Ketut Yasa Jaya

Translated from Bahasa Indonesia

Introduction

My name is Ketut Yasa Jaya, 54 years old. I'm the chairman here at Yayasan Gaya Dewata (YGD).  I rejoined in 2021. But before that, I had resigned in 1996, and actively had my own business in Flores with decorations. In 2021, it just so happened that the chairman at the time was leaving. So I came back. 

The reason for working at Yayasan Gaya Dewata? 

It’s raging within me. The problem of sexual identity. Years before social media, it was difficult to find information about gay issues, about homosexuals. We could only learn through newspapers, read through books, or articles. If we didn’t go to the bookstore and look for the articles, we wouldn’t know this world exists. And there are so many people experiencing the same thing, the same problem, but it is not talked about. So everyone’s confused about where to go to consult or chat. They’re all alone.

There was an organization called Gaya Nusantara. They used to publish a bulletin. Every month, they’d make a bulletin article along with a friendship list, so those who wanted to make friends with others from the LGBT community could. There were addresses, and connections. I tried to contact them, looking for information, looking for experiences. What is the gay community like abroad, compared to my home of Denpasar?

Around this time I met Mas Gede, someone working there.  We became friends and often met in a place called Puputan Field.  In 1990, I met Pak Made. He had research from Udayana University, from anthropologists, based on the gay community in Bali . He met my friends, conducted interviews and so on.

The year after the research was finished, we lost touch. Then one day he called and asked me how I was doing and about my friends in the community.  At the time,  they had a forum that housed gay people in Citra Usada.  Dr. Tutik and Bli Evo established the Citra Usada foundation which is engaged in the prevention and control of HIV AIDS in Bali.  There was a peer educator training that I joined and was eventually recruited. 

Over time there were needs from my friends in the field which I conveyed to Pak Made. As a field officer it was easier for me to reach them. And that's the story of how we established our organization, called Gaya Dewata. 

Are you open about your sexual orientation?

Not in my family. But indirectly, I don't need to come out. The government already knows who I am and what I do. 

What are we doing here? We exist. Until now, society has discriminated against us. The community's goal is to show people that Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, etc, are not as bad as they think. We do positive things that contribute to the community. 

Discrimination

Surprisingly from our own close friends! In the past I have experienced it, at Citra Usada. There were many groups that they assisted. Gay, transgender groups, addicts, gigolos, prostitutes, there are so many people involved in the programs at Citra Usada.

One time we had training, in Candidasa. We got a room assignment. I was in line and I happened to get a room with someone from a different assisted group, the youth group. He didn't see me sitting at the back, and I heard him say, "I don't want to be with Mr. Yasa. I'll get infected with gayness." I wanted to hit him.

I was shocked, I said to him, "How can you be an example when you still discriminate against your friends here? You refuse to accept the existence of friends here. Your fear is extraordinary, like a phobia."  

That's an uphill battle on a small scale.  How can we change the outside world if, even in our group, there is still discrimination?

For now, in terms of discrimination, it depends on each person or the community who judges. If they never see or are associated with the lgbtq+ community, then to them it's strange, disgusting. But now that it's on social media, on TV, or Tik Tok, information about us doesn't need to be explained anymore. Here in Gaya Dewata, we emphasize to our friends to maintain their positive attitude. People will respect us if we respect them. 

In the past, in the 90s, there were many friends who were discriminated against by their own families. For example, a friend who is now active here, was confused about his identity in high school. He knew it at the time. He used to come by the organization and hang out. He felt safer there. But is mother found out that he was there and she beat him with a broom. Beaten, told to go home and not to hang out there. But over time, they slowly started to accept him.

The important thing I emphasize is to finish school. Because usually, friends who feel they are different, go away from their families and don't finish school. It's the school that's important. Then when you finish, you find a job. If you can earn money for yourself or help your family, you will earn respect. 

There was one child I knew, who’s uncle didn't accept that his brother was transgender. Many of his brothers got beaten up by him. But I'm glad that the second brother took care of his transgender brother. He knew where we gathered at Citra Usada, so they came. At that time it was really bad, his brother was about to be killed by their uncle but we were able to help them. When he graduated from high school, I told him to go to Jakarta because they happened to have family there. Later, when he had taken courses there and developed skills, he came back to Bali to work. As long as he was working, there weren’t any problems. And he did. He became a gymnastics instructor!

Is Bali a safe place for the LGBTQ community, more so than Jakarta and Java?

I think it’s mostly same. But it depends on what the community is like. If they have bad behavior, like stealing, that's what people see. But if they have positive activities, people will accept them.

For example, in YGD, the artist "Arja Muani" is from our assisted group. People don't see his sexual orientation because he has skills. That is what is seen, appreciated and respected because it is valuable. But if he is having sex, there are laws that punish him. In the past, gays were seen as the spreaders of the HIV/AIDS virus. But slowly the issue was rolled out, that people do not see that gays are carriers of the virus. We now see that the general public is exposed to the HIV/AIDS virus. 

Advice to the Youth 

Usually, they are confused about their identity. Especially for the younger generation, this is very dangerous, sometimes they try things out. Some go to a doctor, to a psychiatrist for consultation. It's not wrong for people to try. But those who don't know about HIV/AIDS prevention, are very, very dangerous. When I look at it now, young people want to try things, and usually they're not alone, they join their friends. Whatever it is, if they drink, smoke, they will follow their friends. It's better to look for information first, where do you want to go in the future? 

For Gaya Dewata, maybe we will learn a lot, look for the right information about HIV/AIDS, and know how to prevent it. If we already know about the issue, we’ll know how to prevent it and slowly it will add insight for ourselves. So our hope in the future is that we will reduce the transmission of the virus and if possible, stop it.