Tuesday, 28 July 2026
BANDA ACEH | INDATANEWS.COM- Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf said the presence of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Aceh has increasingly raised concerns among the public. In response, the Aceh Government is preparing several preventive measures, including strengthening coordination among government agencies, monitoring digital spaces, and improving family resilience.
Muzakir Manaf views the LGBT issue as a serious matter, saying it is considered inconsistent with the Islamic Sharia values applied in Aceh. He also expressed concerns over potential health impacts related to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases."LGBT is a serious issue in Aceh. Apart from conflicting with Sharia, LGBT also spreads deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS," said Mualem, as conveyed by Aceh Government spokesperson Nurlis Effendi on Friday, July 24, 2026, in Banda Aceh.
According to Muzakir Manaf, the existence of LGBT communities in Aceh has attracted public attention because their activities are increasingly visible in certain public spaces and social environments."LGBT already has communities in Aceh that have drawn the attention of society," he said.
Due to this situation, Mualem called on all levels of the Aceh Government to jointly take measures to prevent the further spread of LGBT activities. The issue was subsequently discussed during a meeting of the Aceh Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) in Banda Aceh on Thursday, July 23, 2026.The meeting was attended by several regional leaders, including Aceh House of Representatives (DPR Aceh) Speaker Zulfadhli, Aceh Police Chief Inspector General Ruddi Setiawan, Head of Aceh's State Intelligence Agency (BIN Aceh) Andrie P Mulia, Commander of Sabang Naval Base Colonel (Navy) Sadimin, and Commander of Sultan Iskandar Muda Air Force Base Colonel PNB Suryo Anggoro.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of Wali Nanggroe Aceh, represented by Tuha Peuet Saifuddin Harun. The Commander of Iskandar Muda Military Command was represented by Deputy Commander Kasdam Iskandar Muda Brigadier General Dwi Sasongko. The Aceh Prosecutor's Office was represented by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Nur Albar, while the Aceh High Court was represented by Corruption Court Judge Firmansyah.In his presentation, Aceh Regional Secretary M. Nasir stated that LGBT-related activities in Aceh were allegedly developing through various channels, including digital platforms and certain communities.
"They are actively spreading LGBT-related content through digital spaces and certain communities, which has attracted public attention. Their activities are suspected to take place in locations such as cafés or coffee shops, barbershops, and fitness centers," Nasir said.Nasir added that certain groups were using social media platforms to establish communication among community members.
"Currently, there are communities using certain social media platforms such as the WALLA application. This application was developed by Catch Me LLC and is available on Google Play. It was created to facilitate interaction among men with same-sex interests," he said."This could increase the risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/AIDS. There is also a potential risk of social unrest, public controversy, and conflict with the norms applied in Aceh," he stated.
To address the issue, the Aceh Government plans to strengthen regulations and establish an integrated prevention system. One of the proposed measures is revising a governor regulation concerning the task force for preventing pornography.The government also plans to strengthen family resilience through education programs and positive discipline approaches.
"An integrated team must be established to monitor and prevent LGBT activities in public spaces and on social media," Nasir said.Aceh Police Chief Inspector General Ruddi Setiawan stated that LGBT-related activities on social media must receive serious attention. He instructed his personnel to monitor such activities.
"This must be implemented immediately," he said.Deputy Commander of Iskandar Muda Military Command Brigadier General Dwi Sasongko also assessed that social media has become one of the channels used by LGBT groups to promote their activities.
"Therefore, education about the dangers of LGBT is very important. We must also monitor our children and check their mobile phones more frequently," he said."However, it is a form of sexual misconduct and is very dangerous," he said.
Meanwhile, Head of BIN Aceh Andrie P Mulia described the LGBT phenomenon as a non-military threat that requires attention from the government and society."Their movement is highly organized. This is an anomaly for a region that we refer to as the Veranda of Mecca," he said.
According to Andrie, LGBT activities are currently not only occurring in urban areas but have also reached rural regions."This is a very serious issue. They use every opportunity to continue existing. The question is how their same-sex activities can be identified, because so far we have been faster in responding to different-sex couples," he said.
Through the Forkopimda meeting, the Aceh Government together with relevant institutions reaffirmed its commitment to preventive measures through strengthened monitoring, public education, family support programs, and supervision of activities in public spaces and on social media. (IDNC)REPORTER: Adli Safwan | EDITOR: Fik Sagala
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