The Bireuën Regency – a region in Indonesia’s northern province, Aceh – has told local beauty parlors to stop employing LGBT people – specifically openly transgender people.

Religious leaders have voiced concern over the influence such employees may have on young people.

Indonesia, with a population of 250million, is home to more of the world’s Muslims than any other country. Aceh is Indonesia’s most northern province. Since 2001 it has been allowed specific autonomy and is allowed to make its own laws based on Islamic Sharia.

The order came in a letter from the head of Bireuën’s Sharia agency, DSI Chief Jufliwan, reports Jakarta Post.

Many transgender people work in the beauty industry, and Sharia police have been known to raid transgender-owned beauty parlors in the past.

‘It is a call to LGBT people and the beauty parlors’ owners,’ said Jufliwan.

The letter said that transgender people should change their clothing if they wish to worked in beauty parlors – to be more in fitting with the sex they were assigned at birth.

There has been widespread alarm among LGBT advocates at the decree.

‘Working at beauty parlors is the only skill we have. If we are not allowed to work, what shall we do for a living?’ Dina, a transgender employee at a beauty parlor, told Jakarta Post.

‘There are many reasons why transgenders prefer to work at beauty salons. Aside from skills, many customers prefer to be handled by transgender staff.’

Another trans spokesperson, Yuli, chairperson of the transgender group Arus Pelangi, also expressed anger at the ban.

‘We do not have many job opportunities. This is too much. How can they just ban it?’

Indonesia has recently seen a crackdown on LGBT rights. Last month, the Indonesian Psychiatrists Association’s (IPA) move to classify homosexuality and gender dysphonia as mental disorders that could be cured with treatment.

In the same month, the country’s Minister of Defense, Ryamizard Ryacudu, described the LGBTI movement as posing a greater threat to the country than nuclear warfare, while local Islamic group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) issued a statement saying it would not recognize LGBT groups and called on the Government to criminalize homosexuality and LGBT rights activism.

The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission also banned any screen depictions that showed LGBT people as ‘normal’.

Human Rights Watch has said that the ‘growing sense of clear and present danger to Indonesia’s LGBT population is troubling.’

Main image: Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Aceh, by Si Gam | CC BY-SA 3.0