The Constitutional Court of Indonesia has heard arguments from anti-LGBT+ activists on Tuesday after accepting a judicial review petition seeking to criminalize gay sex in the country. LGBT+ advocates will argue their case later in August.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, however anti-LGBT+ campaigners argued before the court that a law banning sex acts between adults and minors of the same sex be extended to include consenting adults as well. Such a change would mandate prison sentences of at least 15 years for those convicted.
Witnesses who testified in front of the court argued that homosexuality is immoral and goes against Indonesian ideals. The constitutionally secular country has the largest Muslim population in the world, as well as large Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu minority populations. This year has seen significant public backlash against LGBT+ rights in Indonesia, spurred largely by fundamentalist organizations.