Muhammad Nasir, the Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education, controversially tweeted on Sunday that LGBT people “corrupted the nation’s morals” and were unwelcome in Indonesian universities. He made the comment after hearing that a support group for LGBT people had been formed by students at the University of Indonesia.
The Minister’s words drew backlash from LGBT advocates, inspiring what the Jakarta Post described as “a wave of public fury and criticism.” Within hours a student petition calling on him to withdraw his comments that had been signed by over 1000 people.
Nasir later attempted to clarify his stance on Twitter, stating, “it is an individual’s right to be gay or lesbian, but the academic atmosphere must not be disrupted.” As such, he went on to tweet that, “I would only ban LGBT people from campuses if they engage in disgraceful behavior like making love or showing affection.”