson, Information and Communication Ministry
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but is a sensitive issue. At the same time, most of the Indonesian society, is tolerant, with gay and transsexual entertainers often appearing on television shows.
Line, on Tuesday, said it had removed all LGBT-related stickers from its local store after receiving complaints from Indonesian users. Twitter and Facebook had exploded with criticism of Line and its competitor WhatsApp for containing gay content.
Cawidu said the government would tell WhatsApp to do the same as Line.
In 2014, lawmakers in Aceh, a conservative Indonesian province, passed a law that punishes gay sex by public caning and subjects non-Muslims to the region’s strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
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