Senin, 18 Februari 2013

LGBTQ advocacy, the way forward


LGBTQ advocacy, the way forward
Abdul Rohman   A Faculty Member in the Communication Studies Program at the Indonesian Islamic University, Yogyakarta; Alumni of the PRESTASI – USAID program
JAKARTA POST, 14 Februari 2013


Although same-sex marriage has been widely accepted in the US and several other Western countries, it seems the impact has not really been felt in Indonesia. The time is now to leverage the issue, however, most organizations advocating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) rights are still struggling under multidimensional burdens.

The groups face various external pressures due to their nature. They are perceived as undermining socio-cultural and religious values, and at the same time they also have to deal with their internal management so as to be able to be organizationally sustainable given the fact that not many sources want to help develop these organizations. This article aims to point out the importance of strategic communication and intercultural approach to leverage acceptance of LGBTQ persons and organizations, and how essential it is to practice non-profit management in administering the organizations to efficiently and effectively achieve their respective core missions.

Advocating LGBTQ rights is not merely to make people agree with the idea, however, it essentially means generating acceptance from members of society. Seeking agreement is different from searching for acceptance. People can disagree with each other because of the competing thoughts about LGBTQ persons and their nature, however searching for acceptance can be shared through spreading cultural values mirroring the rights and existence of LGBTQ in the narrative of society from a multidimensional historical lens. How those who have different sexual preferences from the majority in the past had important roles in society as it is implied in ludruk, a traditional theater from East Java, the legitimacy of bissu as one of the opinion leaders in South Sulawesi, and so forth.

Clarifying misleading information regarding same-sex relations from scripture is also part of the non-violent strategy to leverage rights. A common understanding is that God punished the people of Luth for practicing homosexuality. However, taking a look at that chapter might also reveal an understanding that He punished them for disrespecting Luth’s guests. It does not make sense to accept disrespectful behavior, but loving others regardless of their sexual identity is way beyond deserving punishment as scripture teaches that everyone is equal and can serve God according to their preemptive conditions.

At a strategic level, it is also beneficial to have some gay representation in the political arena or at least having those who have close relations with the community in the circle of power. 

They presumably could speak for their rights and enact them in policies. If many gays in Washington, DC and New York can influence policymakers in the US, then there should be the possibility of emulating this in Indonesia.

The challenge would be the existing awareness among political leaders of the “equality concept” and gays themselves who are willing to open publicly and articulate their rights. This might sound a bit debatable, but it doesn’t necessarily imply putting pressure on every gay to come out. Though, it does suggest that everyone should support the movement regardless of their stage of discreetness.

Management is another aspect that needs to get attention at the movement. In non-profit entities, the nature of management is definitely different from their private sector counterparts. Management refers to advocacy management and organizational management. The former is tied to how the organization strategically articulates its missions using a well-structured communication plan, and the latter relates to how it can manage the organizational sustainability itself.

There is insufficient information to identify for sure how many LGBTQ organizations and people there are in the country, not surprisingly when activities campaigning for change remain sporadic. It is important to figure these out so integrated and synergic advocacy networks can effectively be performed. 

It doesn’t mean that the organizations compete with each other or have to be under a single coordination umbrella; it emphasizes how the existing entities can communicate with each other and determine what aspects of the public’s perception of LGBTQ people and organizations needs to be changed. Gaining awareness independently is still important, however it should move on to increase acceptance and fight for equal rights nationally.

On the internal side, the LGBTQ organizations should also embrace the school of thought of sustainable non-profit organizations. Leadership, human resources and financial sustainability are some of the issues that need to be addressed. Leadership will be trouble in the long run if the existing LGBTQ organizations still rely on one person as an icon. The practice of a one man/woman show needs to be replaced with preparing a future leader who is able to leverage the issue and to build networks utilizing a multidimensional approach.

Human resources, another common problem that hampers non-profit organizations, are still far behind what is expected to professionally deliver the services. The power of volunteers, for instance, can be more effective if it also exercises volunteer management with clear job descriptions and targets to achieve. To hire a professional, the organizations need to have adequate financial resources and this relates to the current landscape of financial sources supporting the issue.

To be sustainable an organization needs to practice the idea of social entrepreneurship to achieve its mission. The positive stereotype of LGBTQ persons is that they have the inclination to utilize their entrepreneurship talent which can be emulated in organizational practice. Along with that, it is helpful to say to donor agencies that organizational development has the same level of importance as advocacy activities.

I am not trying to simplify the complexity of struggling for equality in an Islamic society; this article briefly portrays the phenomenon from an angle that has not really received attention from activists yet. It promotes shifting gear in the advocacy strategy from seeking awareness to gaining acceptance by exercising strategic communication and an intercultural approach to develop integrated and synergized nationwide advocacy. It endorses gays at the widest range of discreetness and social structure being actively involved in the political arena or involving the issue in the policymaking process.

LGBTQ organizations also have to practice good-governance as non-profit entities in order to be able to become sustainable groups. Practicing this it is assumed will increase the probability of achieving the organization’s mission efficiently, effectively and equitably. 

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