Written by Johanes Koraag
In the postmodern era, the understanding of gender is no longer dichotomized in the traditional view which believes that there are only two types of gender, namely men and women. Because in reality there are some members of society who do not feel that they belong to either gender. Waria are men who prefer to act as women in their daily lives. Physically, they are men, but they express their gender identity as women. In Indonesia, the existence of waria has been recorded for a long time in history, and waria hold different positions in various Indonesian societies.
Traditionally, some tribes in Indonesia have waria communities. When indigenous religions were still the majority in these tribes, the existence of transgender people was well accepted. They even held honorable positions in certain tribes such as the Bugis tribe in South Sulawesi who consider waria (referred to as Bissu in their tradition) as an intermediary medium that bridges and connects humans with God. The exchange of identities between men and women or vice versa on a temporary or permanent basis has been widely practiced. In some traditional art groups, many female roles are played by men. For example, in East Java, the art of Ludruk, according to the rules, the female roles must be performed by a male artist. One reason given for this is safety reasons, as these groups have to tour for a long periods of time and they often perform at night. Another reason is the traditional role of women who take care of the home and raise children, so they cannot be away from the home. Hence there is a need for men who are willing to play the role of women in the performance.
In the Wednesday Forum held by ICRS and CRCS UGM on September 13, 2023, Khanis Suvianita, an ICRS alumna, presented her research on the religious experience of waria in Eastern Indonesia. Through her research, she wanted to compare the religious experiences of waria in Gorontalo in Sulawesi and Maumere in East Nusa Tenggara and how these two regions with very different religious identities react to the existence of the waria community among them. She questioned whether the dominant religious teaching in both regions affect the inner atmosphere of the community in treating waria as fellow human beings. In these two regions in Eastern Indonesia, transgender people have been visible parts of society for a long time. They are present and conduct their activities normally without any significant rejection. They are treated as members of the same society as other communities.
In the mid-1980s and 1990s, in search of a better economic life, these waria migrated to big cities. Waria from Gorontalo migrated to urban centers such as Manado, Makassar, Ternate, and some cities in Papua. The migration of waria from Gorontalo started in the late 1980s, and they returned to their area in the mid-1990s. The same thing was done by the waria in Maumere, they also migrated to cities in Java, especially East Java. Most of them make a living in the largest city in East Java, Surabaya. The waria work primarily in the beauty industry: salons, beauty pageants, beauty courses, and fashion. All these valuable experiences become a form of social and economic capital when they return to their hometowns in Gorontalo and Maumere. They return because culturally they feel more comfortable living in the environment where they grew up. However, what they do not take into account is that the religious situation in their home areas has changed. The acceptance of waria like them is no longer the same as it was prior to their migration.
The change in religious understanding specifically occurred in Gorontalo, which was previously part of North Sulawesi Province and therefore had been considered an area with a majority Christian population. After separating and becoming a new province, Gorontalo emphasized its Islamic identity by naming its area as "Serambi Medinah”(The Portico of Medina). There was a sense that community members' behaviors should be based on Sharia, and religious identity became stronger. This certainly affects the religious experience of waria in Gorontalo. Islamic morality became a norm for society, including gender and sexuality. Waria through the LGBT framework became a religious matter. Religious discourses are used to reject them from society. They are considered to have violated human nature according to Islamic teachings, which believe that God only created men and women. The Islamic purification movement that has infiltrated the Muslim community in Gorontalo was once moderate and could accept the presence of the waria community in their midst, now they view waria as sinners who have been influenced by Western culture which they consider pagan and contrary to Islamic teachings.
A quite different situation is experienced by waria in Maumere, where the majority of the population is Catholic. Here, pastoral care serves as a guide on how to treat waria according to Christianity. There is no official statement on waria from the local Catholic church. There is no specific teaching on waria, and the church is open to the participation of waria in religious activities. In Catholic (Christian) teaching, loving one's neighbor as oneself is one of the virtues emphasized. So, in most Maumere communities, they do not mind the presence of transgender people among them, because they are taught to accept transgender people as children of God. They do not try to prevent transgender people from encountering God through Mass held in the church. Some transgender people can be actively involved in spiritual ministry without questioning their gender status.
Suvianita’s research in Gorontalo and Maumere points to the fact that understanding of religious teachings in a region greatly impacts the religious experience of waria in that area. Religious teachings have shaped the mindset and way the community interacts with people who live a different way of life from the rest of society. If religious leaders in the community have both positive and negative perspectives towards transgender people, then the views of these religious leaders will be adopted by the community and become a framework for them to interact with transgender people there.