Words: Steve Brown

An Indonesian mayor has ordered the army to arrest LGBT+ people in order to perform exorcisms on them.

Mahyeldi Ansharullah, the mayor of Padang in West Sumatra, has reportedly targeted and detained LGBT+ people in the region and called their existence “the influence of jinn, devils” and admitted to using “rugyah (exorcisms) to prepare them to leave (their bodies)”, according to news site Tirto.

He also went on to reveal other methods he is introducing to “prevent” people from being gay including making sure children do not play or dress in ways which are different to stereotypes of their assigned gender.

“We have education activities that are wrong in the family,” he added. “He is a boy, but is given a female toy, given a girl’s clothes or vice versa.”

The bigoted mayor also claimed that men should not dance elegantly – unless it’s part of ‘male’ activity including martial arts – and slammed elections which allowed women to win power.

Mahyeldi continued: “Elections that equate men and women… well, that is also an indication in that direction.

“Those children from the operations that we have, we will build and train, then we will cultivate the nationalism and plant their identity.”

Although homosexuality is legal in Indonesia – except for Aceh which is under Sharia law – LGBT+ people are still subjected to violence.