'You feel very unsafe': Fears mount as Indonesia's gay sex ban looms

As Indonesia debates whether or not criminalise same-sex relations as part of an overhaul of the country's criminal code, alarm among the LGTBIQ+ community is growing.

Indonesia LGBT anti-gay laws sharia Aceh Source: AP

Growing up in a small village in northern Sumatra, not far from Indonesia's ultra-conservative Aceh province, Jayanto Tan spent his youth hiding his true identity.

"Being homosexual in Indonesia is not acceptable and you feel very unsafe and insecure and you get the feeling of fear the whole time," he told SBS News. 

In search of acceptance, Mr Tan moved to larger cities but found homophobia was rife across the county.

Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/you-feel-very-unsafe-fears-mount-as-indonesia-s-gay-sex-ban-looms