
JAKARTA Indonesia's long-held stance of relative tolerance toward LGBT issues has shifted abruptly since the beginning of 2016.
The furor began in early January when Republika Online, a mainstream, Muslim-oriented newspaper website, published reports about an impending "LGBT attack." The ostensible basis of the reports was an agreement between Melela.org, a website on which LGBT Indonesians share their personal stories, and the Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies at the University of Indonesia, to provide joint counseling services.